And the Greatest of These Is Love: A Contemporary Christian Romance Novel (30 page)

There was something there, Andrew thought, peering through the discussion over and over again as he lay awake in the semi-darkness later. Something in her voice, and her words. She was so good with the kids. Why did she think she could never be a mother? From Bryan’s accounts, she was doing a wonderful job with Antonio. So what was it?

The questions continued to haunt him the rest of the night.

Sometime in the middle of the night, his brain went back to the basics of being a reporter, and at the first sign of life the next morning, Andrew was up formulating his questions with more intensity than he had tackled any other story his entire life.

The pieces of evidence, the events — small and large — crammed his mind. Every piece of information he had gathered since he’d met her was a clue, and he was determined to miss nothing as he put the pieces of this story together until they made some sense.

“Get your coat, Antonio,” Gabi said with all the patience she could muster. She hadn’t slept too well the night before, and patience right now was a scarce commodity.

“I don’t feel good,” the weak voice came from the living room.

“Antonio, we have to go,” Gabi said again as she grabbed her own coat and marched out of her bedroom.

“I don’t feel good,” Antonio repeated just as she rounded the corner, and with one look at Antonio, she knew there would be no school for either of them today.

She dropped her coat and belongings with no thought as she went to feel his forehead. “What’s the matter, Buddy?”

“I’m tired,” he said as his eyes fell closed again.

“Why don’t you come and lay in Gabi’s bed?” she asked softly as she prodded him to his feet. “Come on. Let’s get you out of these clothes.”

“My tummy itches.” The second his shirt came off, she knew exactly why. Chicken pox.

“Gabi just called,” Bryan said to Andrew quietly through the bars. “Antonio’s sick.”

“Sick?” Andrew asked immediately forgetting the list of questions in front of him and jumping to his feet.

“Chicken pox,” Bryan said. He held up his hands. “Now, I’m sure he’ll be fine. Gabi’s taking some time off to stay with him.”

But Andrew’s brain hadn’t gotten past the words
Antonio’s sick
.

“Does he need to go to the doctor?” he asked with concern. “I mean ‘cause if he does,...”

“I don’t think you have to go in for the chicken pox, but I’m sure Gabi will take him if he needs to go,” Bryan said, clearly trying to find a way to calm the fear he saw looking back from his brother’s eyes.

However, that did not help the fear clawing through Andrew. “Yeah, yeah, I’m sure she will. I’m sure she will.”

Thank God for wonderful neighbors,
Gabi thought as she rubbed Calamine lotion over Antonio’s back. Dear Mrs. Kneisly. Gabi would have to find some way to thank her.

“It itches.” Antonio wriggled under her hands. “It itches!”

“I know, Sweetheart, but you can’t scratch them or they’ll scar.”

“I don’t care! It itches!”

“I’ll tell you what,” Gabi said, searching for some way to take his mind off the itching. “Why don’t you tell me a story? Maybe that’ll make it stop itching.”

For a single second, she thought her ploy might not work, but suddenly he flipped over and looked at her with the brightest eyes she’d ever seen.

“Okay, I’ve got one,” he said with no small amount of excitement. “Knock, knock.”

“Who’s there?”

“Impatient Cow.”

“Impatient Cow,…”

“Moo!”

Andrew waited as patiently as he could for word, but waiting was hard, and he wished with everything in him — body, heart, and soul — that he could just tell them what they wanted to know and get out of here. This wasn’t about him anymore. It was about his son. His son needed him.

The second he heard Bryan’s voice, Andrew was off the mattress.

“How is he?”

“Antonio’s fine. Gabi’s got everything under control. She said not to worry about a thing.”

Andrew sighed, but felt the weight he had given her all the same.

“But she said she can’t come over tonight. She hopes you’ll understand.”

“Of course. Of course I understand,” Andrew said as the bars suddenly closed in around him. He looked around himself and shook his head. “Bry, what am I doing here?”

“Keeping your word.”

“Is it worth this?”

“I can’t answer that, little brother. You’re the only one who can.”

Andrew exhaled slowly.

“It’s so easy and it sounds so good making that promise,” he said, the words softer than any he had ever spoken. “Yeah, I’ll keep your name out of it. It was so easy to say.”

“Want some chicken soup?” she asked the figure looking up at her from the depths of the pillows.

“Yeah,” he said softly.

“K, I’ll be back in a minute.”

Somehow the walls seemed harder and the bars more solid than they had in days, and as Andrew sat surveying the situation two things were imminently clear:  one, he would never be able to repay Gabi; and two, he had to find a way out of here. He had to.

“Can we listen to the radio?” Antonio asked from the depths of the pillows.

“Sure,” she said, leaving the soup bowl on the TV tray next to the bed. “What do you want to listen to?”

“Anything,” he said, shrugging. “It’s too quiet in here.”

She turned her alarm clock on and found a station. “How’s that?”

“Better,” he said, relaxing a little bit.

“Why don’t you just try to get some rest?” She noticed his eyelids already drooping. “We can finish eating later.”

“Okay.” He was already drifting out on the music. “Thanks, Miss T.”

“You’re welcome, Antonio,” she said, and she took the bowl out to the kitchen.

There was no doubt that he was a special kid, and without Andrew, he would’ve been lost forever. The thought of Andrew made her feel lonelier than she had ever felt in her entire life, and if she could’ve had her wish at that moment, he would’ve been right there with her caring for Antonio himself.

Andrew wondered about them again as he drifted out, and with all his heart, his only wish was to be with them at this moment.

“Yeah, he’s gonna live,” Gabi said, sighing into the phone that evening, “has anyone else gotten it?”

“Not so far,” Jerry said. “Keep your fingers crossed.”

“No kidding.” She put her hand to her head and sighed. “So, how’s the class? Are they behaving?”

“Like angels.”

“Yeah, right.”

“Actually, they weren’t too bad. Irvin didn’t even have much trouble with them.”

That snapped her upright. “Irvin?”

“Yeah, he came and took over about 4:10. Oh, and he says to tell Antonio to stop playing sick and come back. He needs a… doctor?”

Gabi laughed. “I’ll tell him. I’d better go now. Good luck, Jerr.”

“I’m sure we’ll do fine. Take care of our little patient.”

“I will.”

*              *              *

In the absence of a story on Woodruff, and because they knew how easily they could be in the witness chair, a pack of reporters had commenced assembling in Judge Carson’s courtroom for each hearing, every single morning. Even reporters who weren’t directly responsible for writing the story were drawn like a magnet to it, and as the proceedings drew near again, everyone had an opinion as to what Andrew’s answer would be this morning. How much longer could this go on? Surely at some point Carson would have to be reasonable. Surely…

Andrew had kept in constant contact with them through his fabulous messenger, Bryan, but by the time he showed up in Judge Carson’s courtroom Thursday morning, his resolve was quickly disintegrating.

“Mr. Clark, I trust your stay in the county jail has given you plenty of time to think about your answer,” Judge Carson said slowly, and no one in the courtroom missed the misery on Andrew’s face when he nodded. “Now, will you, or will you not answer the questions presented to you?”

Bryan held his breath and willed his brother to end this.
Please, Andrew. Please, be reasonable. Please, for Antonio’s sake.

“No, Sir, I’m sorry,” Andrew said through the tears that threatened to overtake him right there, “I can’t.”

A low murmur went up from the courtroom as gasps of disbelief flooded over those assembled.

“Mr. Clark…” Judge Carson began in frustration.

“Your Honor,” Bryan said, standing, “may I say something?”

“Yes, Counsel, what’s on your mind?” Judge Carson asked, obviously wanting to find a plausible solution to the whole mess.

“I simply wanted to let his Honor know that Mr. Clark’s little boy is ill. Of course, he’s being cared for, but Mr. Clark has not been allowed to see the boy in over a week.”

“This is not my problem, Counsel,” Judge Carson said as he heard and felt the murmur go through the courtroom.

“I realize that, Your Honor, but I think it’s important that when a child is ill they have the benefit of having a parent there to offer care,” Bryan said with no pause, wanting the whole statement out there as much for the reporters as for the judge.

Judge Carson glared down from the bench. “And where, may I ask, is the child’s mother, Counselor?”

Bryan cleared his throat and spoke with no amount of uncertainty. “Your Honor, Mr. Clark adopted the little boy out of the state’s foster care system only a week before his arrest and subsequent imprisonment. This child has already been traumatized by the system, and I don’t think this is helping.”

That seemed to push the judge back, but he resumed his stern look as quickly as possible. “Well, believe me, Counselor, I empathize with Mr. Clark’s problem, but I can’t in good conscious allow him to run roughshod over the laws of this state.”

“Your Honor, with all due respect, isn’t that what you did when you disregarded the state’s shield laws?”

“Take your seat, Counselor,” Judge Carson said irritably, “unless of course you want to join Mr. Clark as being held in contempt of this court.”

“No, Sir,” Bryan said, instantly resuming his seat.

“Good. I’m rescheduling a hearing for Monday, November 17. Mr. Clark, if you happen to change your mind between now and then, please let us know. Court is adjourned.”

“Can I ask what that was about?” Andrew asked the second Bryan showed up at his cell after everyone was back into place after the hearing.

Bryan nodded, his eyes going narrow. “Strategy.”

“Some strategy,” Andrew snorted, “if you don’t watch it, I might have to make room for a roommate.”

“Listen to me,” Bryan said, ducking and lowering his voice, “that courtroom was full of reporters, and your good friend, Rob Kiner, was among them. Now there are more ways than one to put pressure on Judge Carson. If he didn’t have sympathy for your situation before, maybe we can convince him to reconsider.”

“What do you mean?” Andrew asked, puzzled but interested.

“Well, Rob talked to me after the hearing today, and he wants an exclusive.”

“The story’s been done,” Andrew said, tired beyond words. “Remember? That’s why I’m here.”

“No. Not Woodruff’s story.
Your
story. Now, listen to me. Rob’s down in the conference rooms right now waiting. What do you say?”

Andrew thought for only a second. His brother was brilliant. “I say, what’re we waiting for?”

“When will it stop itching?” Antonio yelled from the bedroom.

“In a day or two,” Gabi called, putting the last dish in the drainer.

“I don’t think I can wait that long!”

“You and me both,” she said under her breath. “Tell you what. I found this old game of Chutes and Ladders, what do you say we play?”

“I’m tired of bein’ in bed. Do I have to stay in here?” He’d commenced whining to make his case sound even more pathetic.

“No, you don’t. What do you say we move you out to the couch?” She went into the bedroom and started gathering things up for the move. “We can play on the coffee table.”

This was not the height of being impressive, Andrew thought as he entered the little room and turned so the guard could take the handcuffs off. He sure hoped this worked because the humiliation was about to kill him.

“Hi, Andrew.” Rob extended his hand.

“Rob,” Andrew said, shaking his colleague’s hand and then taking his seat on the criminal side of the table. “I hear you want an interview.”

“Are you kidding me? Everybody wants an interview. I just happen to have some connections, that’s all.”