Around the World in 80 Men Series: Boxed Set 21-30 (40 page)

*****

Morgan
booked a room in the first casino that she saw, and had literally
thrown her bags into her room before running back out to the cab.
She gave him the name of the animal hospital, and she was finally on
her way to see Abby. Morgan let out a long sigh of exhaustion, but
her hands shook at the nerves that had built inside of her over the
thirteen hour trip back to Vegas. She was barely able to type a
message to Clay, letting him know that she was in town, before
dropping her phone back inside of her bag.
Please be alright,
girl. Please.

The
animal hospital was on the edge of the city, away from Clay's home
and the booming center of it all. It took nearly twenty minutes to
get there from the hotel, but when the small car pulled in front of
the building, Morgan could see why Abby had been taken there. It was
a twenty-four hour vet hospital, and just from the outside, she could
tell it was probably the best one in the area. But she wasn't there
to admire the architecture and instructed the taxi driver to wait as
she climbed out of the vehicle. Morgan threw her purse over her
shoulder and ran to the building. Her shadow frantically danced on
the sidewalk behind her in the light of the sun that was beginning to
peak the horizon.

“Abby,”
Morgan blurted out as she ran up to the counter. “I...need...to....”
She was out of breath and the last twenty minutes had sent her
spiraling into a whirlwind of panic. “There is a Doberman named
Abby....” The receptionist shook her head back and forth, only
slightly. Morgan wasn't sure what that meant, so she continued to
explain. “Her owner is Clayton Shaw. The dog...she was...”
Morgan couldn't say it, not without knowing the dog's condition.

“I'm
sorry...” The words cut through Morgan as soon as the pretty
brunette spoke them, and she felt the hot tears begin to stream down
her cheeks. “She's not allowed to see anyone right now, but
she'll be waking up soon.”

Morgan
exhaled a long breath of relief. “She...she's okay?” She
quickly wiped her tears away with one of the cuffs of her hoodie and
put her hands on the counter and leaned forward. What she hoped to
see was unknown, but it made her feel better to look.

“For
now...yes.” Morgan stood up again and nodded slowly. “There
is still a chance...:” She didn't have to hear the rest of what
the woman had to say. She put her hand up and nodded again, then took
a step back from the counter and pulled her phone out of her bag.
“I'll... uh... be right back.” Morgan walked back out
into the crisp morning air. It was already much lighter than it had
been five minutes prior and the street lights had adjusted and shut
off. There was enough light to see her phone, which is all she wanted
at the moment. She pressed the number to call Clay again, and while
it rang, she walked back to the taxi and told him he could leave. By
the time the man had been paid, she was entering Clay's voice mail
message.
Shit.
Morgan turned around as the taxi was pulling
away and slowly started walking back to the building. When the
message came to an end, she quickly told him that she was at the
animal hospital, then hung up.

It
was too sad and too sterile for her to go back inside, so she found
herself a spot on a bench near the front doors. She stuffed her phone
back in her bag and pulled her hood over her head, then tucked her
chin between her knees that were drawn to her chest. Morgan's arms
hugged her legs and that's the position she was in when awoken
fifteen minutes later from a dead sleep. The sound of a barking Husky
in the parking lot was what woke her, but it was probably for the
better. Sleeping on a bench outside wasn't exactly a good idea to
begin with.

“Shit,”
she spoke in a quiet voice and yawned at the same time. Her feet
dropped back to the ground and she stretched her arms over her head.
Even though she'd actually slept, it had been enough to make her feel
even more exhausted than before. Morgan dug her phone out of her bag
again, saw Clay hadn't called, then dropped it back inside. “Where
are you?”

Morgan
sat there for another five minutes before she could no longer hold
off nature's call, and she went back inside the animal hospital to
find a restroom. There was one off of the lobby and it was empty so
she didn't mind letting loose with a few more loud yawns as she took
care of business. When she walked out of the stall and looked in the
mirror, Morgan nearly laughed at the woman who looked back at her.
The look she was wearing was actually one she'd grown used to over
the past few months. Cheeks that wore used mascara, hair that looked
like it had been rubbed with a balloon and a hoodie that didn't quite
match her shorts.

“It's
true. You
are
a wreck.” She huffed and pulled a few
paper towels from the metal box and wet one with warm water, then
wiped away the faint black lines around her eyes and cheeks.
And I
should probably invest in waterproof mascara
. Morgan nearly
laughed again, but there was really nothing funny about the
situation. She sighed into the empty bathroom, then brushed her hair
out with her fingers and stuck it into a high ponytail at the back of
her head. It was the best she was going to get right then. Morgan
shook her head at her reflection again, then pushed open the swinging
door and walked back out into the lobby. Sitting there, right in
front of her, was Clay with two large cups of coffee.

“I
got your message.”

Chapter
Two

Morgan
and Clay walked back outside and shared the small bench while
drinking the coffee that he had been kind enough to remember. The
silence between them let Clay know how distraught Morgan was over
Abby, and Morgan knew that Clay's heart was breaking right before her
eyes. The two were actually done with their extra large drinks
before Morgan finally spoke.

“I
know she's going to be alright, Clay. She... has to be.” Her
voice cracked with raw emotion as she took his hand in hers. He
nodded, and fought the tears of his own.

“She's
strong... I hope she..”

“Mister
Shaw?” The brunette that Morgan had spoken to earlier had
opened the door and stuck her upper body out to find Abby's owner.
“You can come back now.” She smiled sympathetically and
held the door for both Clay and Morgan.

The
back of the hospital left no question as to the care that Abby had
received, and Morgan felt better in seeing the staff move quickly and
efficiently around a large German Shepherd that had just been brought
in from the back. He had been struck by a car, and four women were
tenderly evaluating the big boy as she walked to the recovery area of
the facility. One woman actually wrapped her arms around his thick
neck and held him in a hug as she whispered in his ear. Morgan
silently hoped for the best for the large pup, and turned back to
follow Clay the rest of the way to Abby.

“My..
sweet little girl.” Clay broke down as soon as he saw his
Abby, and he dropped slowly to his knees in front of the large crate
that she was placed in. Abby could barely open her eyes as she was
still partially sedated, but her tiny nub of a tail moved slightly at
seeing him. “You're going to be alright.. daddy's here baby...
daddy's right here.” He snaked his hand through the bars and
held the side of her face as her head dropped instantly into the palm
of his hand. “I'm so sorry.. I'm..” His words stopped
as his tears flowed freely. Morgan wiped her eyes and sat next to
him, and put her hand through the bars as well. She didn't speak to
the girl, as it was Clay's moment, but she stroked her neck as much
as she could through the metal barrier.

“We'll
open it when she's fully awake, we just don't want her trying to
stand right now. If you need anything, I'll be out front.”
The brunette put her hands on each of Clay's and Morgan's shoulders,
then left them alone with Abby.

“I
can leave for awhile if..”

“No.
Please, stay.” Clay didn't look at Morgan, and he put his
free hand on her leg and held her tightly. Morgan saw the pain and
torment that he was going through, and she knew that he had worked
all the night and probably hadn't slept since the tragedy. She
nodded and stayed by his side while he spoke to Abby and soothed her
right back to sleep.

*****

“She'll
see me now, mate!” Finlay had taken a call from the hospital,
and Sean waited in Fin's living room for the update. He was happy
to hear that the baby's mother was finally willing to speak to
Finlay.

“Ye
want me to go with ye, then?” Finlay shook his head, it was
something that he had to do alone, but he appreciated the offer.

“No.
Thanks, mate. I'll call ye when I know something.” Sean
smacked the large Scot's back and nodded. Finlay walked him out, and
the two men left Fin's home and parted ways.

Twenty
minutes later, Finlay stood in front of Carla's room, holding the
door handle tightly, as he took a deep breath. He had no idea what
she would say, and he tried to prepare himself for anything.

He
opened the door slowly and took a few steps into the room. Carla was
waiting for him, and was sitting up in bed, smiling, as he walked the
rest of the way to her side. “Finlay. How are ye? Have ye
seen him?” She reached for his hand and gave his wrist a
slight pat as he sat down beside her bed. He nodded and moved his
chair closer to her side. It was difficult for him not to stare at
the women, she had changed so much since their brief time together.

“Aye,
I have. He's perfect.” He wanted to tell her that the nurses
still hadn't allowed him to hold his son, but he would save that
information for right then. “And you? Are ye well, then?”
He'd been around two other women in the hospital who had just given
birth, both of them were wives of his friends, and Carla wasn't doing
as well as he remembered either of the women doing.

She
laughed quietly. A very sad sounding laughter that tugged at
Finlay's heart for reasons that he didn't understand. “I'm no'
well, Finlay. That's why I wished te speak te ye. To tell ye the
truth.”

Finlay
silently listened as Carla painfully told him everything that she had
wanted to say for months.

The truth.

She had lied to Finlay, and told him that the baby was his. At the
time, as she explained, it had been done out of greed, and with the
hope that he could offer her and her child a better life than his
real father could have.

“I
was wrong, Finlay. So verra wrong. I can't tell ye how sorry I am.”
Her body was weak, and she shivered as the tears fell from her light
blue eyes. “But... after I... lied to ye, I found out …..
well, I'm sick.” He could see that she was telling the truth,
and her tiny frame, thinned hair, and nearly black circles under her
eyes, brought it all together.

“What's
wrong?” It was all he could ask, and he hoped it wasn't too
rude of a question.

“I'll
die, Finlay. Soon.” She put her head down and wept. Finlay
sat up quickly and wrapped his arms around her frail body. He had no
idea what to say to her, but he held her until she was able to get
herself under control. “Yer a good man, Finlay Campbell. I'm
sorry I tried to take advantage of ye. Truly, I am.” She
wiped her eyes with a tiny ball of a tissue that she had tucked in
her pocket. “I'll ask something of ye, and I know that I have
no right to. But it's not for me, ye see. It's for my son.”
Finlay sat again, and nodded for her to continue. She squared her
tiny shoulders and raised her chin, mustering as much courage as she
possibly could. “Cameron. He'll go te his father when I.. in
the end. He already suspects that the boy is his. He's not a good
man, Finlay. I should never 'ave...,” she shook her head, and
continued, “he'll give my son a horrible life, and I can't
go... knowing...” Finlay put his hand over hers to control the
shaking that he noticed in her tiny fingers. “Please... claim
him as yer own. You'll not be questioned. And when I... when I die..
please.. give 'im to my sister. She'll take care of 'im the way I
would have. Will ye do this for me, Finlay?” Her entire body
tensed as she begged for the man to do her the favor of her lifetime.

Finlay
understood the situation. When Carla passed, Cameron's real father
would legally get custody. There would be nothing that Finlay could
do at that point, and Carla's sister would never have a chance to
raise her nephew. But if Finlay were his
father
, he would
have all legality to allow her sister to adopt baby Cameron.