Binding Arbitration (55 page)

Rat Bastard had my attention. I trembled. “You, bitch, have ruined my world.” He took aim.

Everything I ever loved flashed before my eyes. I quivered when I remembered that less than an hour ago I didn’t tell Aidan that I loved him. Now, I’d never get another chance. I thought of seeing Cass again, and as pleasant as that would be, I wasn’t ready to go to him. I screamed, “No!”

The door opened again and Evita stepped back in, at the exact moment the second shot went off and sailed past my cheek, so close I could feel the heat of it before I started my descent to the floor.

Rat Bastard took aim at Evita, but I’d already closed my eyes when the gun went off. I heard the elderly man’s authoritative voice say, “You’re out of here.” Then the scuffling of feet as the gun discharged. My head clunked on the corner of the desk, and slowly, blackness swallowed me.

38

BOTTOM OF THE NINTH

If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn’t sit down for a month.

Aidan 4:07 p.m.

When I came out of the University Club, I had 22 urgent voicemails. I smiled, thinking she was finally going to thoroughly cave, she was at my mercy. Before I could even fantasize about begging and making up, the phone rang again.

Fletch said, “I’m on my way to Northwestern, get your ass there. Chicago PD called ten minutes ago to tell me there’d been a shooting at the legal aid office.”

I froze in mid stride. “Who?”

“I don’t have all the details, but—” I heard him swallow. “—it’s bad, one fatality, three injured.”

There were only four people usually there, Libby, Vicki, Betty and Jeanne. I strangled out a cry.

“Aidan, let’s see what were dealing with before you jump to conclusions.” I nodded into the phone, but I had already bounded past disastrous conclusions and sunk into recriminations.

4:29 p.m.

I pushed through the emergency room doors. “Where’s my wife?” I bellowed at the first nurse I saw, I had been here once before and I wasn’t leaving empty handed—this time.

I ran into Fletch in the parking garage and had easily outstripped his pace. “Calm down. We’ll locate her.”

A minute without Libby was like an hour in hell. “Libby,” I screamed.

The center desk was frenzied. Doctors and nurses were rushing out of exam rooms. It wasn’t the calm environment it had been the day I’d run through the doors, carrying Cass. “Libby!” I bellowed. Two cops and hospital security pushed me against the wall, which sent Fletch’s hackles up to his shoulders and out his mouth in a violent cursing fit.

I was ready for an all-out brawl, but I caught a flash of faded yellow, the exact color of the dress Libby had been wearing earlier. I saw her standing in the doorway of an exam room with a compress at her forehead. She leaned against the frame for support. I caught sight of her bare legs and feet.

She gave me a tentative smile. “Would you please stop yelling? I have a terrible headache.”

I vaulted over the cops and Fletch and ran to her, catching her around the waist, which was larger than I remembered. “Don’t use that I-have-a-headache line on me.” I gathered her into my arms and kissed her.

She kissed me back, patting my cheek. “I love you.” She rubbed her temple. “But you’re acting like an idiot. Stop screaming, or they’re going to toss you out of here.”

“I’d like to see them try.” I watched Libby put her hand at the arch of her back. “What’s wrong?”

“My back hurts.”

I picked her up and put her on the bed. “Is everything okay with the babies?” My heart beat picked up again.

“The doctor is coming down to make sure, but their heartbeats are strong. I only hit my head.”

“What happened?”

She gathered her thoughts. “It all happened so fast. Rat Bastard, fatigues, beard, sawed off shot gun, revenge.”

“I’m going to kill him.”

“He’s already dead. He was sitting in the reception area when I came back from seeing you. He said he wanted to kill me for ruining his life. Some old guy in a beat up umpire’s uniform showed up out of nowhere. I think he’s the one who stopped him. Evita was shot in the leg. Stray pellets from the shotgun.”

“Some old guy?”

“Yeah, oh my God!” Her hand went to her mouth. “I just remembered, he said Cass sent him. He was wearing an old fashioned baseball cap. Do you know him?”

Fletch stepped into the room. “Police say some unidentified man shot Matt Caster after they struggled over the gun. It went off into Caster’s gut. He died at the scene. Evita is doing well, but she’s going to need surgery this afternoon, she might have some nerve damage. Tony’s raising hell. Vicki suffered some cuts from exploding glass. Your mom is in the waiting room, she’s shaken up, but okay. Betty’s sound asleep. Everyone else and God is on their way here to make sure you’re okay.” He turned to Libby in irratation. “Where is your cell?”

“In my purse.”

I handed her the bag, in which she fished around and pulled out her phone. “Sorry, I forget to turn it on.”

Fletch gave her a dirty look but spoke to me. “Please instruct your wife that having the phone on, and in working order, in her line of work is imperative.”

“I’ll tattoo it on her backside.” I raised an eyebrow at her. “Or maybe her forehead.”

Fletch’s phone rang again. “I’ll deal with everything else. You keep an eye on her, so she doesn’t get in any more trouble.”

“You aren’t going to give me any more trouble?” I asked.

“I surrender, I was so scared.” Tears crested her eyes.

I handed Libby a handkerchief and she gave me the same look she had the first time I handed her one the elevator. “I don’t know what your complaint is I carry them around for you.”

Fletch passed a woman stepping into the room. “Well, Libby, this isn’t the kind of special visit I like from my patients.”

“Dr. Osborne, this is Aidan Palowski, my husband.”

“Nice to meet you.” She put down her chart and pulled on some gloves, while she examined me from a distance, assuming I was a wayward husband. “Let’s see how these little monsters are doing.” She turned down the lights, smeared some goo on Libby’s abdomen, and applied a wand to it while she stared at a small screen. At first I couldn’t make out anything, then suddenly I could see them lying side-by-side end-to-end.

I took Libby’s hand and smiled. The sight was more amazing than Wrigley Field filled to capacity on a home opener.

“They look good.” The doc turned. “Your son is sucking his thumb.” She swiveled the monitor, so I could get a better look.

I was awed. “What’s the other one doing?”

The doc pushed her gray hair back over her shoulder and looked at the screen. “She’s reading a book.” She bent closer to the screen. “I think it might be Shakespeare.”

I bent closer to the screen and both of the women laughed at my expense. “Libby, I want you to take it easy for a few days. Got it? No work, no stress.”

Libby nodded, but I wasn’t convinced, myself.

Dr. Osborne said, “You have my permission to tie her to the bed, if she won’t stay in it.” She winked. “You can get your clothes on and I’ll get you discharged as fast as I can.”

It was more than two hours before they managed to discharge Libby, but we had plenty of visitors. Time passed quickly and I was content to sit there and hold her hand even though I wanted to get the conversation that we needed to have over. So we could make up. When we were free to go I said, “I’ll take you home.”

She nodded her head yes.

I was confident she knew I meant our home.

In the parking garage, her cell started ringing. When she was digging for it, a stack of envelopes tied with a ribbon fell out of her purse. I picked them up, while she reassured her mother again that everything was all right.

Once she’d hung up I asked, “Where did you find these?”

“In your black sports coat that you left in Cass’ closet.”

I shook my head. “I tore apart my house looking for these. I thought they might prove something to you.”

She hesitated and looked around to make sure no one was nearby. “I came to see you this morning because of what I read in those.” She extended her hand, asking for them back. “What I believed you meant when you wrote them.”

“When did you find them?”

She frowned. “The day you dragged me from death’s door, kicking and screaming.”

“If you believed what they said, what took you so long?”

“I needed time to digest it,” she said as she folded her arms across her body with the letters close to her heart.

I snatched them out of her hands deftly, and with my body, I pushed her into the concrete wall and boxed her in with my arms, her spine flat against cold surface. “And what did the letters say that my words hadn’t?” My breath washed her face.

Gooseflesh rose on her skin. I wanted to kiss her and smack her with equal amounts of intention. I looked in her eyes and saw the raw emotion, the anguish, the fear.

“Those letters made me believe you would love me even if I think I’m unlovable and my behavior, inexcusable.”

My torso rubbed against our children. I looked down at her abdomen, before starring into her eyes. “Have I proven my love and devotion to you?”

“Yes.”

The sweet smell of her made my fingers itch to stroke her face, but I didn’t move. “How do you intend to prove your love for me, Mrs. Palowski?” I stared intently at her lips.

The question startled her and she met my eyes. “I came back to you, didn’t I?”

“I was with you from the moment I knew you needed me, and that wasn’t proof enough for you, cutter.”

She bit into her lip. “What would you like me to do, jock?”

I moved my face even closer to hers but I still remained a fraction of an inch away. I whispered raw words into her ear. “Open your sweater, and show me what you’re wearing.”

She let her bag fall to the ground, untied the sweater, and pulled it open, revealing the yellow sun dress.

My eyes lingered on her breasts, which overfilled the cinched top. I swallowed down on an indrawn gasp. My single fingertip ran across the swell of her breasts from one shoulder to the other. “You might be missing a bra, Mrs. Palowski.”

Her breasts lifted in anticipation of my caress and her eyes went from my finger, to my eyes, to my finger again, as it swept over the swell there. I swallowed and waited. I removed my finger grudgingly and then pushed off the wall and paced back and forth in front of her.

“I enjoy your body, Mrs. Palowski, but I believe I’ve went without it longer than I’ve possessed it.” I stopped and stared at her. “What do you intend to do to set that right?”

“Give it to you whenever you like.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Whenever and wherever?”

She swallowed and nodded.

I smiled victoriously. “Take off the sweater.”

“Here?”

“Whenever and wherever, remember.”

She let the sweater drop from her shoulders.

“Now, whenever and wherever are good but, what about whatever?”

“You’re pushing it, Palowski.”

“We’ll get to that a little later.” I winked and smiled. “Raise the hem of your dress for me.”

She pulled up the hem of her dress exposing her ever-increasing middle. When the expanse of her stomach was revealed, I dropped to my knees in front of her. I whispered words to her abdomen, and I caressed her with my hands, then my jaw and then my lips. I stood and swiped at my knees as I considered her. “I’ll take you back, but it’s no longer your way or the highway. From now on we run this show together.”

She reached out to seal our bargain with a kiss. Her lips were only a hairbreadth away, but mine formed a perfect smile as I backed away and raised a brow.

She rolled her eyes. “You’re the boss of me, got it.”

I pulled her behind me by the wrist, hustling her down long concrete labyrinth and into a fenced underground parking area. I didn’t see anyone else, but the parking area still had several cars and it took me awhile before I located Tank. I hit the automatic starter and the vehicle came to life, as I hustled her along to the rear side door. I opened it and helped her in. “Move over.” She slid away. I stopped her with a hand around her ankle. I removed her shoe, and threw it in the cargo area. “No more heels. You’re pregnant, you might fall.”

“Shoes are definitely a safety hazard.” She reiterated nodding her head obediently.

I tossed the second one as I bent over the seat searching the center of her body. “I like barefoot and pregnant.” I felt for the waistband of her jeans, when I realized that they didn’t have any zippers and buttons I chuckled. “Very convenient,” and pulled them down her legs still standing in the open doorway of the car. I tossed them and stood back, widening my stance before I leaned on my forearms against the frame of the car and dipped my head in. “Take off your panties.”

She pulled them down the length of her body. When she threw them at me, I caught them without drawing my gaze away from her. I shoved them in my front pocket.

I climbed in alongside her and kissed her passionately. Because I knew she’d give me anything I wanted and because she knew the same, the mood shifted to a tender loving embrace. We sat in bowels of the building that had given us equal parts heartache and hope. We whispered for hours. And after all these years, we made a plan together on what our lives would be.

I laid her back against the seat and wound myself around her. “I love you, Libby, more and more.” I kissed her. “And I’m especially fond of fondling you.” One of my hands found her breast and the other reveled in all her other secrets.

The ump faked mock disgust.
Forget the game, I’m retired. And you, Palowski, your one hell of a baseball player but you’re a much better man.

I hadn’t heard from him in so long my head jerked up. He smiled at me through the rearview mirror. I said, “Thank you.”

“You’re certainly welcome,” Libby responded, “but don’t you want to finish first?”

“I’ll never be finished with you, Libby Tucker.”

She smiled coyly. “I’ll tucker you out sooner or later.”

39