Caged Eagles (20 page)

“You came.”

“Yeah,” he slid onto the bench. “I just wanted to say that it doesn't matter what you have to say about the babies that died, I didn't even know they existed then and it doesn't mean you and I have some sort of connection now.”

“That isn't why I asked you to come.”

“Why then? You told Leslie it was about the baby. If it is, Forrest should be here, not me.”

“I suppose you think that wench he's dating should be here too.” Brandi's nose wrinkled, like she smelled something sour.

“Considering she is more of a mother than you are to that baby–yes, I think she should.”

“Was it your idea for her to come to my appointment the other day?”

“No,” Trevor crossed his arms and leaned back. “That was Forrest's. That is how your appointments will be from now on. I have no need or desire to be there.”

Tears formed in Brandi's eyes, but her voice remained even. “Don't force me to do something I would rather not.”

“What does that mean? If you are planning on telling Leslie about Sarah, or whatever big blackmailing scheme you have in mind, you can forget it.”

“I thought I made myself clear the last time we talked.”

“Which would be?”

“I wanted to move in with you.”

Trevor rubbed his hands over his face and shouted. “I'm
not
the baby's father, Brandi.”

“I will allow Forrest to be a part of its life, but what I want is you. I've never loved anyone as much as you.” Her voice was tender for once. He could see the hope and yearning in her face.

“It's not love. It's an obsession.”

Her face became hard again and she barked. “I will get what I want. I have always had to sit on the back burner. My two sisters got away with murder, one of them literally, and I was ignored, like trash.”

“Brandi, bad stuff happens to people, I didn't have a great childhood either but I moved on, and got over it.”

Trevor rose to leave. Brandi pounded her fists on the table.

“Don't! don't you dare! Or you will regret it for the rest of your life.”

He turned slowly around, her words were mingled with animosity and pain. Tears filled her eyes again. She angrily wiped them away and continued to scowl at him.

Very cautiously he ask, “What does that mean?”

“Don't force me to do something …” she looked down at her midline, “I know none of you want to happen.”

“Are you threatening me, with the life of that child!” He felt horrified. Brandi had sunk to a new level of low.

“Yes, if I'm forced to let you go, I will make sure you and your friends never forget it.”

“You sick bitch, you won't harm that child.”

“Try me.” She rubbed her stomach. “It's only a fetus. As its mother I can do what I want with it.”

“She's an innocent baby.”

“Forrest would never forgive you for letting his child die.”

“He will kill you.”

“Before he does, I will make sure he realizes you had the chance to save its life.”

She rose from the table. “Here is my number. I expect you to call me in twenty-four hours, hopefully ready to move into an apartment. If not, I will let matters lie where they will.”

Brandi left him feeling numb.

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None of his senses were functioning properly when he entered the hideout half an hour later. He was so deep in thought that he didn't hear his name called. Sarah reached out and touched his arm. She led him to the couch. The truth couldn't be hidden from them and he didn't want to keep it secret. Everyone waited for him to speak. He didn't know where to begin. Forrest deserved to know what took place. Everyone watched him intensely.

Sarah delicately placed her hand in his, “What did she do?”

“The unthinkable … or at least said the unthinkable.”

Everyone glanced anxiously at one another and back at Trevor. Donovan was the next to speak, “Did she find out about us?”

“No.”

“Take your time.” Blaine leaned forward in his chair.

“She's sick, Forrest.” Trevor wanted to scream out loud. His eyes fell on his best friend. “I'm sorry. I'm sorry I have to tell you this.”

In his expressionless face worry lines appeared, and his deep black eyes almost leaked with anxiety.

“What?”

“She said she wanted me. She said she wanted to move in with me and would do anything to make sure it happened. Sarah,” he now turned to the love of his life, “I'm sorry.”

“No, Trevor, it's alright. What else happened?”

“She threatened me … if I didn't do what she wanted.”

“How can she threaten you?” Laney asked.

“She threatened …” He took a deep breath. “She said she'd kill the baby … if I didn't move in with her.”

The truth was out but he didn't feel any better. If anything he felt worse. Forrest leaned forward and rubbed his temples with two fingers. Laney had her hand on his back and her jaw was clamped tightly together. Sarah sat silent and stunned, as did the other two men. Blaine was the first to break the silence.

“Forrest, we won't let her hurt your daughter. We will allow her request to be filled for the time being, only because we are still dealing with Dr. Taylor. Miss Lewis is six and a half months pregnant, correct?”

“Nearly,” Forrest meekly replied.

“Good, then she's close to term. In the meantime we will have Trevor there to watch her, make sure she doesn't do anything. If you can get her on record saying she would harm the child, that will help Forrest gain custody later. I'm sure she will give the child up, but one never can say.”

“Thank you, Blaine.” Laney had tears in her eyes. Forrest looked up and mumbled, “Yeah, thanks.”

Sarah was the first to move. She grabbed Trevor's hand and led him into the bedroom so they could have a private conversation.

“I'm sorry,” were the first words out of her mouth.

“I'm sorry, I hate this, Sarah.”

Sarah hugged Trevor and sat on the edge of the bed. “I do too, but we need to think about Forrest's daughter. You are saving her life, Trevor. I can stand for you to be away for a while if it means she gets to live.”

He leaned over and softly kissed her cheek and lips before saying, “How are you so understanding?”

“I know you love
me
. I can see it in your eyes.” She reached up and touched his cheek.

“Sarah, you are the most important thing in my life. I will come see you as often as possible.” She smiled and kissed the tip of his nose. “You were a little high there,” he puckered his lips like a fish. She kiss his lips.

“I love you. Please be careful.”

“I will, babe, I will.”

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Luckily, Trevor's old apartment had just opened up. The last tenants had left it in a complete mess leaving Mr. Busby stuck with a lot of extra work and expenses to make it a decent home again. Trevor made a deal with him that he would repair everything if he could rent it. The man gladly agreed. The carpets had to be replaced first. The last tenant's pet ferrets had destroyed it with feces. Next, he would repaint the walls and patch any holes. The drunks had used one bedroom as a boxing ring.

He had warned Brandi the paint would make her sick, so she should get out for the day. She didn't listen at first, but was forced to leave when Forrest and Laney arrived to escort her to a doctor's appointment. Luckily, most of the painting would take place while she was gone. Trevor opened the window to air out the fumes. He had just finished the bedrooms when the phone rang. He wiped his hands on an old T-shirt and picked up Brandi's cell phone.

A woman's voice came over the other end. “Hi, is Trevor there?”

“Yes, this is he.”

“It's Leslie.”

“Hi, I'm glad you called.”

“Are you?” There was hurt in her voice.

“Yes,” He made his way to the open window for some fresh air. “I want to explain why I'm living with Brandi. She blackmailed me into it, saying she would kill the baby if I didn't.”

“I would expect you would take some responsibility anyway.”

“What's that suppose to mean? I'm sorry. I want nothing to do with Brandi but right now I'm stuck in this situation. I wish you would believe me.”

“I do, it's just …” Her voice trailed off. Trevor walked into the kitchen and filled a glass with purified water from the fridge.

“Hey, I hate this, believe me.”

“It's getting hard to believe you, Trevor. I feel like there is always some excuse why you can't be with me.”

“What do you want me to do?” He pulled open the dishwasher, put the glass inside, and walked back down the hallway to the bedroom.

“I want you to prove that you want to be with me.”

“Okay, I will give you proof.” Trevor heard the front door open. “Brandi's coming in, but I will, Leslie.”

“Have a pleasant day.” Her voice had lost its normal level of cheer.

“Bye.”

He hung up the phone and tossed it on the plastic covering the bed. Brandi waddled into the room.

“I didn't think those two would ever leave me alone.”

“They have a right to watch you like a hawk.”

“It smells horrible in here.”

“I told you it would; I will keep the windows open to let it air out. You can sleep in the living room tonight.”

“Are you hungry?” She jumped subjects again and sauntered out of the room.

“Yeah, I guess.” Trevor swirled the paintbrushes in cleaning solution. He could hear her in the kitchen banging cabinets open and shut. He placed the brush on a piece of plastic and followed the noise to the kitchen.

“Would you stop banging those, they are about to fall off the wall.”

“You don't have to get nasty about it.” She let the last one fall shut. The one remaining hinge squeaked from the pressure.

“We are out of food.”

“I'll go get some stuff. You stay here.”

“Where would I go?” Her voice trailed after him before he shut the door. It didn't take him long. Fifteen minutes he was on the elevator back up to the apartment. He stepped over a couple of unpacked bags as he entered. Brandi sat at the computer, eyes not blinking, watching her favorite soap opera. Trevor wished they had stayed canceled. The dramatic music gnawed at his nerves and everyone was always screaming or crying. He hid away in the kitchen.

A yelp of surprise made him rush to the living room. She stood with her back to him, but she held something in her hand. Brandi turned and the diamond ring shone brilliantly in the dim room. Trevor impatiently sighed and walked toward her.

“Give it to me.”

She held it out of his reach. “Was this for Tobian?”

“It wasn't for anyone; I got it from a friend.”

“What kind of friend gives away diamonds? I want to meet this person.”

“It was a woman Forrest and I helped after rehab last spring.”

“It's beautiful.” She looked at it again. Trevor snatched it out of her hand, accidentally slamming the box on her finger. “Ouch!” She stuck her finger in her mouth.

“Knock it off, you're fine.” He put the box in his pocket and went back to the kitchen to place the cans of soup in the cupboard. She trailed after him, feet shuffling on the floor.

“Why did she give it to you?”

“I'm not having this conversation with you.”

“Why?”

“Are you five? Because it's none of your business.”

“I never thought about being married. I'm surprised you have.” She picked up a carrot and began to munch on it. “I thought we were alike in that sense.”

“I guess I'm not the perfect guy you envisioned.” He flipped open a carton of eggs and cracked one against the counter. The contents dropped into the sizzling frying pan.

“I know you aren't perfect. That is something Leslie and Tobian never realized.”

“Uh huh,” he was paying more attention to the eggs.

“What are we going to do,” Brandi paused to yawn, “tomorrow?”

“I'm fixing these cabinets.”

“I guess I will unpack.” She handed him a plate to put her egg on. She normally hated eggs, but the way Trevor made them she didn't mind. Things were going just as she had hoped. She had Trevor back and one day he would love her again.

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Blaine had just adjourned his second official meeting. He felt a lot of progress had been made. Laney had come up with a complete list of names; Donovan had found him perfect locations for his first steps toward freedom. Everything was moving fast this time around. Blaine thanked Donovan for this. Gomez had done an excellent job while he had been in prison. Blaine felt excited. This time he knew they were better organized and equipped for something so big. He felt that the risks were well balanced with the chance of success. Once the first step of his plan was successful he would move on to the second. He hadn't told anyone what this would be and he would keep it to himself until that time arrived. First and foremost he needed to be patient. He did feel regret that it had come to this–war. If only there was another way to work things out! The system had stopped listening to the people a long time ago. One thing was for certain. His dream was coming true–he was helping many people's dreams come true. Freedom. He wanted to breathe in a fresh breath of air knowing it was his, all his, 100 percent of it. His body, heart, mind, and soul ached to hear that his actions had changed this country. It was his greatest wish, and he knew he would never pray for anything more in his entire life.

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Trevor had never done any kind of carpentry work before. He looked around at the cabinets. Most of the doors were either torn off or barely hanging on by one bent hinge. There were scrapes across their smooth, finished wood surfaces. Nothing could be done, not even a fresh coat of varnish would help cover the scars. A handful of the shelves inside were broken, lying in pieces on the counter below. He took out the carpenter glue he had gotten at the hardware store.

Brandi came into the kitchen, stretching her back and stomach protruding. Her hair was in fizzy pigtails draped over her shoulders. The red had begun to fade back to brown. She dragged her feet into the kitchen, slippers making a swishing noise on the floor.

“Help me out here. Hold these boards together.” She gave him a dirty look but held the boards as he repaired them.

“Is this really going to work?”

“I hope, I don't know. It's better than having nothing; don't get this glue on you. It won't come off.”

He took the shelf from her and set it aside, making sure she wouldn't touch it.

He then found the pieces of another and repeated the process.

“Oh!” Brandi's hand flew to her stomach letting the board fall to the counter.

“What's wrong?”

“She kicked me, feel.”

Brandi grabbed his hand before he could stop her. Her stomach felt swollen and tight, like a big balloon. He almost pulled away, only feeling the warmth of her stomach, but a small movement stopped him. An invisible force was pushing against his hand. Brandi laughed and looked from his face to her stomach.

“She doesn't like you bugging her.” She giggled.

“Then I guess she is like her father.”

“What?”

“He doesn't like a lot of people bugging him either.”

“Oh, yeah,” she dryly responded.

A knock at the door interrupted the moment. Trevor yanked his hand away and left the kitchen to let their company in. Forrest stood outside, rain dripping from his coat. Brandi ambled out of the kitchen eating a banana.

“Morning, how is the baby?” He placed his wet jacket over a chair to dry.

“Fine,” Brandi called over her shoulder on the way to the bathroom. “Is that the only reason you came?”

“No,” he turned toward Trevor.

“I thought I'd drop by and say hi.”

Trevor knew by the look on his face he had news.

“Come on in. I'm just fixing the cabinets in the kitchen. You can help me out. I bet Brandi's tired of her assistant duties.” They all went into the kitchen, Forrest sat down in a chair, Trevor stood next to the pile of wood he was gluing back together. Brandi entered and continued to eat next to the fridge.

“How is Laney?” This had now become code, with Brandi in the room, to ask about everyone.

“Good, she's great.”

“Isn't that gr….” Brandi paused, hand again resting on her stomach. Forrest jerked his head in her direction.

“What's wrong?”

“The baby is kicking. Brandi, give him a feel.”

She gave Trevor a dirty look as Forrest got up and went to put his hand on her stomach. His face glowed. Forrest moved his hand to another spot and his smile got bigger. Trevor turned back to his work to allow both parents to have the private moment. Brandi's voice broke the silence.