Framing Felipe (41 page)

said
they
barely
had
to
press
it
and
it
came
out.
They
were
probably
gonna
scan
you
later,

but
the
truth
is,
all
they
could
have
done
for
you
is
take
a
wait-‐and-‐see
approach,
anyhow.”

Felipe
pushed
up
to
his
elbows
and
gave
Sarah
a
serious
glower.
“You
would
really

keep
that
from
me?”

“Felipe,
I
barely
knew
myself,
and
didn’t
suspect
anything.
I
don’t
really
have
normal

cycles
anymore.
This
isn’t
how
I
would
have
told
you.
I
would
have
waited
until
I
knew

things
were
okay.”

FRAMING FELIPE
–
161
–
Holley Trent

Doc
sighed
and
peeled
off
the
gloves
she’d
been
wearing.
“I
wish
I
could
get
you
a
bag

of
blood.
Not
a
good
time
for
you
to
be
a
couple
of
pints
short.”

“What’s
your
blood
type?”
Felipe
asked,
and
Sarah
chuckled.
He
probably
would
give
up

some
blood
for
Sarah…for
his
child
.

“O-‐positive,
but
because
of
my
mutations,
I
can’t
take
donations
unless
they’re
my
own,

or
Maria’s
in
a
pinch.
Learned
that
lesson
the
hard
way.”

“When
you
get
back,
I’ll
make
sure
to
have
a
few
bags
of
synthetic
on
hand
just
in

case…not
that
Dana’s
going
to
let
you
back
to
work.”

“Why
wouldn’t
I?”
Dana
said,
reentering
the
hospital
room,
her
forehead
furrowed.

Patrick
closed
the
door.
“Not
that
I
was
eavesdropping
at
all,
but
being
a
cat
I
can’t
help

but
to
hear
things.
I
think
you’re
going
to
be
a
god-‐Shrew
in
seven,
eight
months.”
He
gave

her
a
shit-‐eating
grin.

Dana’s
eyes
went
wide
and
her
face—usually
schooled
to
unreadable
blankness—went

soft
as
she
walked
over
to
the
bedside.
She
gripped
Sarah’s
right
hand
and
said
in
a
voice

just
above
a
whisper,
“It’s
possible?
We
can
be
mothers?”

Doc
helped
Felipe
off
the
bed
and
tossed
her
gloves
into
a
biohazard
bin.
“At
least
for

Sarah,
it’s
possible.”

The
glow
of
Dana’s
face
dimmed
a
bit,
but
Doc
added,
“I
would
advise
caution,
but
I

think
it
bodes
well
for
all
of
you.
If
it’s
possible
for
Sarah,
it’s
possible
for
you.
It’s
a
learning

experience
for
all
of
us,
and
I
don’t
know
how
invisible
daddy’s
DNA
is
gonna
affect
things.”

“Shouldn’t.
Fabian
and
I
couldn’t
phase
until
we
were
around
five.
We
were
growing

too
much
before
then.”
Felipe
tossed
his
bloody
shirt
into
the
bin
and
accepted
the
plaid

over-‐shirt
Patrick
took
off
his
own
back.
As
he
buttoned
it
from
the
bottom
up,
he
said,

“We’ll
do
what
it
takes
to
make
it
work…even
if
it
means
I
have
to
keep
her
on
her
back.”

Sarah
sucked
her
teeth.
She
expected
Dana
to
jump
in
to
her
defense
and
even
looked

to
her
boss
for
reassurance,
but
Dana
was
giving
Patrick
that
same
anticipatory
grin
he’d

been
giving
her
before.
No
support
there
.
She
hadn’t
known
they’d
been
thinking
about

kids.

“I
agree
that
you
should
take
some
time
off,
Sarah,”
Doc
advised.

Sarah
pushed
down
the
sheets
and
started
to
swing
her
legs
over
the
bed’s
edge.
“I’m

fine.
I
just
need
to
keep
moving.
Activity
will
be
good
for
me.”

FRAMING FELIPE
–
162
–
Holley Trent

Felipe
stilled
her
by
pressing
his
palms
against
her
thighs
and
leaning
in
to
press
his

face
into
the
crook
of
her
neck.
“Careful,
Shrew.”

“I
agree
with
Doc,”
Dana
piped
in.
“I
wanted
you
to
take
the
time
before,
but
I’m
going

to
force
you
to
do
it
now.
You
need
the
rest.”

Traitor
.
Even
thinking
it,
Felipe’s
masculine
scent
and
the
warmth
of
his
face
against

her
skin
calmed
her.
She
slumped
a
bit,
wincing
at
the
pull
of
her
wounds.

“You
were
exhausted
before
this
bullshit
with
the
circus
went
down,
and
we
just
piled

even
more
onto
you.
I
know
you’re
the
kind
of
woman
who
doesn’t
feel
worth
anything
if

she’s
not
busy—and
I
know
how
that
feels,
honey—but
you’ve
got
to
rest.
Especially
now.

Take
a
couple
of
months
paid
leave
and
come
back
ready
for
light
duty.
Go
fix
up
your

house
in
the
meantime.”

The
rational
part
of
Sarah’s
brain
knew
it
was
what
she
needed.
The
irrational,

hormone-‐driven
part
said
she
was
being
left
out
of
the
action.
She’d
go
soft.
Be
rendered

obsolete.
But
she
had
just
said
she’d
go
where
Felipe
went,
hadn’t
she?
She’d
meant
it
when

she
said
it.
It
was
merely
hard
to
put
into
practice.

Dana
squeezed
her
hand.
“Honey,
there
are
lots
of
things
you
can
do
for
us
that
don’t

involve
you
brandishing
a
gun
or
swinging
a
knife.
I
hate
laying
you
low
because
I
depend

on
you
the
most,
but
this
is
important.
This
means
a
lot
to
all
of
us.”

She
was
right,
of
course.
Hearing
it
just
didn’t
make
Sarah
feel
any
better.

“Hey,
go
to
Spain
with
Felipe
and
let
him
handle
his
business.
See
if
he
can
find
out

what
happened
with
his
father.
Take
your
time.
Do
some
sightseeing.”

“Check
in
with
me
every
day,”
Doc
interjected.

Dana
continued.
“I’ll
put
Astrid
and
Maria
on
Fabian’s
trail
in
the
meanwhile.
I
promise

you
we
won’t
let
him
slip
through
the
cracks.
When
you’re
back
stateside,
we’ll
clear
out

the
pub
one
night
and
have
a
big
greasy
meal,
the
whole
lot
of
us.”

“Okay,”
Sarah
said,
but
her
tone
was
unenthusiastic.

“And
Felipe,
when
you’re
back,
I
know
you’ll
be
preoccupied
with
tracking
down

Fabian,
but
once
you’re
legal
to
work
here,
I’d
be
honored
to
have
you
on
my
payroll.
Any

man
who’d
throw
himself
in
front
of
a
bullet
for
one
of
my
girls
is
someone
I
want
on
my

team.
Patrick
and
I
will
figure
out
how
to
get
you
a
visa.”
She
cringed.
“A
work
visa.
Not
a

shape-‐shifting
Visa.”

FRAMING FELIPE
–
163
–
Holley Trent

Felipe
nodded,
and
Sarah’s
blood
pressure
cranked
down
a
few
ticks.
At
least
with

Felipe
at
the
office,
she’d
know
what
the
Shrews
were
up
to.

“You
two
should
get
out
of
here
before
the
press
learns
one
of
the
people
of
interest

from
tonight’s
drama
is
here,”
Patrick
said.

Sarah
got
the
hint,
and
slipped
off
the
bed’s
edge.
Dana
handed
her
the
sweat
clothes

she’d
brought
in
with
the
duffle
and
followed
Patrick
and
Doc
out
of
the
room
while
she

dressed.

Felipe
leaned
his
rear
against
the
bed’s
edge,
watching
her
slip
out
of
the
hospital

gown,
eying
her
curves
with
that
same
lascivious
expression
that
had
gotten
them
into

trouble
in
the
first
place.

“What?”
she
asked,
stepping
into
the
soft
black
pants.

“Is
there
a
protocol
for
this?”

“For
what?”

“Should
I
propose
now
or
would
it
be
more
proper
for
me
to
ask
your
father’s

permission
first?”

She
scoffed
as
she
stuffed
her
feet
into
tennis
shoes.
“The
only
advice
I’ve
ever
taken

from
my
father
was
to
prime
my
front
door
before
painting
it.”

“You’re
exaggerating.”

She
smiled
and
shrugged.
“Maybe
a
little.
But
the
truth
is,
we
don’t
have
to
get

married.”

His
face
colored,
a
spectacular
feat
given
his
blood
loss.
“You
don’t
love
me
now?”

“Felipe,
love’s
got
nothing
to
do
with
it.
I
never
imagined
myself
married.”

“I
love
you.”

She
stilled,
rubbing
her
hand
over
the
edge
of
the
bed
and
studying
the
weave
of
the

fabric
for
a
moment.
She
knew
that.
Felt
it.
Witnessed
it
back
at
the
RV
park.
He’d
thrown

himself
in
front
of
her
even
before
he
knew
what
was
at
stake.
He
hadn’t
hesitated.
He’d

just
acted
as
if
there
were
no
question
in
his
mind
that
was
his
role
to
play.
“I
know.”

He
wrapped
his
arms
around
her
waist
and
set
his
chin
atop
her
shoulder.

She
put
her
arms
around
him,
too.
“I
can
love
you
without
marrying
you.
I
don’t
need

one
to
have
the
other.”

FRAMING FELIPE
–
164
–
Holley Trent

He
chuckled,
the
reverberation
of
his
chest
vibrating
against
her
back.
“I
don’t
want
our

dog
to
have
a
hyphenated
last
name…or
our
baby.
I
want
you
to
be
Señora
Castillo.
Official

paperwork
may
not
mean
much
to
you,
but
it
means
everything
to
me.”

And
it
would.
This
was
a
man
whose
family
had
been
destroyed.
He
wanted
to
cling

tight
to
what
he
had.
Maybe
he
was
right.
It
was
just
a
piece
of
paper
to
her,
so
why
not
let

him
have
it?

“
Señora
Castillo,
huh?
Sounds
aristocratic.”

He
leaned
back
from
her
and
winked.
“Suits
you,
then.
My
mother
had
noble
lineage.

My
father
was
just
a
tightrope
walker
she
fell
in
love
with.
She
married
way
down.”
He

chuckled.

“I
sort
of
understand
how
that
could
happen.”
Especially
if
he
looked
like
Felipe
and

Fabian.

“Are
you
sure
you’re
not
merely
afraid
for
me
to
meet
your
family?
Am
I
too
low
for

you?”

She
scoffed
and
turned
in
his
embrace
so
the
fronts
of
their
bodies
pressed.
She
grazed

her
lips
along
the
edge
of
his
jaw
and
kissed
it
once
before
saying,
“They’ll
be
pleased