Sins of the Father (20 page)

“She said she had a lead on… on the woman
who kidnapped her. Did she at least have enough time to find the
answers she wanted?”

No response. I read it as a shrug.

“She’s not talking to you at all?”

“Oh, she’s got a few things to say, nothing
I feel comfortable repeating. Don’t worry about this, Maya. She’s
fine.
We’ll
be fine.”

Don’t bet on it, asshole.

My interest in their conversation quickly
waned. I slipped into the kitchen as originally planned and was
devouring a box of animal crackers when Johnny appeared.

“You hear any of that?”

“Any of what?”

“Jesus, Helen. Must you be so combative all
the time?”

“Your rules, remember?”

“Are you ready for your appointment this
morning?”

“I don’t have to be at Dr. Harvey’s office
until ten-thirty. It won’t take us two hours to get downtown.”

“No, it won’t. I’ve got to stop at OSI and
pick something up on the way. We’re leaving now.”

I glared. “If you need to go to work, trot
off and do it. I’m perfectly capable of taking myself to the
doctor.”

“You’re not excluding me from anything,
Helen. Get ready to go. And cheer up. Maybe you’ll run into your
boyfriend while we’re at OSI.”

Chapter 18

Johnny abandoned me the second I stepped
into what was the equivalent of OSI’s squad room. The squad per se,
consisted of Devlin and Crevan, since Johnny no longer used state
police detectives to work the cases OSI actively pursued.

The room was empty, save for one man. He
looked up when I uttered a loud, “Ahem.”

“Helen! What brings you out here?”

I strolled across the large room and perched
on the edge of his desk. “Eh. Johnny had to pick something up, and
God forbid I have a moment of privacy without intense scrutiny. I’m
surprised he hasn’t installed security cameras in my bathroom. How
are you, Devlin? I’ve missed you these past few weeks.”

His gaze softened. “I’ve missed you too. You
look a heck of a lot better than you did the last time I saw you. I
didn’t get the chance to say so then, but I’m so sorry about your
father. I know you hadn’t seen him for a very long time, but it
still had to hurt.”

Yes, knowing that I would never see him
again hurt me more than anything else. Maybe he’d reciprocate one
day and rescue me from my prison, whether it became a literal one
or the one Johnny devised for me.

“Thanks, Dev. That means a lot. Other than
David, you’re the only one who expressed any condolences for my
loss at all.”

He frowned. “Not even Johnny?”

Especially Johnny. I think he’d have
preferred that Wendell did die that night. “He doesn’t harbor a
forgiving spirit where mistakes are concerned. Probably what makes
him so good at this job. Zero compassion.”

“I have a hard time believing that attitude
applies to you. I know he loves you very much.”

“Marriage changes people.”

“Helen, you’ve been married what, a
month?”

Twenty nine days today.

“Honeymoon’s over?”

“It never started, my friend.”

He grinned. “So what are you waiting
for?”

“Insanity to return?”

“Helen…”

“Let’s talk about something more pleasant.
Please?”

“So other than tagging along with the
fearless leader, what are you up to today?”

“I have a doctor’s appointment. Gotta make
sure the wee ones are thriving despite my stress level.”

Devlin’s eyes dragged over my frame. “Are
you starting to show already?”

I grinned. “Popped out overnight. It’s so
amazing, Devlin. You can’t imagine what this is like.”

“I think I got a pretty good glimpse, what
with the morning sickness that lasted all day, the mood swings
–”

“Ah-ah,” I chided with a playful wag of my
finger.

“Well, you
were
moody. I’m glad those
symptoms have subsided.”

“I wouldn’t go that far. This has just been
a good morning. Better at least, since I got to see you.” I reached
out and grabbed his hand. “Check this out.”

Devlin’s eyes widened when his palm rested
over the swell of my low abdomen. “That’s incredible, Helen. And
this just… happened?”

“I swear, I was flat as a board when I went
to bed, and the next morning, boom! There they were. Isn’t it
fantastic?”

“Can you feel them moving yet?”

“No. I read that it’s way too early for that
yet. I’m only about twelve weeks along now. They say between
sixteen and twenty weeks you really start feeling movement.”

“I bet you can’t wait.”

I grinned again. “I really can’t.”

Dev suddenly jerked his hand away and stared
at the large calendar that covered most of his desk. “Well, I’m
happy for you. It’s great to see you so content, Helen.” Eyes
peeked up. “Good morning, commander.”

“Mackenzie,” Johnny snarled. “Helen, are you
ready to leave?” He tapped a box under one arm. “I got what I came
for.”

I slid off the edge of Devlin’s desk. “Good
to see you again, Devlin.” Meekly, I followed Johnny out of OSI.
The manipulation was not lost on him.

“Do you think that worked?” he snarled.
“Honestly, Helen. Playing up how poor and abused you are seems
pretty desperate, particularly when Mackenzie of all people knows
how capable you are of defending yourself.”

“If you didn’t want me out here, you
could’ve let me go to the doctor on my own.”

“Not a chance,” he said before tucking the
box he retrieved on the floor in the back seat of the Expedition.
“I’d suggest you behave as normally as possible. You looked like a
fool simpering away like that.”

“I do not
simper
.”

“Exactly my point. You looked like an idiot.
Then again, the fact that I suggested you behave normally pretty
much guarantees that you’ll do the opposite. By all means. Carry
on, Helen.”

Waves of fury radiated from every pore all
the way across Downey into Darkwater proper to the doctor’s office.
My fury and his. Fortunately, neither of us gave voice to the
hateful thoughts percolating. I got out of the SUV and slammed the
door, stalked off toward the office without caring if Johnny
followed. I hoped he didn’t.

Of course he was right behind me. He jerked
the office door out of my hand and made a sweeping gesture. “After
you, honey.”

“If my blood pressure is sky high, I hope
you feel like the piece of shit you really are. My blood pressure
affects the babies. Maybe you should try to remember that in the
future.”

Speaking of putting on a good act, Johnny
morphed immediately into the concerned and doting husband the
moment we stepped into the doctor’s office. He held my jacket and
purse while Dr. Harvey’s nurse weighed me and made small talk.

I couldn’t say what my responses were. The
only thing going through my mind at the moment was grabbing the
first sharp implement I could find and shoving it into Johnny’s
neck.

Katy left us in an exam room. “Into the
gown, everything off from the waist down, just like last time.”

“Good thing for these exams,” I said. “It’s
the only action I’m gonna see down there until I figure out how to
get rid of you.”

It was cruel and uncalled for, but there
were no stray scalpels lying around. A sharp tongue was the next
best choice. My words hit the mark. Johnny’s eyes darkened and he
lowered his head.

Harvey stepped through the door and smiled.
“How are the parents-to-be this morning?”

“Fine,” I said. “We’re… both fine. All four
of us, I hope.”

Did he snort?

“Let’s have a look, shall we? Up in the
stirrups.”

Despite what I said to Johnny, pelvic exams
aren’t my idea of a good time. Never have been. They’re
particularly undignified with a man standing at my shoulder. I
closed my eyes and focused on breathing through the minor
discomfort.

“Looks good from this perspective,” she
said. “However, Katy reports a couple of findings that have me
concerned, Helen. Your blood pressure is a little higher than I’d
like it to be.”

I felt Johnny’s guilt. Why I tried to ease
it was the real mystery. “Is it possible that it’s running a little
high because… well, I got some very bad news about a week ago.”

“Oh?”

I nodded. “My father passed away.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that, Helen. To answer
your question, yes. Emotional trauma can cause a change in your
blood pressure. Would it help for you to talk to a grief counselor
perhaps?”

“I’m coping. Slowly. I’ll think about it
though. Thank you for the suggestion.”

I felt Johnny relax behind me and caught an
aborted movement out of the corner of my eye.

“It also might explain the other problem,
one that frankly concerns me more than the blood pressure. How’s
your appetite been?”

“She eats about ten times a day,” Johnny
said. “Why?”

“Well, you’ve lost three and a half pounds
in the past two weeks. That’s not good. We’d like to see you gain
half a pound to a pound per week of your pregnancy. I know that
seems like a lot, but you’re essentially nourishing three people
now. Two of them, as I’m sure you’ve realized, are growing very
quickly.”

“You noticed.”

Harvey smiled. “In the next few weeks, it
will become impossible
not
to notice. If this weight trend
doesn’t reverse itself by your next appointment in two weeks, we’ll
talk about some ways to boost your calorie intake.”

“I drink a lot of high protein milkshakes,”
I said.

“Helen was shot several months ago and
experienced extreme weight loss during her recovery period. She
wasn’t quite back to her normal weight when we found out she’s
expecting, but within five or seven pounds, I’d say. Is that right,
Helen?”

“Closer to ten pounds,” I admitted. “My
weight dropped 25 pounds while I was recuperating.” It was the
first time I copped to a number closer to my actual weight loss
through that whole mess.

“Then we’ll keep a close eye on it. Keep
doing what you’re doing now, maybe a little more of it. Certainly
don’t start counting calories. One thing about pregnancy, Mother
Nature built in a mechanism that will rob you of what you need in
order to nourish a fetus. I don’t want to see your health and
strength decline because you’re prone to weight loss. And while I
would never suggest that an expectant mother stop exercising, I do
want you to be aware of how many additional calories you’ll require
to offset those you burn during your normal exercise routine.”

“Honestly, I haven’t had enough energy to do
a whole lot lately.”

“Is it normal for her to be this tired?”
Johnny asked. “Helen is usually a very high energy person. I don’t
think I’ve ever seen her sleep so much in all the time I’ve known
her.”

“With a single pregnancy, the requirement
for sleep increases. With multiples, it increases even more. Just
like the hormones. Just like the morning sickness. How’s that been
in the past couple of weeks?”

“A little better,” I said. “Worse some days
than others, and I still notice it more after any time that I wake,
not just in the morning.”

“Keep the soda crackers handy. If you’re
having trouble keeping food down all the time, I want you to call
the office right away. There are a few things we can give you to
help minimize the effect.”

“I’ve read that most drugs aren’t safe for
pregnant women. I’d really rather not do anything that puts the
babies at risk.” My hand fluttered over my abdomen. “Aren’t there
natural remedies we could try instead?”

“Keep munching the soda crackers,” she
chuckled. “They’re your best bet. Let’s wait and see what your
weight looks like in two weeks. I understand we’re performing
another ultrasound today?” Harvey flipped the page in my chart.
“And Joan says you’re enthusiastic about the 3-D ultrasound for a
better look at gender, yes?”

“Is it too soon to tell?” Johnny asked.

“I can see how eager you are for answers.
Did I talk to you about amniocentesis?”

Uncertainty filled me. Between my last visit
and this one, I discovered that I truly know nothing about my
genetic medical history.

Johnny piped up. “There are no birth defects
on either side of the family. Helen comes from probably the
heartiest stock I know, next to mine.”

“Good,” she nodded. “All right then. If you
don’t have any other questions, Joan is waiting for you down the
hall in the ultrasound room. We’ll see you in two weeks, sooner if
you have concerns or something comes up. Okay Helen?”

“Thank you doctor.” I sat up on the edge of
the exam table and fumbled to close the back of the paper gown I
wore.

“I’ll get your clothes,” Johnny said.

In the space of fifteen minutes, all of the
animosity evaporated. I missed it. Somehow anger filled the gaping
hole in my heart that hurt too much to acknowledge.

Joan was in the process of situating me on
the ultrasound table when Johnny came in the room. She draped my
legs and bared a small segment of abdomen.

“Oh my!” she exclaimed. “There they
are!”

I heard Johnny gasp softly and resisted the
urge to look at him. The cat, as they say, was out of the bag.

“Are you feeling any movement yet?”

“I thought that didn’t happen until later,
another month or so,” I said.

“Well, technically you’re entering the
second trimester now. It’s more a matter of the space available for
movement during any pregnancy, Helen.” She paused. “Little squirt
of jelly, warm, just like last time.”

“What do you mean, a matter of space?”
Johnny asked.

“The larger the baby grows, the less room
there is in the uterus and the more likely mom is to feel movement.
In the case of multiples, that space is cut in half, basically, so
mom might feel some movement earlier than in a single birth
pregnancy. Make sense?”