To Claim Her (13 page)

He grinned more widely.  “That could be a problem.  Listen, I’m looking for Gretchen.  Have you seen her?”

The nurse glanced back toward the darkened building.  “She was here this afternoon, but no one was left in the office when I left.” 

She tilted her head and searched his eyes.  “Funny isn’t it?  Her working here with Nora, and you coming back after all these years. The whole gangs back together.”

He narrowed his eyes at her.  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just funny, that’s all.  No one expected you to ever come back to Shreveport.  It’s a small world is all I’m saying.  I guess there’s no chance of more drama since Nora’s daughter is dead and gone now.”

Mark searched his memory for any hint of what she meant. 

“Dead?”  

She glanced around her as if making sure no one would overhear, but they were alone.  “Well sure.  Didn’t you know?  She died shortly after you left.”

He glanced around again.  Where was Gretchen now?  Her car sat cold and quiet in an otherwise empty parking row.   “I guess I missed that news.”  He had dated Nora’s daughter a couple of times but it was never anything serious.  He hated that she was dead, but he was getting worried about Gretchen.

“No surprise since you left and never looked back.  She died giving birth.”

Mark’s mouth dropped open.  “She was pregnant?”

“Yep.  We all just figured it was one of the reasons you left.  You dated her and Gretchen and knocked both of them up.  Sticky situation.”

He stuck a finger in her face.  The anger sharpened his memory.  Sandra.  That was her name.  “I’m only going to say this once.  I didn’t sleep with Nora’s daughter.  And I didn’t know Gretchen was pregnant when I left.”

Sandra lifted her hands in contrition.  “No offense.  I didn’t know.  I wasn’t the one who spun the tale, Mark.  Nora was the one who told me about her daughter.  Mentioned her the other day in fact.  I don’t think she’ll ever get over losing that one.  I know she doesn’t care much for you.”

Mark glanced around the parking lot again.  “Is Nora still here?”

She shook her head.  “No.  She was packing up about five minutes ago.  Left out the back door.  Now that you mention it, Gretchen might left…”

He didn’t wait for her to finish.  He slipped the truck into gear and pulled around to the back.  Deserted.  He pulled his phone out and checked the app.  With Gretchen’s car in front, the tracking signal wouldn’t do him any good.  The one in her purse might though.  He engaged the app and waited.  He was right on top of it.  Still in the building. 

He parked the truck at the curb and tried the back door of the building.  Locked up tight.  He stepped back to look for anyone that might still be inside.  Light from an office on the second floor flooded through the windows.  Someone was still working.  He picked up a few rocks from the landscaping and hurled them one by one to attract attention. 

A face peered at him through the window, and he motioned for them to come down.

It took only a few moments to check the area and find that Gretchen had left her belongings behind but was nowhere to be found.  He pulled out his phone and called Landry.  Then he called Jack and Derek. 

His friends arrived first. 

“The trackers don’t work a bit if she doesn’t have one on her.”  Jack’s words came out in a growl.

Mark felt like growling himself.  “In my gut, I know it is Nora.  Has to be.  Who else would she have left with?  There was no sign of a struggle, so it must have been someone she knew.”

              “Or someone with a gun,” Derek suggested.

              Mark eyed him sharply.  “Or that.”   He felt the adrenaline flowing through him double in an instant.

              Jack put his hand on Mark’s shoulder.  “Keep it together.   You need a clear head.”

              Officer Landry exited the building and hurried to them.  “The patrol said Gretchen’s house is clear.  Nora’s is clear.  You checked with your father?”

“Right after calling you,” Mark said.  “Where else might she have gone?”  A picture of the woods where he’d carried Gretchen out of danger a week before flitted through his head.  He’d never taken her there before, never taken anyone there, but it was a popular spot for teenage make out sessions when he was younger.  He’d heard more than one person talk about spending time out there.

“Damn.  Would she have taken her back to the woods?”  As soon as he got the words out, he knew. 

Jack let out a low whistle as Derek spoke.  “The grave is ready.”

Mark ran for his truck and Jack hopped in just as he slammed it in drive.  Landry and Derek followed close behind.

“If I have to say goodbye to her again, I’m killing someone.” 

“Nobody is saying bye here.  She hasn’t been gone long, and I’ve got a feeling this is the place.”

It was a ten minute drive but at the rate he was driving, he would make it in five. 

Mark felt the panic well up inside his chest.  He had been plenty pissed at Gretchen for the past week for all of her secrets.  Now he felt his own regrets take center stage.  He hadn’t left because he didn’t care for Gretchen.  He wasn’t punishing her for anything.  He had been destroyed by his mother’s death and felt he had something to prove.  Had he known he had a son, he would have been there.  His thoughts made him crazy. 

He dropped his foot heavily on the accelerator.  He had seen the spark of independent woman in Gretchen since he’d returned.  He only hoped she showed it now and kept herself alive. 

The woods were dust and shadows.  The place her most recent nightmares were made of.  She wasn’t unconscious but wished for it all the same.  Whatever Nora had injected had left her unable to move, think, act.  She was at the mercy of a crazy woman.  Her head swam.  

“I told you to stay away from him.  But you wouldn’t listen.”  From the corner of her fuzzy eyes, Gretchen could see Nora pacing, waiting.  She was thankful Eddie wasn’t here.  And that he wouldn’t be alone.  Mark would take care of him, parent and love him.  She could tell already. 

Nora loomed over her, hands on her hips.  “You just couldn’t stay away from him.  Even as a teenager, you drove him away from my sweet Sharon.  They were perfect together. But you were too much for him to leave him alone.”   She laughed hysterically.  “He had to leave the country to get away from you.  Sharon was never the same.” 

She dropped to her knees and wrapped her hands around Gretchen’s throat and squeezed.

“He can’t come back now and have the life she deserved.  And the baby.  It should have been her living and raising Mark’s baby.   She was pregnant you know.  They were perfect for each other.  You were never meant for him.”  As she spoke, she leaned closer, squeezing more tightly.

Gretchen’s lungs felt like they were going to burst.  Tears slid from her eyes, and she finally let them close. 

“Get your hands off her.”  Mark.  He was here.

A weight like a freight train slammed into her chest, and she wheezed air into her lungs as Nora’s body shifted to the side and hit the ground.  She watched in slow motion as Mark tackled the woman, pressing her head into the dirt as he pulled her hands behind her and pinned her to the ground. 

She coughed and sputtered but couldn’t seem to catch her breath. 

“What did you give her?” He shook Nora, urging her to answer. 

“Why couldn’t you have cared about Sharon this way?  She couldn’t handle being tossed aside like she was trash when you lost interest.  She deserved care and help with the baby.”

Gretchen felt her heart crack a little at the news.  She hadn’t been the only pregnant one.  Another tear stole down her cheek.  She could hear Landry reading Nora her rights and the click of handcuffs. 

Derek crouched beside her, wiping her cheeks and smoothing her hair.  “She’s awfully still, man.”  Mark dropped to his knees and clutched her limp hand. 

“How you doing, sweetheart?”  He checked her pulse and her pupil response with a pen light.  “She’s drugged, but I’m not sure what with.  Let’s get her out of here.”

Jack glanced around the area as other police officers arrived at the scene.  “She was pacing around.  What was she waiting on?”

Landry shook his head.  “Who knows?  She doesn’t seem to have a real firm grip on reality at this point.  We’ll take a closer look around, see what we can find.” 

This time, Gretchen seemed unable to cling to Mark.  He carried her in a fireman’s hold just to get her out of the woods.  It was the only way to move her because her muscles had the consistency of overcooked pasta.

She bounced on his shoulder as they moved to the edge of the woods before he slid her into his arms and got in his truck. 

“No way can we wait for an ambulance.”  Jack hopped in the driver’s seat and pulled onto the road.  He gave her calf a squeeze and a pat before pulling his phone free and making a call.

“We’ll be at the hospital in just a few minutes.  Hang on, sweetheart.”  Mark nuzzled her hair and kissed her cheek.  “You need to stay away from these woods.  This is twice now.”  He shook his head, trying to stay calm when she could clearly see panic all over his face.

She could hear Jack on the phone.  Telling someone what happened.  Reassuring them. 

“Love Eddie.”

He searched her eyes.  “He’s with my dad and Blane.  He’s okay.”

“…for me.  Take care of him.”

His mouth tightened into a straight line.  “You can’t go anywhere.  He needs you.  We’re almost there.” 

“Be a good Dad.” 

“I love you, Gretchen.  I need you.”

He loved her?  She wanted to ask but couldn’t stay with him any longer.  Her eyes rolled up and she gave up the fight for consciousness. 

Gretchen could hear yelling through the fog. 

“Your young man is causing a stir in my ER again.” 

She peeped her eyes open.  Dr. Meyers sat on a stool beside her bed.  A nurse stood on the other side of the bed, adding fluids to an IV. 

“Let him in.”

“I suppose I could but he was irritating me with questions I wasn’t ready to answer.”  His lips quirked in a small grin.

“What happened?”  Gretchen didn’t feel injured.

He held up a sheet of paper and put on his glasses. “I was hoping you could tell me.”  He sighed.  “Your labs show you were drugged.”
              “Nora gave me a shot.”

“Yes.  It looks like she gave you something to make you easy to handle.   Nothing deadly though.”

Gretchen listened as Mark tore into someone in the hallway about what he planned to do if it took much longer. 

“I thought I remembered a man with a beard, but then it was Nora.  Not a man at all.”

He eyed her cautiously.  “We can’t say for sure one way or another, but it was probably the sedative.  Some of them are known for inducing hallucinations as a side effect.  The first time you were here that was the case.”

She nodded and glanced at the door where she heard Mark loudly announce he was going to start tearing the place apart if he didn’t get to see her.   She swallowed and raised her eyebrows at Dr. Meyers.

The doctor glanced at the nurse.  “Let the dog off the chain before he upsets the other patients.” 

She exited the room and returned with a haggard looking Mark.  Jack trailed behind with an amused expression.  Mark pulled a chair up beside her bed and grabbed her hand.  “The people out there have no respect.”

“They were just following the rules, Mr. Broussard.”  The nurse nudged him out of the way to take Gretchen’s pulse.

Mark’s eyes flew around wildly.  “Well their rules are ridiculous.”  He scanned Gretchen, checking her over.  “Last time I was by her side without a problem.  What was the difference this time?”

“You were a little out of control this time.  Glad to see you’re calming down.”  The doctor lifted his brow, waiting for back talk.

Jack leaned against the wall and crossed his big arms over his chest.  “Oh, the trauma of young love.”

Gretchen’s eyes flashed to him before looking at Mark.  He didn’t love her.  He’d never loved her.  He did love her son, though, and that was a relief.

“How is she?”  Mark stood and smoothed her blanket before glancing around the room for evidence of her condition.  There was only an IV pumping saline and a stack of Gretchen’s clothes bagged up on a chair. 

“She’ll be fine from what I can tell.  She’s coming out of the sedative and needs to rest though.  Do you think you can hold it together?”  The doctor edged away.  To see other patients or get security, it wasn’t clear.

Jack launched himself off the wall and patted the doctor’s back before opening the door for him.  “He’ll be fine.  He’s just a little overwhelmed tonight is all.  Never been there myself, but he seems to have fallen hard for our Gretchen.”

Our Gretchen.
  What in the world?

The nurse followed them out, and the room was quiet but for the fluid moving through the IV pump and the breathing Mark was trying to control.

“Sweetheart.”  He held her hand, engulfing it with his warm grasp.

She cleared her throat and tried to decide what to say first.  “Thank you for coming for me.”

“I will always come back for you.  I’ll never let anyone hurt you.  Or Eddie.  You are an important part of my family.  You know that right?”

She smiled.  “Yeah, I heard you yell it in the hall.”

“Listen.  I want you to know I’ll take good care of Eddie while you’re in here.  Then we can start our lives together.”

She sighed.  “Nora said…I didn’t know Sharon was pregnant when we dated.”  She pulled her hand free and smoothed the blanket on her lap.

He looked affronted.  “I
never
slept with Sharon.  You have to believe me.”

She scrutinized his expression.  “Okay.  I can accept that.  I don’t know exactly what happened there, but I’m glad she wasn’t pregnant too.”  She pinched at the blanket. 

“I think she was pregnant, Gretchen.  Just not by me.  From what I was told tonight, she lost the baby and her own life in a delivery at home with Nora.”