Under the Moon's Shadow (26 page)

“I’m sorry, honey. You started spotting on the way here.”

Beth nodded, blinking back tears. “Well, hell. That’s probably part of the cramping I’m having, then, isn’t it?” A few tears escaped despite her best efforts to hold them back, and he grabbed a tissue, gently blotting her cheeks.

“Probably.”

“Given the way things stand between me and Ethan right now, I imagine it’s for the best. And who’s to say I was really pregnant? Right?”

“A lot of things can happen during the first trimester. A positive blood test is not a guarantee of a full-term pregnancy, but positive is positive. As to this being for the best…” He shrugged and his voice trailed off. “Time will tell. That doesn’t mean the loss won’t hurt like hell, though.”

Beth gave a watery laugh, shaking her head. “Oh, I have the feeling I’m going to be hurting for a long, long time over all this. Speaking of Ethan…” She stopped, unsure of what she even wanted to say.

“He’s in Leroy, as far as I know. The state police have interrogated him, and it doesn’t look like he had any involvement with your kidnapping.”

“I don’t want to see him, Daddy.”

“I don’t think that’ll be a problem, sweetheart. He’s been made very much aware of the fact that his presence isn’t wanted or needed right now.”

The room grew silent as Beth thought about what he’d told her. Across the room, Jackie stretched and sat up. “Richard? Is she awake?”

“I am,” Beth answered. “Hi, Mom.”

Jackie came over to stand beside the bed, visibly relaxing as she saw Beth’s alertness. Resting her hand on Beth’s uninjured shoulder, she studied her closely. “Well, you look a little better now. How do you feel?”

“I’m okay. Where are the boys? Joely?”

Richard stood. He smoothed his hand down Jackie’s back and placed a soft kiss on her temple. “They were out in the waiting room earlier. I’ll walk out there and check on them, stretch my legs.”

Beth watched him leave, and her composure broke as soon as he was gone. Turning to her mother, the sobs she had held back burst free. Jackie sat on the side of the bed with her arms open, and Beth moved into them with an anguished cry.

“It hurts so much. Why did he do this to me? Why?”

They both knew Beth meant Ethan, and not the man who had shot her. “I don’t know, sweetheart. I don’t know.” They sat like that for a long time, and after a while, Beth’s sobs died down. Jackie eased her back against the pillows, grabbed the box of tissues, and pulled a handful out. There was a wealth of sad knowledge in her eyes as she handed some to Beth.

“Why don’t you close your eyes and rest? I’ll stay right here.”

Beth nodded, her eyes already closing. Jackie turned out the light, and as Beth moved restlessly, Jackie made a soothing noise and rubbed her arm. Beth didn’t know when she had ever hurt as much as she did now, both physically and emotionally. The oblivion of sleep seemed like a very pleasant alternative to staying awake, and she let herself drift off.

Chapter Thirty Five

Ethan had a hard time convincing Wyatt to let him leave the courthouse parking lot in his own truck. He had just spent the last seven hours being grilled by a state investigator, and had finally managed to convince the man that he’d had nothing to do with Beth’s abduction. By the time the interrogation was over, word had come in that she was out of surgery and in stable condition in Louisville. It had taken every last bit of strength Ethan possessed to not break down and sob upon hearing the news.

Exhausted, emotionally drained, he just wanted to go home, but it seemed Wyatt was determined to not let him leave.

“I’ll go straight home, I promise you.”

“Son, that’s all well and good, but-,”

“Please, Wyatt. I need some time.”

The sheriff sighed.  “Well, you’re going to get some time. I’m putting you on administrative leave for the next little while, until this mess gets straightened out and you can get your head on straight.”

A muscle ticked in Ethan’s jaw. “What are you more worried about, my well-being or keeping me out of the way for a few days?”

The response was blunt. “A little of both, but mostly I’m concerned about you.”

Ethan let that sink in. “How long is a while?”

Wyatt looked down at the ground, a tired breath escaping him. “Until I’m convinced you’re taking care of some issues, first and foremost the drinking.”

Ethan was shocked, and he just shook his head, not able to put his thoughts into words. Wyatt continued. “You do realize that if you hadn’t been drinking so much lately, this might not have happened? Your judgment might not have been so clouded, and Beth might be standing here, instead of lying in a hospital bed, lucky to be alive?”

The words stabbed at Ethan, each one hitting him in the heart. The knowledge that Wyatt was saying what he was because the sheriff truly cared was the only thing that kept Ethan from telling him to go to hell.

Wyatt wasn’t done. “By the grace of God, it looks like Beth is going to be okay. Whatever went wrong between the two of you, or between her family and you, she’s alive and that means there’s always a chance you can work this thing out. Don’t be stupid and throw that away. Most people don’t get a second chance.”

“Who’s to say that I’ll get a second chance? That I want one, even?”

“Son, it’s written all over your face.” Wyatt sighed.  “Look, I’ll let you go, even though I probably shouldn’t. Just promise me you won’t do something stupid?”

“You mean don’t kill myself like my father did,” Ethan said bluntly, meeting Wyatt’s gaze head on.

“That’s at the top of the list, yeah. Getting drunk out of your head would be second on the list.”

“Okay. Then if you don’t mind, I’d like to leave now.”

Wyatt let him go, and as he drove home, Ethan’s mind circled over and over again to how wrong he’d been about Beth. He hadn’t believed she was in danger, and now she was lying in a hospital room, recovering from gunshot wounds. Everything Ruby had told him, all the things he’d believed, had been lies. Beth had been a true victim, and he’d added to her pain. It was almost too much to take in.

When he reached his house, he sat staring out the windshield without seeing the world around him. Instead, he saw Beth’s face when they had been upstairs in his bed, her smiles, how she had glowed from the inside out. That image was replaced by the way she had looked at him the last time they’d seen each other, on that horrible day at the newspaper, how hurt and unhappy she’d been.

Thinking about every cruel word he had said to her, Ethan closed his eyes. The full knowledge of just how wrong his thinking had been was settling heavily around his shoulders, and he didn’t know if he could stand the weight of it. Wyatt had said Beth was stable, but that could change in an instant. Ethan didn’t think he could live with himself if she didn’t survive.

Out of the truck, he trudged up the steps. After letting himself into the house, he closed the door and leaned back against it. At the sight of all the empty beer bottles sitting on the coffee table, he felt a shudder of disgust and longing, twisted so closely together he was hard pressed to know which was stronger. He turned away from the mess and headed for the kitchen and a bottle of whiskey. As he reached up into the cabinet, his craving for the alcohol became almost a pain of its own and he paused. His hand was shaking, he wanted the drink so badly, and it took every ounce of strength in him to close the cabinet door back without touching the bottle.

For the very first time, Ethan admitted to himself that he had a serious drinking problem. He leaned up against the counter, a wave of shame crawling through his body at the knowledge. Not knowing if he was strong enough to resist the pull of the alcohol, he went back into the living room. With his hands at his side, he grasped his cell phone for a long moment before slowly pulling it off his belt. Dragging his gaze away from the empty bottles on the coffee table, he flipped open his phone and dialed. When the call was answered, he had to close his eyes against sudden tears. He barely managed to speak.

“Mom? Can you come over to the house? I’m in trouble.”

Chapter Thirty Six

By the end of her third day in the hospital, Beth was feeling well enough to start getting antsy. Joely, who was enrolled at a local college, had become her faithful companion, only leaving when their parents ran her out. Jackie and Richard were making a run back to Leroy to get fresh clothes, and Joely took full advantage of that.

“Aren’t you going to get in trouble for missing classes?” Beth asked.

Joely, curled up in the room’s recliner with her knitting, shook her head. “Nope. It’s amazing - all my professors gave me the week off, no questions asked, as soon as they heard what had happened. They know I’ll make the work up.”

Beth shook her head, smiling at her sister. She was a straight-A student, always had been, despite her seemingly lax attitude toward school work. “So are you going to borrow notes from classmates or what?”

Joely rolled her eyes at her sister.  “You truly live back in the dark ages, sis. Most of the classes are broadcast over the ‘net. I’ll just watch those later. The only ones that aren’t are my math courses, and I’m way ahead in those, anyhow.” She stood and came over to the bed with the hat she had been working on. It was flapper style, fashioned from soft, buttery Noro cotton. The colors were dark and mysterious, full of greens, blues, and deep reds.

“That’s gorgeous,” Beth told her.

“Lean up so I can put this on you.” When Beth complied, Joely gently placed the hat on her head and adjusted it for fit. She took a step back and pursed her lips. “Okay.” She took the hat back. “Just a few more rows, and I’ll have it finished.” Moving back to the chair, she sat down and her hands quickly returned to knitting. “You like the colors, right?”

Beth moved around, trying to get comfortable. “I love them. Where’d you get the yarn?”

“There’s this little shop across the river in Jeffersonville called Grinny Possum. They’ve got a great selection of yarns, even some of the more exotic stuff, and they’re really nice people. I found this Noro there, and a couple of others that I think you’ll like.”

Beth laughed. “Grinny Possum? You’re making that up.”

Joely grinned. “Nope, it’s true. It’s an inside joke, but it works. They’ve got the cutest little opossums all over the place, stuffed, knit, crocheted. It’s a neat shop. I go there when I’m feeling stressed and just knit. It’s my version of the press room, I guess.”

“You don’t have to spend all your time making me hats,” Beth told her quietly. “You know that, right?”

Joely frowned. “I know. But I want to. I need to do something.” Joely had brought the hat out the day before, hoping it would help Beth feel less self-conscious about the shortness of her hair. “This was going to be your Christmas present, you know. I guess I’ll have to come up with something else now.” She put the knitting down and studied her sister. “I know you miss your hair, but I think the pixie style suits you. Gives you a little more attitude, you know?” As Beth started to get up, Joely rushed to her side. “What do you need?”

Beth smiled at her sister’s protectiveness as she slowly moved to stand. “I just needed to get up, Momma. I think you like my hair because it’s cut just like yours.” Joely shrugged and grinned back. After Jackie had taken a pair of scissors to Beth’s hair the night before, tidying up the ragged ends, they had all been startled by the similarity in the cuts.

“Maybe… and I still think you should dye it a wild blue or green.”

Beth laughed outright, wincing as the movement pulled her stitches. Joely reached for the belly band Beth had been given to help support the traumatized muscles and gently wrapped it around her sister’s middle. Sighing with relief, Beth thanked her.

“Let’s walk. I’m starting to get cabin fever in here.” As they walked slowly down the hall, they talked about light subjects and deliberately stayed away from the kidnapping, Ethan, or any of what had led to Beth’s being in the hospital. They ended up at the visitors’ atrium near the elevators, where a wall of windows greeted them.  With a spectacular view of the city of Louisville spread out before them, Beth gazed at the comfortable-looking chairs.

Joely linked her arm with Beth’s. “You probably should avoid sitting out here for a couple more days. Just to be on the safe side. You don’t want to risk getting cooties.”

Beth laughed and reluctantly turned, ready to go back to her room. As they headed back down the hall, the elevator dinged behind them and they instinctively turned to see who emerged. When Beth saw who it was, she smiled widely, surprised.

“Hey, you.” She held out her hand as Gordon approached. Clasping it warmly, he pulled her in for a gentle hug.

“What are you doing up and about? I figured you’d still be in a hospital bed.”

“I had to get up and walk around or else I’d go crazy.” Turning, she introduced Joely, who sent a speculative look from him to Beth. Seeing that look, Beth was surprised to feel her face flush. She quickly spoke, hoping to distract her sister. “Who’s your friend?”

Gordon held up the teddy bear he carried. “This guy? I found him downstairs, wandering around. He told me he was looking for you, so I offered to escort him upstairs.” The bear was wearing jeans and a black t-shirt, and had on a pair of dark sunglasses.

“He’s adorable!” Beth laughed as Gordon’s cheeks flushed, and he thrust the bear in her direction. Tucking him into her arms, she squeezed tightly. “Thank you!”

“So how do you guys know each other?” Joely asked as they started walking again. Beth decided to let Gordon handle that question. Not surprisingly, he answered smoothly.

“We met through your sister’s job, and I knew Chase from college. We went to law school together.”

They reached Beth’s room, and she eased down into the recliner. Settling the bear in her lap, she held him in place with her hand as she found a comfortable position.