Chapter 7
On the plane trip back, Yvette dozed, leaning her head against Sam's shoulder. Now and then she jerked in her sleep, and mumbled. He wondered if she was reliving the nightmare at the Admiral's home, or if all the activity brought back unpleasant memories of her escape from Roche. She moaned, and it turned into a groan. He picked up her hand and caressed it, which seemed to settle her, although her pulse raced through the contact of his wrist with hers.
"Eve, are you okay?" He spoke to her softly, trying not to startle her awake.
"Hmm, yeah. I'm fine. Just feeling...ill. I want to go home."
"That's where we're headed, after Pearce debriefs us."
She glanced up at Sam and he noticed that she looked a little pale. The flu was going around, and he was afraid she caught it. When they touched down in Miami, he managed to get Michael and Fi to handle the debrief, while he took Yvette home and got her to bed. She was sick for four days and didn't seem to get any better. That's when Sam called Maddie.
"Hi Sam." Maddie entered the side door using the key he gave her, the same key Michael and Fiona used to get into their house and decorate.
"Maddie, I'm starting to worry about Eve. She's nauseous all the time, she doesn't have a fever, and she's just wiped out. I know we did a lot of walking around DC, but she shouldn't be like this. She's a strong woman." He picked up his coffee cup, took a swig, and quickly spat out the cold liquid into the sink. "I was thinking maybe she had the flu, then mono, but she doesn't have any of the symptoms for either one."
Maddie set her purse on the table and looked up at Sam with a sweet smile. "Have you ever thought, honey, that she might be pregnant?"
"What?" Sam suddenly felt as if all the air had been sucked out of the room. "No, no way Madeline. We've been careful..."
"And sometimes these things still happen." She approached him and patted his arm. "Why don't we wait and see before we jump to any conclusions. Then you can figure out your next move."
Maddie left briefly, returned with a suspicious package, and went upstairs. When he got the news, it was hard to know how to react. All day, Sam couldn't clear his mind. He needed to get away and think about the bombshell that dropped into his lap. They were married only a couple of months and Yvette was pregnant, despite the precautions they took. She looked at him like she expected him to be happy about it, but he was anything but pleased. He wanted her all to himself, and having a baby would ruin everything if they were going to continue working together. When he realized how selfish he was being, he decided it was time to go somewhere alone to get his head straight.
"I'm going fishing. I'll see you later." He gave Yvette a kiss. "Maddie, will you stay here?"
"Sure, Sam. We both understand, really."
"Thanks."
The sun was unbearably hot, and heat waves radiated off the asphalt parking lot right through the rubber soles of his shoes. Sam pulled his gear from the trunk and trudged down to the pier. Most likely he wouldn't catch anything in the middle of the afternoon, but he was willing to give it a shot. As he walked the pier, he passed a young family with a toddler in a stroller and an infant in a pack that the father carried in front of himself. The baby bounced and smiled a two-tooth grin, drooling down his front and onto his daddy's hand. That could be him in a few months. On the surface, baby drool grossed him out. But if it was his baby's drool, maybe it was a whole different story. The couple smiled and said hello as they passed. Sam stood frozen in place and watched them walk toward the beach, a perfectly happy family.
He imagined himself and Yvette in their position. If he settled down and stopped taking jobs with Mike, they could make it work. But if he had to leave Yvette home, especially now that she had a taste of his world, he wasn't so sure she would be happy. He continued walking to the end of the pier, but when he reached his destination, he leaned his pole against the rail and just stared out at the ocean. The more he thought about it, the more he felt afraid for Yvette and the baby. In the end, that's all that really mattered. If his work put them in danger, he would have to change careers. It sounded so simple, but he wondered if he was really willing to make that sacrifice. He had nine months to figure it out.
