CAN I GET A WITNESS?

CHAPTER 8: BABY MAYBE

AN: Hello, there. Here's an update to (hopefully) brighten your Saturday. Thanks for the views and reviews. You guys are the best-est!

OXOXOXOXOXO

The five fugitives sat crowded together at a corner booth in an all night truck stop somewhere in rural Montana. All of them were solemn-faced and unspeaking.

Paige sat between her dozing son and Walter. She pressed tightly against Walter's side, shivering with nerves more than cold. He'd thoughtfully draped his jacket around her shoulders when they'd been riding in the back of the truck. She didn't have the energy to tell him she didn't really need it anymore. Plus, she was taking some comfort from snuggling into the safe, familiar Walter smell.

Her limbs felt like noodles from the spent adrenaline and her empty stomach was grumbling even as the greasy smell of French fries was making her feel nauseated. Oh, the joys of early pregnancy. Or could it only be the stress of the last few hours making her sick? Or was it both?

A sleepy-eyed waitress shuffled over to take their orders. The thought of eating made Paige's stomach pitch, but she ordered tea and toast anyway so she wouldn't draw attention to herself. However, Allie's shrewd eyes caught hers.

The astute woman rummaged around in her purse, produced a bag of ginger drops and slid them across the worn Formica table top. "Here. Have one of these. It might help."

Paige gave her a tired smile. "Thanks."

Her shaking fingers fumbled so long trying to remove the wrapper Walter finally took it from her and asked, "Are you okay?"

When he handed the opened candy back to her she popped it in her mouth and nodded. If she didn't say the words, she wasn't technically lying, was she?

He gave Paige an appraising look then turned his attention to Cabe when the older man asked, "So, what's the plan?"

Walter glanced around furtively. In a low voice, he responded with, "In a minute. Tell us about the whole Scooter thing first. I've figured some of it out, but the rest of his story eludes me."

Yes. Good idea. Hearing about Scooter's involvement would give Paige's anxious mind something to focus on besides the events of the night and the unknowns of tomorrow.

As Cabe drew breath to tell the tale, the waitress chose that exact moment to return with their drinks. He shut his mouth with an almost audible snap, drumming his fingers on the table in a show of blatant impatience, waiting for the woman to leave again.

Paige offered their server a wan smile and a quiet 'thank you' when she placed the steaming tea in front of her. Paige had worked too many jobs in too many diners to be dismissive or unkind to the staff.

As soon as the waitress was out of earshot again, Cabe leaned in and said quietly, "Seems Scooter spent a few years as Ranger in the Army."

"Yes," Walter cut in tersely, "That came up on his background check. I didn't go through his whole service record, but I did note he was honorably discharged. He was even awarded the Meritorious Service Medal. But there was nothing else remarkable about his time in the Army."

"Well, what that record doesn't say and wouldn't say was he spent a few years in Army Intelligence. Pretty high up there. My Marine buddy who loaned us the ranch didn't even know that. And he's suspicious of everyone. I know he checked this guy out."

"Well, that explains all the tactical gear, but not Scooter's timely arrival," Walter interjected.

"I'm getting to that. Keep your shirt on. Apparently, he was more than a little curious about us after that dinner disaster. I guess it was obvious we weren't ranchers or something."

"Gee, I can't imagine how he ever figured us out," Allie said with a droll smile.

Cabe grinned back indulgently and continued, "Anyway, he did some recon. He even slipped a listening device into the house with those darn flowers."

Paige sat up straight. "That jerk."

Allie patted her hand. "That jerk probably saved all of our lives tonight."

Walter looked disgusted. "After putting them in danger to start with."

"What do you mean by that?" Paige asked in genuine confusion.

Ralph's eyes blinked open and he yawned hugely. Then he explained, "Obviously, Scooter's research is what tipped off whoever was after us. Our network was secure. His? Not so much."

"Lucky thing Scooter realized his mistakes though. Once he figured out who we really were and why we were hiding, he kept an eye on the house. He's the one who saw those guys planting the bomb at the bunkhouse and warned me. If he hadn't, Allie and I would be toast."

"One could argue those guys wouldn't have been there at all without him," Walter pointed out.

Cabe shook his head and sighed. "Yes. I get that. And he does too, believe me. He felt horrible about giving us away. But that's over and done now. What we need to be worried about is where we go from here..."

Their server came back balancing a tray heaped with food. The smell assaulted Paige's stomach with fresh waves of queasiness, but it was the sight of Cabe's meal that finally did her in. The medium rare steak bleeding into glistening, yellow globs of scrambled eggs had her shoving her way out of the booth and dashing for the restroom.

She barely made it in time.

Walter came barging into the ladies' room moments later. "Paige? Are you alright?" He demanded.

Paige stared at her pale green reflection in the spotty mirror. "I've been better." She rinsed her mouth and spit into the sink then washed her face and hands and used paper towels to blot the cooling water off of her face. Her gaze locked with his in the mirror as he walked up behind her.

"Lucky thing we're the only ones in here this time of night," she stated wryly.

He ignored her observation and bit his lip, looking nervous. "While we're here, uh, do you think… Should I maybe go see if they have a, um, pregnancy test at the convenience store next door? I saw they have a pharmacy counter in there."

Turning to face him, she briefly placed both chilly, trembling hands to her cheeks before nodding slowly. "Might not be a bad idea."

His eyes went wide and terrified while his face took on the same pallor hers had moments before.

Attempting to calm him by speaking his language, Paige said mildly, "It's better to know all the facts, right? When we know all the facts, we can make a more effective plan."

It appeared to do the trick.

"Right," he said shortly then immediately spun on his heel and walked out the door presumably to find out if a pregnancy test was available. Oh, boy.

The thought set her nervous stomach flipping again. Paige braced her hands on the sink and took a few deep breaths attempting to stave off the rising nausea. Quickly deciding she didn't want to take a pregnancy test in a dirty truck stop bathroom, she headed back to the table.

Three pairs of worried eyes looked up at her approach.

Ralph was the first to speak. "Mom? Are you sick?"

Paige combed her fingers through the hair above his ear. "I'm fine. I think everything's just caught up with me. That's all. Skooch over and let me sit, will ya?" She perched on the edge of the seat and nudged him over with one hip.

Ralph grinned at her and slid her mug of tea and plate of toast over in front of her. "Do you want grape or strawberry jelly?"

"Red or purple pretty much all tastes alike doesn't it?" Cabe commented around a mouth stuffed full of eggs.

Paige swallowed hard and forced herself to take a small sip of the lukewarm tea. It actually helped a little. "Um, I'll take strawberry, Ralphie. Thanks."

She'd managed to get a few bites of toast down before Walter returned holding a small plastic bag in his fist and looking spooked. Without comment, he slid into the booth next to Paige.

"What 'cha got there?" Cabe asked, pointing his fork at the bag in Walter's hand, "Did you buy a souvenir for Ralph or something? If she asks real nice, I might get Allie one of those Sasquatch Hunter t-shirts I spotted earlier…"

Walter abruptly changed the subject. "We need to ditch the truck. It's too noticeable even if we switch license plates and we're going to get pulled over with some of us riding in the back like that. It's not safe."

Cabe leaned across the table and replied softly, "What do you propose we do, son? Boost a different car? As soon as it's reported, we'd have the same issue."

"We could rent something," Ralph suggested.

"Exactly," Walter grinned at the boy proudly.

"But no car rental place would be open this time of night," Allie said, "And we'd have to show IDs. Wouldn't that tip off the authorities or worse?"

"Look," Walter pointed out the plate glass window at the motel across the highway. "We can move the truck around to the back of the restaurant and stay the night in that motel over there. It has an airport shuttle. I checked. Airports, even small ones, usually have rental cars available. We can use our next set of IDs. I have them in the duffle…"

The waitress strolled up. "Can I get you anything else?"

All five looked at her and said, "No!" simultaneously.

"Sor-ree," she slapped their ticket on the table and muttered to herself as she walked away, "Bunch of weirdos."

Walter continued as if nothing had happened. "Ralph and Paige are both tired and she… isn't feeling well. I believe staying the night here is the best option."

"We're all tired. I could use a couple hours of shut-eye myself. Okay. It's settled," Cabe agreed. He tossed a few bills on the table and set the salt shaker on top of them. Then he picked up the tab and headed to the register, leaving the rest of them to gather their belongings and follow.

Cabe moved the truck around to an unlighted part of the parking lot while the others crossed the street as discreetly as possible. The hulk of an ice machine crouched between the motel's office and the first of the buildings with rooms. Walter darted behind it and motioned for everyone to join him.

When they were all gathered around, he whispered, "It only takes one of us to register. Everyone else need to keep out of camera range as much as possible." He indicated a camera pointed at the entrance to the office. Then he dropped the duffle, stooped and dug around in the side pocket for a few minutes sorting through cards. He stood and handed an ID and debit card to Allie. "I think it would be best if it was you. The rest of us are known to the authorities. Try to get adjoining rooms if possible."

Allie took the cards and nodded her understanding even as she swallowed hard, looking jumpy. "What if they ask for the license plate number of my car?"

"Tell them your husband dropped you and your kids off because you have an early flight tomorrow. Don't forget you'll have to make arrangements for the airport shuttle too."

When she still looked apprehensive, Paige took her hand and gave her an encouraging smile. "You'll do fine. Look exhausted and distracted. That shouldn't be hard, right? And remember, don't offer any extra information. Only answer what's asked. You can do this."

By the time Allie returned with room keys, Cabe had joined them.

"The clerk didn't bat an eyelash. I'm not even sure he looked at me," Allie said, amused. "I managed to get ground floor adjoining rooms at the back of the property."

Cabe gave her a one-armed hug and kissed her temple. "That's why you're my best girl. Lead the way."

Once they were all settled in for the night, Paige lay awake beside an equally wakeful Walter. By tacit agreement, they were both listening intently for signs Ralph was definitely asleep in the bed next to theirs. Paige's hand crept over and found Walter's under the covers. She linked their fingers and waited. She couldn't say whether the gesture was intended to reassure her or him. Either way, their hands clung together until they heard the faint sounds of Ralph's deep, even breathing.

Walter sat up and tossed the covers back. He seized the plastic bag he'd left under the bed on his side and handed it to Paige. She hesitated for a second. Their eyes met and even in the dimness she could tell he was both scared and a little excited. She leaned in to kiss him briefly, took the sack out of his hand and headed for the bathroom.

Show time.