Chapter 17: Ready or Not
"Have you guys set a date yet?" Izzie asked over her shoulder as she carefully placed the pan of breaded chicken into the heated oven. She quickly peeked in the simmering pot on the stove and stirred it, joining the rest of the girls at the kitchen table.
Meredith shook her head in the negative, not looking up from one of the many bridal magazines that now lay scattered across the table.
"How about this one Meredith?" Addison held a photo up of a dark-haired woman in a fluffy green bridesmaid dress.
"No way." Cristina butted in. "You're my best friend Mer, but I might have to kill you if you make us wear that."
The women laughed together at Cristina's obvious revulsion to the dress.
"I don't know Addie. I kind of want to keep everything simple. My dress, your dresses, the ceremony. Just... simple."
Addison nodded in understanding and turned back to the magazine, determined to find something Meredith would like.
Meredith sat back and stretched. It felt good to just sit with her friends, laugh, and be normal for a Sunday afternoon. She wasn't scared, she wasn't watching over her shoulder. She wasn't going crazy thinking about Carwyn and if she was safe, every five minutes.
Her daughter's giggles drifted in the kitchen from the front room where she was sitting with the men watching a game of football. It was George and Callie's first social visit since the birth of their son, two weeks ago. George offered to hold their new baby so Callie could visit with the girls.
It was love at first sight for Carwyn and she hadn't moved more than a foot away from the dark-haired bundle of joy all afternoon. She currently sat pressed against George's side, gazing at the baby, repeatedly asking George when he was going to wake up.
"So, how's the stalker thing coming?" Cristina asked in the way only Cristina could, making the question sound no different than if she were asking how the weather was.
Meredith leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table. She sighed, "Fine, I guess. Security has been beefed up around the hospital and Derek is constantly hovering over my shoulder. But, it's just…."
"You still think it has something to do with Mr. Luckabee?" Callie asked from the far end of the table.
Meredith shot a cautious glance at the doorway before nodding.
"I still don't get why you won't tell Derek. You're being weird." Izzie spoke matter of factly, taking a long drink from her cold soda.
"No. Not weird Iz. I'm being careful is all. I just don't want him to do anything irrational, and you know Derek will. I just… want to be careful." She repeated. "If there was just some way, I could find out something about his past… where he came from. Get some dirt." Meredith scoffed, knowing she honestly didn't have the means for anything like that.
"You know... you can do a background check on almost anyone. You just need a few pieces of information on Luckabee… birth date, social, driver license's number… and you can basically find out everything about the last fifteen years of his life." Callie supplied nonchalantly, turning back to the closest magazine that was opened.
The other four pairs of feminine eyes stared back at her, shocked at the information she just shared.
After a moment of silence, Callie looked back up to find everyone still watching her unbelieving.
"What?" Callie asked innocently. "It's only my second week of maternity leave and I was growing insanely bored. It's amazing the things you can find on the internet."
"Oh really." Addison asked now completely intrigued. She raised an eyebrow. "Please share."
Callie studied the group, a slow smirk forming on her lips. "I'm not sure you want me to do that."
Izzie leaned forward, as well as Meredith and Addison, their full attention now entirely on Callie.
"Well," Callie started slowly. "The fact that Meredith was arrested when she was seventeen for using a fake ID to buy alcohol at the corner liquor store… wasn't as surprising as the fact that four years later she had charges pressed against her for indecent exposure at a city park."
Meredith's eyebrows shot up and her face went beet red. "Hey! I…. I was drunk… and I lost a bet…how was I supposed to know the park was right next to a police station!"
The group erupted in laughter and Meredith quickly joined in. "What about Iz?! I know she's gotta have a record!"
Callie laughed. "Apparently our innocent little Izzie had a knack for property damage when she was young. Something about breaking windows?"
Callie stopped smiling, letting Izzie fill in the details.
Izzie only shrugged, unfazed. "I grew up in a trailer park. It was next to a junk yard full of wrecked cars. It's what we did when we were bored. That old buick was missing an engine and it's complete back end, like a few broken windows really hurt it." She rolled her eyes and then grinned at the memory.
Everyone chuckled again. "Addison's turn. Tell us about her!" Izzie bounced, reminding them of something Carwyn would do.
A wicked grin crossed Callie's face as she turned to watch Addison squirm in her chair. "Well, it seems that both Addison and Mark are failing to tell us exactly what happened on their recent business trip to Hawaii." Callie held her fingers up in air quotation marks.
Addison's face visibly paled as she exchanged a look with Meredith who tried her hardest to hold back her giggle.
"What about Cristina?!" Addison practically sputtered, desperately trying to get the attention off of her. "She sure seems quiet. What are you hiding Yang?!"
Cristina sunk further in her chair, holding the Bride's World further up to hide her face, now all of a sudden completely intrigued in an article on Daisies vs. Lillie's.
"Oh… Cristina's was my absolute favorite." Callie was grinning from ear to ear. "Who would have ever guessed that her real name was…"
"Okay! That was fun! Can I get anyone a beer? How about some tequila? Mer… I know you can't turn down alcohol. Anyone up for a game of scrabble?" Cristina jumped from her chair and crossed the kitchen, opening and closing cabinets and drawers, pretending to be looking for something.
Callie leaned forward and motioned for the remaining girls at the table to do the same. She whispered something that caused the room to burst out in thunderous laughter, Izzie spitting soda out of her mouth across the table.
They held their sides and tears rolled down their cheeks. Cristina glared from across the room until she couldn't hold it in any longer and erupted in laughter herself. She leaned across the island as her own laughter took over and desperately gasped for air.
"Hey!... I cant'.. help it… my mom was a big marijuana fan in her youth… didn't have too many brain cells left when she gave birth to me…" Cristina provided between snorts of laughter.
That didn't help the situation much, sending the occupants of the table in another round of hysterical hooting.
Five minutes later when George walked into the room, he found them the same way. The girls immediately sobered up when they saw him enter, baby in hand.
Callie cleared her throat and sat up, raising a serious brow to her husband.
"Hey Cal… he um… he stinks.. he needs changed." George watched as Callie's expression turned from questioning to challenging in the matter of seconds.
She looked back with him with a cooled expression. "And?" She narrowed her eyes, causing George to immediately shift uncomfortably.
"And… uh… I just wanted to let you know I'll change him immediately. Love you babe." George turned and disappeared, causing the girls to begin another round of uncontrollable laughter.
"Works every time." Callie said quietly, wiping an amused tear that snuck out one of her eyes.
A few days later, Meredith sat at a nurses station, staring ahead, drumming her fingers anxiously on the hard surface. Things were quiet in her life. She was beginning to think that maybe the crazy person responsible for scaring her had given up and decided to let her be.
With the help of Izzie and her delicious cookies, the information they needed on Luckabee was a synch to retrieve. The ladies downstairs in payroll were suckers for white chocolate macadamia nuts, and happily obliged anything they needed, no questions asked. Callie had gone to work on the internet immediately, promising to call Meredith whenever she found out anything.
Unfortunately, Meredith's "quiet" was short lived. She just hung up the phone on another disturbing call. There wasn't laughing this time. Just a terrifying quietness that had caused the hair on her arms to rise. Just as she was about to click her phone shut, she had heard him talk. A rough disguised whisper warning her Ready or not.
Meredith tried to swallow the fear that was rising, but did so unsuccessfully. Her eyes darted to the clock on the wall for the hundredth time. Derek was still in a meeting. She didn't want to disturb him. She'd wait.
Her drumming fingers became faster, and her toe started tapping in rhythm. She could wait. Thirty-one more minutes. She could wait thirty-one more minutes. Nothing could happen in thirty-one minutes.
The singing of her phone almost made her fall out of the chair she timidly sat in. With a shaky hand she raised the phone to read the screen. A large sigh of relief escaped her lips as the name Callie, flashed on the screen.
Meredith flipped it open. "Hey Callie."
"Hey…Mer."
Something was off with Callie's voice, causing Meredith to once again begin drumming her fingers nervously. "What is it?"
"Are you sitting down? It's not good."
"Come one Callie, just tell me." Meredith's voice was thin, and she gripped the edge of the desk with her sweaty hands, bracing herself.
She heard Callie take a deep breath and then begin…
A few floors away, in a quiet area of the hospital, safe in one of the rooms of the daycare center that was heavily guarded with a uniformed officer and security cameras, a group of ten preschoolers sat in a circle on a bright multicolored rug singing the Days Of the Week song.
The four-year-olds were clapping happily at the end of the song, when the door opened, and a familiar visitor entered. The tall male crossed across the room with a charming smile and joined the teacher and children.
"Well, what a pleasant surprise!" The teacher turned towards the preschoolers. "Class, we have a visitor. Can everyone say, 'Good afternoon Mr. Luckabee?'"
The small voices echoed their teacher and the dark eyed man smiled pleasantly at the warm welcome.
"Thank you children." He brought forth a plate of vanilla cupcakes topped with white frosting from behind his back. "I brought you a special treat today."
The kids shrieked in delight and clapped their hands excitedly.
The preschool teacher stepped forward once again. "What do you say children?"
A soft chorus of 'Thank you Mr. Luckabee' was offered as the preschoolers stood and hurried to the table. The visitor kept his smile warm as he followed the group.
"I have ones with blue sprinkles… and pink sprinkles… and green sprinkles…" His voice was gentle and soothing as he slowly passed out the cupcakes, one by one to the eager children.
He got to the last four-year-old and knelt down next to the beautiful dark haired girl with intense blue eyes. "I saved this one especially for you Carwyn. It has red sprinkles."
The shy girl smiled from underneath her lowered lashes. He set the unique cupcake with red sprinkles in front of her and smiled.
"Go ahead, take a bite." He pressed.
Carwyn turned to the inviting treat in front of her and took a large bite. She chewed the delicious treat then licked the frosting that was left on her top lip.
Mr. Luckabee smiled satisfied, watching the child eat her cupcake, before turning to the oblivious teacher and excusing himself.
He stole one last look before opening the door and closing it behind him. Mr. Luckabee nodded at the police officer on guard and hurried away, disappearing down the hall.
Do you think Mr. Luckabee will hurt Carwyn?
