CHAPTER 44
Beth pulled her knees up against her chest and hugged them tightly as the news that Devan had
made his clean escape from prison the night before sank in.
"I wish there was some way we could alert the authorities that it's not just his dead body that is
missing from the morgue …" Duncan told her. "But you know we can't …"
Beth nodded. "I understand … and it's not like they could do much anyway. He wouldn't make it
easy for them to catch him." Her courageous response betrayed only by the slight quivering in
her hands as she gripped herself even tighter.
"He's not going to get in here." Amanda told her before giving her a peck on the cheek and
turning to go. "I'll be back in the morning … and Adam will be back by tomorrow night … I'm sure
of it."
Joe and Duncan exchanged a worried look, hoping she was right.
"I'll see you tomorrow darlin'." Joe said as he gave her a squeeze. "Can I see you two a
minute?" he asked Richie and Duncan and the three went out into the hallway.
"I've alerted a few of the Watchers in the area that Devan might be coming this way. I can trust
these two … and they will tell me if they see him." Joe told them, but it always made them
nervous when Watchers had anything to do with their business.
Beth turned the sound up on the TV and began to flip the channels, looking for something to
distract her, when the phone rang. Thinking it might be Esperanza who had promised to visit the
next morning, she picked it up.
"Hello?" She answered.
"Leandra … so good to hear you sounding so chipper. Sorry I forgot to send flowers."
Beth slammed the phone down just as Richie walked back in the door.
"What happened?" he asked, motioning for Mac to get in there.
"It was Devan." She replied, shaking like a leaf and watching the fetal monitor anxiously.
Duncan moved over to sit on the edge of the bed and took her hand. "It's all right Beth … He's
trying to scare you … but you can't let him." He held his own anger in check as he tried to calm
her. "He's not going to get in this room to hurt you or your baby … and he knows that. So he's
trying to terrorize you … don't give him the satisfaction."
Duncan was appealing to the courageous part of her. The part of her that wanted to fight for her
life and the life of her child. Bravely she smiled at him and leaned back against the pillows.
Richie went out to watch the hallway and Duncan settled into the chair. Almost half an hour
passed before the phone rang again.
For a few seconds, both of them simply looked at the phone, but when Duncan moved to answer
it … Beth waived him off. "I've got it." She said, her eyes meeting his with determination.
"Look you cowardly bastard." Duncan was shocked and actually smirked to hear her spunk.
"You call here again and …"
"Miss me that much?" Adam's voice came through the line, his light response not betraying his
angry frustration as he guessed what had happened.
"Adam?" Beth's relieved voice asked and Duncan shook his head, walking out into the hallway to
give her some privacy.
"Adam … I'm so glad it's you … I thought you were Devan …" she was talking so fast in her
excitement.
"I sort of got that … I'm sorry I wasn't there … to keep him from frightening you. Are you all right?
Is MacLeod there?"
"I'm all right, he shook me up pretty bad … but I'm all right now, especially since you called." She
told him. "And yes … Duncan is here … and so is Richie. They've been doubling up with Joe
and Amanda ever since we heard about Devan … " she told him. "They just went into the hall
when you called … I guess you know what's happened?"
"I only just heard. Joe left me a message on my phone." He replied, tossing some money at the
cabby and telling him in French that he would double it if he made sure he caught his flight.
"Adam where are you?" she asked, not imagining he'd left the country.
"I'm on my way back sweetheart … I will be there sometime late tomorrow." He replied, avoiding
her question.
She knew that was what he'd done, but she was so happy to hear his voice she didn't let it bother
her. He'd said it was important, so she would trust him.
"I've missed you." She said, her voice dropping to little more than a whisper.
"Really?" he grinned.
"Desperately." She replied with a smile.
"Desperate is good." He laughed. "Desperate is very good … I've missed you too."
"The doctor thinks I can go home tomorrow … so be sure and call before you come by the
hospital. I can't wait to see you."
Adam liked how that sounded. He was about to tell her he couldn't wait either when the cabby
pulled up to the curb at the airport in Paris.
"Listen Beth … I've got to catch my flight." He told her as he tossed some bills to the man and
grabbed his backpack and the case with the papers.
"Please don't miss it …" she replied.
"They wouldn't dare leave without me." He said. "Goodnight Beth … I'll see you soon."
"Goodnight … and … be safe." She told him before the line went dead.
"I take it he's on his way back?" Duncan said as he came back into the room and noticed the way
her whole face was alight.
"He said he'd be here sometime late tomorrow … maybe I can be home by the time his plane
gets in?"
"Whatever the doctor says …" Duncan replied.
"You know where he went don't you?" she asked, and when Duncan didn't say anything … she
knew he did.
"What would be so important that he would fly halfway around the world? Now?" she asked.
"What makes you think he's halfway around the world?"
"Well it's either that … or somewhere in Canada, if I remember my high school French." She told
him and Duncan grinned. Adam was going to have a hard time putting anything over on this one.
He better get used to it … and Duncan was going to enjoy watching how this whole thing played
out between them. The more he got to know Beth Parker, the more he realized that she was
unaccustomed to relying on other people. She'd been through a lot in the last year since her
husband's death, but she was a fighter … and with the support of her friends, she was regaining
her confidence and her spunk. She would be good for his friend … as long as all of them could
survive Devan's arrival in Seacouver that is.
Adam tried to get some sleep on the plane, but the effort was futile. He ended up spending the
bulk of the trip reading and re-reading the copied pages, wondering if he could trust what he was
seeing … wondering if he could really go through with it if he could verify the truth of the
translation.
Beth pulled her knees up against her chest and hugged them tightly as the news that Devan had
made his clean escape from prison the night before sank in.
"I wish there was some way we could alert the authorities that it's not just his dead body that is
missing from the morgue …" Duncan told her. "But you know we can't …"
Beth nodded. "I understand … and it's not like they could do much anyway. He wouldn't make it
easy for them to catch him." Her courageous response betrayed only by the slight quivering in
her hands as she gripped herself even tighter.
"He's not going to get in here." Amanda told her before giving her a peck on the cheek and
turning to go. "I'll be back in the morning … and Adam will be back by tomorrow night … I'm sure
of it."
Joe and Duncan exchanged a worried look, hoping she was right.
"I'll see you tomorrow darlin'." Joe said as he gave her a squeeze. "Can I see you two a
minute?" he asked Richie and Duncan and the three went out into the hallway.
"I've alerted a few of the Watchers in the area that Devan might be coming this way. I can trust
these two … and they will tell me if they see him." Joe told them, but it always made them
nervous when Watchers had anything to do with their business.
Beth turned the sound up on the TV and began to flip the channels, looking for something to
distract her, when the phone rang. Thinking it might be Esperanza who had promised to visit the
next morning, she picked it up.
"Hello?" She answered.
"Leandra … so good to hear you sounding so chipper. Sorry I forgot to send flowers."
Beth slammed the phone down just as Richie walked back in the door.
"What happened?" he asked, motioning for Mac to get in there.
"It was Devan." She replied, shaking like a leaf and watching the fetal monitor anxiously.
Duncan moved over to sit on the edge of the bed and took her hand. "It's all right Beth … He's
trying to scare you … but you can't let him." He held his own anger in check as he tried to calm
her. "He's not going to get in this room to hurt you or your baby … and he knows that. So he's
trying to terrorize you … don't give him the satisfaction."
Duncan was appealing to the courageous part of her. The part of her that wanted to fight for her
life and the life of her child. Bravely she smiled at him and leaned back against the pillows.
Richie went out to watch the hallway and Duncan settled into the chair. Almost half an hour
passed before the phone rang again.
For a few seconds, both of them simply looked at the phone, but when Duncan moved to answer
it … Beth waived him off. "I've got it." She said, her eyes meeting his with determination.
"Look you cowardly bastard." Duncan was shocked and actually smirked to hear her spunk.
"You call here again and …"
"Miss me that much?" Adam's voice came through the line, his light response not betraying his
angry frustration as he guessed what had happened.
"Adam?" Beth's relieved voice asked and Duncan shook his head, walking out into the hallway to
give her some privacy.
"Adam … I'm so glad it's you … I thought you were Devan …" she was talking so fast in her
excitement.
"I sort of got that … I'm sorry I wasn't there … to keep him from frightening you. Are you all right?
Is MacLeod there?"
"I'm all right, he shook me up pretty bad … but I'm all right now, especially since you called." She
told him. "And yes … Duncan is here … and so is Richie. They've been doubling up with Joe
and Amanda ever since we heard about Devan … " she told him. "They just went into the hall
when you called … I guess you know what's happened?"
"I only just heard. Joe left me a message on my phone." He replied, tossing some money at the
cabby and telling him in French that he would double it if he made sure he caught his flight.
"Adam where are you?" she asked, not imagining he'd left the country.
"I'm on my way back sweetheart … I will be there sometime late tomorrow." He replied, avoiding
her question.
She knew that was what he'd done, but she was so happy to hear his voice she didn't let it bother
her. He'd said it was important, so she would trust him.
"I've missed you." She said, her voice dropping to little more than a whisper.
"Really?" he grinned.
"Desperately." She replied with a smile.
"Desperate is good." He laughed. "Desperate is very good … I've missed you too."
"The doctor thinks I can go home tomorrow … so be sure and call before you come by the
hospital. I can't wait to see you."
Adam liked how that sounded. He was about to tell her he couldn't wait either when the cabby
pulled up to the curb at the airport in Paris.
"Listen Beth … I've got to catch my flight." He told her as he tossed some bills to the man and
grabbed his backpack and the case with the papers.
"Please don't miss it …" she replied.
"They wouldn't dare leave without me." He said. "Goodnight Beth … I'll see you soon."
"Goodnight … and … be safe." She told him before the line went dead.
"I take it he's on his way back?" Duncan said as he came back into the room and noticed the way
her whole face was alight.
"He said he'd be here sometime late tomorrow … maybe I can be home by the time his plane
gets in?"
"Whatever the doctor says …" Duncan replied.
"You know where he went don't you?" she asked, and when Duncan didn't say anything … she
knew he did.
"What would be so important that he would fly halfway around the world? Now?" she asked.
"What makes you think he's halfway around the world?"
"Well it's either that … or somewhere in Canada, if I remember my high school French." She told
him and Duncan grinned. Adam was going to have a hard time putting anything over on this one.
He better get used to it … and Duncan was going to enjoy watching how this whole thing played
out between them. The more he got to know Beth Parker, the more he realized that she was
unaccustomed to relying on other people. She'd been through a lot in the last year since her
husband's death, but she was a fighter … and with the support of her friends, she was regaining
her confidence and her spunk. She would be good for his friend … as long as all of them could
survive Devan's arrival in Seacouver that is.
Adam tried to get some sleep on the plane, but the effort was futile. He ended up spending the
bulk of the trip reading and re-reading the copied pages, wondering if he could trust what he was
seeing … wondering if he could really go through with it if he could verify the truth of the
translation.