CHAPTER 3—A FRIEND IN NEED
Donovan awoke shortly before six the next morning. How exhausted was I, he wondered as he glanced at the empty space in bed beside him. He hadn't heard or felt Loralei getting out of bed. In fact, he hadn't heard Rachel crying the entire night. He ran his hand over the empty space next to him and noticed that there was no warmth there at all. Very unusual. She must have been out of bed for hours. His eyes fell on the baby monitor and he noticed that it had been turned off. No wonder I didn't hear her all night. He came out of bed slowly and padded over to the dresser. He dug out a pair of pajama bottoms and struggled into them. He left the bedroom and noticed that the door to the baby's room was cracked open just a sliver. Almost ghostly, the glow from a nightlight illuminated the room. He opened the door just enough to allow his body to slip inside. A small easy chair sat close to the crib, and he smiled a little as he noticed Loralei's body curled up in it. How in the hell could she sleep like that? From the crib, he heard Rachel making soft snuffling sounds. It wouldn't be long before she exerted her presence. Before she became madder than hell, he crept up to the crib and lifted Rachel carefully into his arms. He took her out of the room and closed the door behind him.
Some little something woke her up. She wasn't quite sure what. Perhaps it was Rachel's absence. Perhaps she missed the tiny noises emitting from the crib. Rachel was quite the active baby, and Loralei didn't doubt that one day, she would be a full-on rambler. Like mother, like daughter, she thought tiredly. Her muscles cried out as she straightened her body. The easy chair was wonderful for rocking her baby to sleep, but it wasn't an object designed for comfortable sleeping. Today, she felt every year of her age, plus some. When she was sure she could stand, she stretched dramatically, hearing a crackle and a pop every few seconds. This morning, she thought she might skip the bike. She felt extraordinarily rotten. In fact, she hadn't felt this rotten since she gave birth to Rachel. Almost immediately after the birth, Loralei and Donovan had gotten quite the scare. Loralei's white blood count had been relatively high. Gentle whispers of 'cancer' began to drift into her ears. Her doctors had even suggested that she might not have been anemic at all, but had a precancerous condition instead, as if that were any better. Weakened and terrified, Loralei couldn't take care of her baby the first week of her life. Although she had protested vehemently, Donovan refused to return to work, opting to stay with her and Rachel. He wanted to take care of both her and the baby, even after Loralei's mother agreed to help out. No way, he said stubbornly, there's no way I'm leaving you like this. Of course, he didn't. As it turned out, it was a false alarm. Her illness was fixed with medication and TLC. Within a few days, she was back to her old self. This morning, she was experiencing the same type of exhaustion, the same feeling that something was awry. However, she was more than certain it was due to sleeping poorly the night before. She was worried about Jackson, worried that he was somehow in trouble.
Loralei stretched again and sighed in relief as her back gave its final, satisfying crack. She came out of the baby's room, but didn't immediately enter the living room. She noticed that Donovan sat on the couch with Rachel in his arms. He had yet to see Loralei. In a rare moment, she stood and watched him without his knowing or sensing her presence. His thoughts were totally and completely focused on his child. He had just fed her and was trying to coax her back to sleep. He was singing softly to her, his voice cracking a little. She held in a giggle. He sounded terrible, but the picture they painted was incredibly sweet. If the team could see him now, she thought with a smile. Thoughts of grabbing a video camera and recording this event came immediately to mind. It might make good blackmail material some day. Of course, it didn't matter much to Rachel that her daddy's voice was horrible. It soothed her just the same. There was more fodder for blackmail, but she hadn't recorded it. Upon his return after the Ortiz fiasco, he would lie snuggled in bed against her, his head resting on her chest, and he would talk to her stomach as he stroked it gently. The first time he did it, she was quite shocked and didn't know what to think. He had surprised her dozens of times in their marriage, and this was no exception. It was yet another endearing quality about the so-called 'iceman' that would never be shown outside the realm of their private little family circle. After Rachel's birth, she immediately knew her father's voice, could actually seek it out in a room. It was the same with her. It was the little things about their child that seemed to hold her captive in awe.
Donovan looked up at the soft ahem that came from the direction of Rachel's room. He looked up at Loralei's amused expression and held his finger up to lips in a 'shh' gesture. Apparently, his horrible voice had done the trick. Of course, Loralei couldn't necessarily blame the infant. The slightest whisper, the silliest word from his mouth had quite an effect on her as well. Shit, she thought, he could whisper 'snotball' in my ear and it would turn my insides to Jello.* He stood and carefully walked past her to lay the baby back in her crib. When he came back out, he took hold of her arm and brought her body against his. He kissed her lips softly before drawing her into his embrace. He squeezed her tightly, in no big hurry to release her. What was it about early mornings that made him so damn affectionate? However, she wasn't complaining at all. The more he touched her, the better she liked it.
Almost reluctantly, he drew away from her and took her hand in his. He led her back to the bedroom and guided her to the bed. He climbed in behind her and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her ear and nuzzled the side of her throat. "Were you in there with her all night," he asked.
She sighed in contentment. When he was gone, she missed having his arms snuggly about her body. She probably missed that more than she missed anything. "Yeah. I'm a little worried about Bart. That meeting yesterday shook me up a bit. He didn't seem like his old self at all. For some reason, I couldn't stay away from the baby. I just felt the need to hold her, to be near her. I hope that today, he'll tell me what's going on. I certainly can't sleep in that chair another night."
"I certainly don't want you to," he said before placing another gentle kiss on her ear. "We each have had separate lives, separate past experiences, and most of them have been shared between us. A few times, there have been incidents where we've kept certain things hidden." His stabbing a few months back came immediately to mind. "If he is in trouble, I don't want you to go off half-cocked trying to solve the problem. You have a big heart, my love, and you've done so much, but you've also gotten hurt in the process. I don't want you to withhold anything that might ultimately cause you harm. You don't have to tell me everything you do, it's not necessary. I trust you and your judgment. I only ask that if this seems serious, bring it to me, and together, we'll figure something out. He's a part of the agency, and it wouldn't take much to get the team involved. Will you do that? Will you come to me?"
"I will," she whispered. "I promise."
He kissed her ear yet one more time. "Good." He pulled back away from her and stood.
Curiously, she propped up on her elbow and glanced at him. "Where are you going," she asked.
"Don't you think I see how exhausted you are? I want you to get some sleep. I'll take care of everything else. Don't move, don't budge, don't anything. I'll close the door behind me to make sure that nothing disturbs you. Rest. Sleep as long as you want."
* * *
Loralei's eyes slowly came open. She glanced once at the clock and noticed it was almost ten in the morning. She had slept about as long as her body would allow. Since Rachel had come into her life, her body worked on a bizarre internal clock. She wasn't accustomed to sleeping as much as she wanted, not anymore. Sleeping past six or so was considered a rare luxury. Of course, there were a few quiet moments here and there, and she would try to catch up on as much sleep as she could. But it wasn't easy. Donovan was a major help in the childcare area. He didn't seem to think changing, feeding, or spending time with the baby would cross his eyes. Still, on occasion, she would have the job of caring for Rachel entirely by herself. She didn't mind. She loved her baby with all her heart, but every now and then, Donovan made sure she had some breathing time. She loved him even more for that. She swung her legs over the side of bed and took her time about moving around the room. She saw a piece of paper folded up and taped to the mirrored door of the closet. Curiously, she walked over to it and yanked it down. LD, I was informed this a.m. that most of our caseload is pending. We probably won't receive anything new for a few days, Donovan had scribbled, So, I thought I'd take Rachel down to the Nest & do my own share of crowing. BTW, Jackson called & wants you to meet him @ the restaurant in the hotel @ 11:30. Love, hugs, & all that mushy shit…FD. She laughed a little and folded the note. LD and FD, she thought, secret code names. How funny. Taking note of the time, Loralei went about getting herself together for her lunch date.
* * *
The restaurant at the hotel was even more decadent than the meeting room. It reminded her a little of pictures she had seen of the Russian Tea Room. It seemed as if everything in the place was a deep redwood color including the carpets, walls, chairs, booths, etc. It was a totally different atmosphere than the pristine rotunda. Yet, Loralei still felt uncomfortable. She wondered what type of infraction would send her sailing out the door? She tended to be a bit on the clumsy side. What if she were to spill her drink or her food or [God forbid] red wine? The thought struck her as deliciously funny, and she had to hold back a stream of giggles. The other patrons glanced at her curiously. Quit it, LD, quit it. Thinking of her secret 'code name' sent her off again, and she literally had to cover her mouth. What the hell was wrong with her? Was she losing her mind? Was there such a thing as postpartum insanity? Oh God. Oh dear God. Where was her husband when she needed him? He had quite the unique way of cutting off her giggles. Of course, most of the time, his trick couldn't readily be done in public, but he had his ways.
She approached a cute little hostess standing behind a podium. "Excuse me," Loralei finally managed to say, "I'm here to meet Bart Jackson."
The woman checked her reservation chart. "Oh yes," she said smiling over brightly. "He hasn't arrived yet, but I could seat you if you'd like."
Mutely, Loralei followed the hostess to a booth toward the back. After giving Loralei a menu and taking her drink order, she left. Loralei sat down and casually perused the menu. Good old-fashioned Italian food. Everything looked amazing, and she would have to be very careful or she'd end up having to cycle ten extra miles. The hostess brought out her drink and she sipped it tentatively while waiting for Jackson to show up. She glanced down at her watch and noticed that it was 11:35. He was running a little late, but it was no big deal. She resumed looking over the menu and sipping at her drink. Before she knew it, it was 11:45, then 12:00. The last time she glanced at her watch, it was 12:30. No Bart. Concerned, Loralei left some money on the table and made her way back to the hostess station. There were no messages for either Loralei Donovan or Loralei Kadin. She left the restaurant and made her way back toward the main lobby. She went over to the check-in desk and asked the clerk to ring Jackson's room. She grew even more concerned when the clerk reported that there was no answer. Odd. Very odd indeed. Jackson was a fastidious person, and would never stand up a date unless there were extenuating circumstances. Not sure what avenue to travel, Loralei left a message for Jackson to call her.
Since she was already out and about, she decided to drop in on Donovan. The moment she stepped into the Nest, she could hear a couple of familiar voices making a big fuss over the baby. If this continued to happen, Rachel would become quite the spoiled little girl. The voices she heard belonged to Cody and Alex, Cody's more prominent than Alex's. She vaguely wondered where Jake and Monica were. She noticed Donovan leaned up against the conference table gazing amusedly at Cody as he made some of the goofiest faces at the baby. Rachel probably couldn't even see him that well yet. Donovan looked up at Loralei as she entered the room. Although she was amused on the outside, he could sense that something was out of kilter. They exchanged a brief, but knowing look. He knew immediately that she needed to speak to him. Before he could approach her, both Alex and Cody noticed Loralei.
"Wow, Loralei," Cody began. "Who would have thought the boss had it in him to make such a cute kid. She must have gotten her looks from you."
Amused, Donovan said nothing. He fixed his usual, deadpan gaze on Cody's face. What else did he expect? "You're probably right," he said.
Alex approached Loralei and gave her a brief hug. "Been a while since I've seen you around. You look great."
"Lots of cycling," she said. Donovan flashed an amused glance her way. Cycling and…other things, the look seemed to say. She directed her gaze off Donovan's face. She again found herself thinking that if she continued to look at him, her composure would be flushed down the toilet. "Would you guys mind keeping an eye on Rachel for us? I need a couple minutes with Frank."
"You know," Cody said, "we take down bad guys every day. I think we can handle the Donovan baby, as long as she doesn't glare at me while doing that eyebrow thing that the fearless leader bestows."
She laughed a little. "Thanks, Cody. You're a doll, really."
As she walked past him toward Donovan, she stopped and gave Cody a peck on the cheek. His face pinked considerably. Wow, a kiss from the boss' wife. Good lord. He didn't want his face knocked off like Double Vision's.
Once upstairs, Donovan closed the door behind them. He watched solemnly as Loralei hopped onto the top of his desk, swinging her legs back and forth like a child. She was quite nervous and jumpy. Something was definitely going on. "Loralei, what happened?"
She stopped swinging her legs and placed her hands on her knees. "He didn't show up. I waited for more than an hour, and he never came. I went up to the check-in desk and rang his room, but he didn't answer the phone. It was the weirdest thing, Frank. Jackson wouldn't cancel the date without calling first. Besides, he must have intended to be there, because he called before you left. I don't know. It just feels kind of weird."
He approached her and leaned against the desk. Facing her, he asked, "Do you think something may have happened to him?" She didn't say anything immediately, so he continued, "Maybe he had to leave suddenly. You know the life, baby, a call can come in anytime. He may not have had time to leave a message."
She sighed. He said those words to comfort her, to keep her from worrying. It was no use. She knew Jackson, had known him longer than she had known her husband. He wouldn't do it, even if he had gotten an emergency phone call. He would have left a message regardless of the situation. "I know the life. I know what can happen, but I'm certain that Jackson wouldn't just pick up and disappear without leaving a message. He is quite meticulous, Frank. Not as much as you, of course, but he just wouldn't. I know it. He wasn't even working. Remember our meeting with him yesterday? He said he was on vacation. There was no mission, no job. Bart probably wouldn't tell his superiors where he was, especially if he needed a break from it all. I'm worried, Frank. Worried and scared." She sighed. "I'm thinking that I may be overreacting, but I can't help it."
He placed one of his hands over hers. "Loralei, I'm sure that in a couple of days, he'll call you from wherever he is to apologize profusely for standing you up today. Would it ease your mind if I have Cody to dig around a little? Maybe he can find something. I can't make any promises, but it couldn't hurt."
She nodded. "I'd like that. You know me, I'm going to fret if I can fret."
He grinned a little. "No shit." He moved his hand and placed it on the side of her cheek. He drew her face toward his and kissed her lips gently. "Go home and get some more sleep. I'll be there within a couple of hours. Maybe by the time I get home, this mystery will be solved."
She returned his kiss and drew away reluctantly. "I'm not going to argue with you on that one. I'm wrecked. Just don't let Cody spoil Rachel too much today, huh?"
Loralei made her way downstairs with Donovan following closely behind. She stopped briefly to place a gentle kiss on Rachel's forehead. Before she could make her way out the door, Alex announced that she would walk Loralei to her car. The two women had gotten no further than a couple of steps away from the earshot of the men when Loralei stopped.
"Okay, Alex, spill it. Why did you want to walk me out," Loralei asked.
"Well," she said with a little smile. "I don't exactly want Donovan to find out, especially considering my past history, but…"
"But what? Don't leave me hanging."
She sighed. "God, I can't believe this. I went out with Farron last night."
Loralei's eyes grew wide in astonishment. "Farron? You went out with Farron? How in the world did that happen?"
She shrugged. "I have no idea. He called, I accepted, we went out. I have no idea if I'll ever go again, but I had to tell somebody. Whatever you do, don't breathe a word to your old man. He might not like it that much."
After profusely promising not to say a word to her husband, Alex allowed Loralei to leave. For the first time in a couple of days, her mind drifted away from Bart Jackson. She shook her head incredulously. Farron and Alex. Who would have thought?
* * *
*Yet another inside joke. Other obsessed Oded fans and I have mused relentlessly about the way he speaks and how he says certain words. Seriously, he could say 'snotball' and I'd like it!!!!! Hahaha!