Saying the Words

by NickyM96

[JMPR] Jarod tries to say good bye, but ends up coming back to rescue Miss Parker and finds her in a surprising predicament.

3. Part III

Title - Saying the Words
Author - Nicky
Rating - PG
Category - JMPR
Summary - Jarod and Miss Parker are finally together in a new town with new
names and making new friends. So how come they keep on finding the same old
trouble?
Disclaimer - The characters aren't mine. I'm just using them for my own
entertainment purposes.

* * * * * * * * * *

Danbury Academy
Bristol, MI

Kylie MacArthur goes through the check register for the fourth time, praying that
the first three times were just a mathematical error. The total from the calculator
hasn't changed, however. There was no mistaking the discrepancy between the
register and the bank statement. She lets out a deep, shaky breath while running
her hands through her hair. What was she going to do? This was the last thing she
needed to be concerned about. There were bigger, more pressing issues going on
in her life right now.

"Hey Kylie," a voice calls, breaking her tense silence.

Kylie looks up to see her friend Lisa Denton standing in the doorway of the student
council office. She must have been just staring for awhile because she hears her
friend call to her again.

"Yo! Earth to Kylie. What's going on, Girl?"

"Hey Lisa," she sighs, locking away all the documents in the bottom drawer. She'll
try again later to sort it all out.

"So what is it this time that has you, Madame Presidente, all wiggy?" Lisa asks her.

Kylie has to laugh at her friend. Out in Bristol, they seemed to be so far removed
from the rest of society. But the girl just tries that much harder to be ultra cool
and fashionably hip, always dressing in the latest fashions and speaking in the most
up to date slang.

"It's budget time. As student body president, I have to make sure everything is in
order so that I can propose a budget for next year," she explains to her friend,
telling only part of the truth. It really was time to come up with a new budget. But
that wasn't what was bothering her. The money that seemed to be missing was
what was bothering her. The *substantial* amount of money that was missing was
what was making her all 'wiggy'.

"How about you take a break," Lisa suggests. "We can go to Old Navy and get new
outfits for this weekend."

"Lisa you know I can't," Kylie says quickly. "I have to babysit tonight. And this
weekend."

"You're cancelling this weekend?" Lisa asks incredulously. "For the Stevens kids?
They're monsters, Kylie. The sheriff and his wife must pay you really well to put up
with those kids."

"You know I need the money," Kylie says seriously, thinking to herself how truly
desperate for extra cash she is now. "They're not so bad. They're just a little
hyper. But you're right. They're a lot to handle. Which is why Mrs. Stevens asked
me to help out a little more this weekend. She's going out of town and knows the
sheriff is going to be too busy to watch them by himself. And I could use the extra
cash."

"We're young, Kylie. We should be thinking about having fun now. Not saving
money for the future," Lisa whines, trying to change her mind.

"I'm sorry," Kylie apologizes, holding her head down. "I'm sorry about this
weekend. And I'm sorry I'm no fun. It's just . . . "

"Just what?" Lisa moves to stand next to her, putting her arm around her friend's
shoulder for support. "I can see you're upset about something. Talk to me."

"Nothing," she sighs. "It's nothing." She ducks out of Lisa's embrace and walks the
girl to the door. "You should get going before the store closes. I need to be getting
over to the Stevens' anyway."

"You sure you're okay, Ky?"

"I'm fine," Kylie swears, pasting on a fake smile. "Go on and have fun. I'll catch
you next weekend."

"I'll hold you to that," Lisa says, flashing her friend a smile before walking out the
door.

Kylie sighs as her friend disappears down the hall. She wishes she could confide in
her. They were best friends. Best friends since they were kids. But too much has
happened to Kylie in the past few months. She wasn't dealing with kid stuff
anymore. She had bigger problems. Problems Lisa wouldn't be able to begin to
understand. This was one problem she would have to keep to herself for as long as
she could.

She turns around and goes to get her stuff. There was no sense in hanging around
here anymore. The money wasn't going to reappear magically. She'd worry about
that problem on another day. She's exhausted and ready to go.

"Leaving so soon?" Another voice calls from the doorway. This time, it wasn't Lisa.
She spins around, surprised by her unexpected visitor.

"Oh," she sighs with relief. "It's you. What are you doing here? Nevermind, I'm
glad you're here. We really need to talk."

The tall figure approaches her until he's standing right in front of her. His imposing
stature is intimidating to most, but she's not afraid of him.

"We can talk later," he smiles. He leans towards her and she closes her eyes in
anticipation of the kiss. The kiss never comes. She opens her eyes and looks back
at him, the look on his face turning sinister. All the breath rushes from her body
and she stumbles back, suddenly afraid of this man who knows her like no other
man has known her. He's quicker than she is, however. Before she can get away,
his hands reach out to grab her neck and start squeezing. Without much struggle
on her part, she watches the darkness descend as she falls into unconsciousness.

* * * * * * * * * *

Jarod tips quietly out of the bed, trying desperately not to wake the still sleeping
occupant. Sleep is a valuable commodity for her, very precious and very rare.
The more days go by, the harder it is for her to find that gem. Jarod has learned
the hard way not to disturb her slumber. He makes his way to the bathroom,
quickly showering and dressing to start his day. On his way out the room, he sees
her start to wake up.

"Mmmm," she groans, reaching a hand out to the now empty side of the bed.
"Where are you going?"

"Go back to sleep," he whispers, leaning his head down to give her a quick kiss.
"It's time for me to go to work." He lines the side of her neck with more kisses
before releasing her and attempting to rise.

"Mmmm," she says again. This time it comes out sounding more like a moan. Her
hands reach up to find the back of his neck and she pulls him back towards her.
Through her sleepy eyes, she finds his mouth and covers it with her own, taking his
lips and tongue hostage.

"I'm going to be late if we start this now," he mumbles, not trying very hard to free
himself from her embrace.

"Don't go in today, Jarod," she pants, pulling his bottom lip between her teeth and
gently nibbling on it. "Stay here with me and we can celebrate."

"Celebrate what?"

"Our anniversary," she tells him, as if it should have been obvious.

"Honey, we've only been married for three months. We have awhile before it's
anniversary time," he laughs, finally managing to pull himself from her arms.

"We can celebrate each month," she pouts. "We celebrated our one month
anniversary."

"Technically, we were still on our honeymoon," he grins, raising his eyebrows
suggestively. She blushes suddenly, remembering how she barely let him out of
the bedroom that first month. After they got married, they realized they had a lot
of time to make up for. And her hormones seemed to have been in over drive.

"I can't help it if you're just so irresistible," she smiles her best seductive smile.

"Oh no. Not the smile," he groans, knowing he's powerless against her when she's
in full seduction mode. "Seriously, I can't this morning. I told Sheriff Stevens I
was coming by before my first class. I can't be late."

"Fine," she huffs, folding her arms across her chest. They rest on top of her
enlarged abdomen.

"Don't be mad," he says, walking across the room to sit on the bed next to her.

"I'm not mad," she sighs. "I'm a little worried, that's all. Why are you doing this
anyway?"

"I told you," he says, grabbing the hand that's now rubbing her stomach. "I found
evidence of extortion at the school. I don't want to turn this into a pretend, but I
still think someone should know about it. That's why I'm turning everything over to
the sheriff. I'll let him handle things from here."

"Are we going to have to move again?" she asks quietly. "I only have 7 weeks until
the baby's born, Jarod. I don't want to have him on the run. This is a nice town.
We've made some friends here."

"I know," he whispers, stroking her face and tucking her hair behind her ear. "This
is the first place that's actually felt like home to me. I'd love to raise the baby
here. But only if it's safe for us. Which is why I'm not pretending anymore. We
don't need the unnecessary attention. But the kids at the school had serious
concerns about where the missing funds were going. Someone needs to figure out
what's going on. But that someone won't be me this time. I'll tell the sheriff my
suspicions and then stay out of it."

"You promise?"

"I promise," he smiles, stealing another kiss from her lips before rising from the
bed. "But I have to go so I won't be late."

"Be careful, Jarod," she says, giving him one last warning. He gives her another
smile before turning to walk out the door. All of a sudden, she gets a feeling to call
him back. "Jarod wait!"

He turns to face her, a questioning look on his face. As quickly as her huge belly
allows, she struggles to pull herself from the bed and waddles over to stand just in
front of him. She wraps her arms around his chest and pulls herself as close to him
as she can get.

"Hey," he says with a bit of a grunt when she squeezes him tighter. "What's this all
about?"

"Nothing," she whispers, tears starting to fall. "I just wanted to say I love you.
That's all."

"I love you, too," he returns the sentiment. She doesn't want to let go and he feels
her start to tremble in his arms. He runs his hand soothingly up and down her back
to help calm her down. "You're really upset today, aren't you? How about we
compromise? I'll cancel my classes for today. So that after I speak with the
sheriff, I'll be able to come back here and spend the day with you."

"Okay," she relents, not really feeling much better. But she realizes what a
sacrifice he's making for her and decides it's about as good as it's going to get.

"Good," he smiles, grabbing her hand and leading her back to the bed. He tucks
her back in and kisses her forehead. "Why don't you wait right here for me. I'll be
back before you know it." With one more wink, he finally manages to make it from
the bedroom. He sprints down the stairs and out to the car. The sooner he leaves,
the sooner he'll be able to get back to where he wants to be - in the arms of his
love.

* * * * * * * * * *

Jarod pulls into the parking lot at Danbury Academy. He'd been teaching there for
about two months now. He and Miss Parker immediately left Savannah after the
case with Dr. Jacobs and the babies was over. They drove the short distance to
Hilton Head, South Carolina and married on the beach. They were now Mr. and
Mrs. Jarod Wilson. And had been that ever since. Three months was the longest
he'd ever had an alias. Hopefully it will be permanent. With the baby soon to be
born, he'd really hate to uproot his pregnant wife.

About a month after they moved to Bristol, Jarod decided to get a teaching position
at the local school. They didn't need the money, but they needed ties to the
community. Small towns like Bristol were suspicious of newcomers. Especially
newcomers who kept to themselves. The town took to them immediately. They
seemed like a normal newlywed couple expecting a baby. And that's the way Jarod
wanted to keep things. He tended to his own business, no longer looking for
mysteries to unravel or injustices to rectify. He had a family to take care of now.
And to keep them out of the Centre, the life he used to live had to change. No
more pretending or anything else that would draw too much attention to him.

This latest mystery almost got the better of his curiosity. But one look at Miss
Parker and he realized he'd do anything to keep her happy. Including staying away
from something that obviously needed his attention. Money was going missing
from the student government fund. But like he told Miss Parker, it's not his
business. He'd pass on the information he uncovered to the sheriff and let him
handle things. Unfortunately, the sheriff wasn't at the station when he went by
there. So he's doing the next best thing to get the information to him immediately.

" . . . and that's basically all I know about the situation. I thought it best to pass
this on to you, Sheriff, and let you handle the situation. I'd suggest you speak first
with Kylie MacArthur. She's the student body president and she noticed the
discrepancies early on. She's scared and thinks she'll be blamed, but I believe that
she's innocent in this case."

Jarod stops talking and the tape recorder automatically shuts off. It's one of those
voice activated models that came in useful on the drive over. He didn't have to
worry about operating it while he was driving. He reaches to get the tape out of the
recorder with one hand while turning the car into a parking space with the other.
Out of nowhere, his path is blocked by a man and he has to slam on the brakes,
causing the recorder to fly to the floor and slide under the seat. Jarod rolls the
window down to address his obstacle.

"Sheriff?" Jarod asks, flustered at nearly running the man over. "Why are you
standing in the middle of my parking space?"

"I heard you were looking for me, Professor Wilson," the man tells him. He walks to
the passenger side of the car and gets in. "Why don't we go back to the station and
talk."

Jarod gets a bad feeling. Something about the look on the man's face makes him
suspicious. He's survived these past few years by trusting his instincts and
feelings. He's survived the past few months by trusting Miss Parker's instincts. Her
actions this morning instantly rush back to his brain. She sensed something was
wrong. And now, he's feeling it too.

"Why don't we go into my office," Jarod suggests instead, not wanting to go
anywhere with the man.

"Just drive," the man growls, pulling out his gun. Jarod could do nothing by
comply. And wish to himself that he never left the comfort of his bed that morning.

* * * * * * * * * *

Miss Parker awkwardly rolls to her side and grabs the ringing phone from the
bedside table.

"What," she grumbles sleepily into it. For the most part, she had shed her 'Miss
Parker' persona. But it was rare that she and the baby were both asleep at the
same time anymore. This child definitely had Jarod's restless spirit. She had just
managed to settle down for her afternoon nap. It was hard to be cordial to whoever
was waking her.

"Mara?"

Miss Parker blinks the sleep away from her eyes and it takes a moment for her
name to sink in. She had given the people her first name when they first move to
town to go along with the fake last name Jarod picked. If they were ever tracked
by the Centre, they would probably be looking for Jarod and Parker. Not many
people at the Centre know what her first name is.

"I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" the voice continues.

"I'm up," she yawns. "How can I help you?"

"This is Lynn Stokes from Danbury Academy," she explains. "I'm calling to see if
Professor Wilson is there. He never came in this morning."

"He didn't call in?" She sits up in the bed, completely awake now. She looks at the
clock and realizes how late in the day it was. Jarod should have been home hours
ago. "He told me he was going to cancel his classes, go speak with Sheriff Stevens,
and then come back home. But that was earlier this morning."

"Oh. Well, he's not here. And he missed all of his classes today. Sheriff Stevens is
actually here looking for your husband so I'm assuming he never made that
meeting either. Mara, maybe you should come down to the school. I'm sure the
sheriff will have some questions for you."

"Lynn, what exactly are you implying?" Miss Parker asks icily. She never did like
the woman from the school. She was the one responsible for hiring Jarod. And
Miss Parker got the impression he was hired for purposes far from educational. He
never said anything about it, but Miss Parker has witnessed on several occassions
blatant attempts by Lynn to come on to him.

"I don't want to get into it over the phone. You should come down." With that, she
hangs up the phone before Miss Parker could get another word in.

* * * * * * * * * *

Miss Parker breezes through the door as if she owned the school. She couldn't let
them see the fear she was trying desperately to hide. She had to show them she
was in control. She walks towards the front office where she knew Lynn Stokes
would be. A woman sitting in the chairs outside the office glares jealously at the
pregnant woman, still fashionable in her maternity leather pants, storming towards
the front desk demanding to be seen.

"Mrs. Wilson?"

Miss Parker turns around to face whoever was calling her. She sees Lynn Stokes
and the sheriff approaching her.

"Lynn. Sheriff Stevens. What's going on here? Where is my husband?" Miss
Parker stares undauntedly at the man. But inside she was far from fearless.
Something bad was going on. Something involving Jarod. And she was terrified at
what that something could be.

"We were hoping you could tell us that. No one here at the school has seen him
today," Lynn explains to her.

"He told me he had an appointment with the sheriff this morning. And that he was
going to call in to cancel his classes."

"Is that all?" the sheriff queries. "Did he tell you why he needed to meet with me?"

Miss Parker notices a nervous look pass between the sheriff and Lynn. She starts to
become suspicious of the line of questioning. She had a feeling there was a lot
more to this than trying to find Jarod.

"No," she lies easily. "He didn't tell me anything. Just that he needed to speak
with you involving something with a few kids at school."

"That's all he said?" Lynn asks again. "Did he mention any kids in particular?"

"Lynn, you've been hinting at something this entire time. Why don't you just come
out and tell me what you're blaming my husband of," she snaps at the woman. She
knows she should keep her cool to try and figure out what these two are up to, but
she was starting to lose her patience.

"Mrs. Wilson. Mara," the sheriff corrects himself, trying to get more personal. He
takes her by the elbow and leads her to the seats against the wall, next to the other
woman who glared at her earlier. "Why don't you sit down."

Panic races through her body. This couldn't be good, she realizes. Not good at all.
Something horrible must have happened.

"I'm fine," she says through her tightly gritted teeth. "Just tell me where Jarod is."

"Mara, this is Olivia MacArthur," Lynn introduces. Miss Parker nods politely at the
woman as Lynn continues. "Her daughter, Kylie, is also missing. We think that she
and your husband are together."

"Together?" Miss Parker manages to choke out. "You're saying someone kidnapped
them both?" But she can look on everyone else's face and see that theory is far
from what they're thinking.

"No, Mara. We're pretty sure there technically wasn't any kidnapping involved.
Although Kylie is a minor, we're pretty sure she went with him willingly," the sheriff
explains.

"You think they ran off together?" Miss Parker shrieks. She lets out a nervous
laugh to try and relieve tension. "You're kidding, right?"

"Does this look like we're joking to you?" the other woman, Kylie's mother, yells.
"Your husband is a dirty old man who knocked up my daughter and then lured her
out of town."

"What?" Miss Parker stares unbelievingly at the three. "You can't seriously believe
that story. I certainly don't. It's impossible. There's no way."

"How can you be so sure?" Olivia MacArthur asks. "Because he claims he loves
you? Because you strut around here in your leather pants and little skirts? You
think that's going to keep him? Honey, I've been through my share of men. And
no matter how much they claim to love you, they can't resist the temptation of
fresh meat."

"Well maybe your daughter takes after you," Miss Parker growls. "If she got herself
in trouble, what makes you think she even knows who the father is? All I know is
that it isn't my husband. I mean, we've been in this town for just a few months.
It's not even possible."

"Professor Wilson started working here two months ago," Lynn tells them. "Olivia
says that Kylie is six weeks along. It's entirely possible for him to be the father."

"No it's not," Miss Parker yells. She blinks back the tears threatening to fall. "It's
not possible. You're all wrong. And I'm going to prove it." She storms out in the
same fashion as how she came in, leaving them all in a stunned silence.

"I'm going home now," Olivia says after a few moments. "Call if you find anything."
She gathers her things and leaves down the same hallway as Miss Parker.

"She doesn't buy it," Lynn whispers to the sheriff. They were in the office alone,
but she didn't want to risk anyone over hearing them. "She's going to be trouble."

"Mara Wilson? I don't think so. She's pregnant. Over emotional. She doesn't
want to believe her husband would cheat on her. But I think deep down she's
suspicious enough to doubt him."

"I hope you're right. We already took a big risk getting Professor Wilson and the
girl out of the way. It would be too complicated with a pregnant woman. Let's just
hope that no one else knows about the money."

"They're the only two," the sheriff says confidently. "Kylie admitted to me that the
professor was the only other person she told. And you heard the wife. She doesn't
know anything about this. If the subject of the missing money ever comes up, we
can blame them for running off with it. We're home free."

"You better hope so," Lynn warns him. "Because we both have a lot to lose if this
ever comes out." She gives him one last warning glare before returning to her
desk. She hoped he's right about Mara Wilson. But something tells her that woman
is more than just an emotional, pregnant wife. The sheriff may have dismissed it,
but Lynn knew she was going to be trouble.

* * * * * * * * * *

Miss Parker paces angrily in front of her car. She was too upset to drive. She
realized that and didn't want to put herself, her baby, or anyone else in danger.
She just needed a few moments to calm down. She couldn't believe the nerve of
those people to blame Jarod for . . . for the unspeakable acts they're blaming him
for. There's just no way. No way, she keeps reminding herself. A small part of her
mind wonders if it could even be remotely possible. But a swift kick to her ribs
from the baby reminds her that she was the one carrying Jarod's baby. She was
the one he loved. Not some sixteen year old girl he barely knew. Something else
was going on here. There was some reason the sheriff and Lynn were trying to pin
this on Jarod. At the moment, she didn't even care why. She just wanted to find
Jarod. But figuring out that reason may be the first step in finding her missing
husband.

The baby gives her another kick, this one stronger and harder. She stops her
pacing, grabs her stomach and leans against the car to catch her breath.

"Miss, are you alright?"

Miss Parker turns around to a couple of concerned faces.

"I will be," she replies with a small groan. "I just need a minute."

"Here. Why don't you sit down?" one of the women, the older one, suggests. She
opens the back door to Miss Parker's car and helps her get seated.

"Thanks," Miss Parker says, finally sighing in relief. The baby finally seemed to be
settling down. "I'm okay now."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" The woman sees the skeptical look cross
Miss Parker's face and realize the woman had no idea who she was. "I'm sorry. Let
me introduce myself. I'm Celia Denton. This is my daughter, Lisa."

"Mara Wilson," Miss Parker says, offering the women her hand to shake. The other
one remains protectively caressing her belly.

"Professor Wilson's wife?" Lisa asks, eyes wide in shock.

"Lisa, don't start," her mother warns. "Kylie's mother is making wild accusations
about the professor. I know Kylie is your best friend, but we have no idea what
really happened."

"It's alright, Celia. I know what they're saying about my husband and that young
girl. But it isn't true," Miss Parker says confidently. She had to truly believe that if
she was going to get everyone else to believe it as well.

"I didn't think it was," Celia says with a smile. "Olivia MacArthur can be a bit . . .
dramatic at times. She has no idea how to raise that child. Kylie spent more time
with us than she did in her own home. I love that girl like my own. I've watched
her grow up. And I don't see her running away like this, no matter what kind of
problem she had gotten herself into."

Miss Parker tenses again, her eyes squeezing shut as she suffers more abuse from
her unborn child.

"This little guy is pretty active today," she tries to joke.

"He can sense what's going on," Celia says. "You really should get home and get
some rest. And you're in no condition to drive."

"Excuse me?" Miss Parker starts to get defensive.

"Listen. I know you think you can handle this alone. And I don't know you. You
probably can handle this all by yourself. But you shouldn't have to. I'm a midwife.
I can help," Celia tells her.

Miss Parker knows she's right. She did need to get home and get some rest. And
she didn't need to be behind the wheel, especially if the baby decided to continue to
play 'knick knack' on her ribs.

"Okay," she relents. "I'd appreciate you taking me home."

"Well, alright," Celia smiles before turning to her daughter. "Lisa, Sweetheart. You
take my car and follow us to her house. That way, I won't be stranded over there."

Miss Parker pulls her legs all the way inside the car and closes the door. She gives
Celia her address and then sits back for the rest of the ride. Rubbing her stomach
soothingly, she prays silently that she can trust this woman. Because if she was
going to find Jarod, then she would need help from someone she could trust.
Hopefully Celia was going to turn out the be that person.

* * * * * * * * * *

The room was dark. Dark and cold. A pounding in his head wakes Jarod. He looks
around, but can't see anything in the poorly lit room. Briefly, he wonders if he's in
the Centre. And he immediately worries about Miss Parker. But what he can see of
the room doesn't look like the Centre. That's one thing he doesn't have to worry
about. He still doesn't know about Miss Parker, though. What if whoever has him
also has her?

His ears pick up on a sound nearby. It sounded like someone crying. A woman.
He tries his aching limbs to see if anything was broken. A few ribs, he guesses.
But other than that, everything seems to be working. And with any luck, he hadn't
punctured a lung. The sobs get louder and he tries to determine where they're
coming from. And who they belong to.

"Parker," he calls out with a raspy voice, hoping desperately she doesn't answer.
He couldn't bear it if she were also being held captive like him.

"Parker, can you hear me? Honey, it's Jarod." He makes his way over to a door
and realizes that the sounds are coming from the other side. He bangs on the door,
calling out to Miss Parker while at the same time praying that she's not in there.
"Parker. Parker. Parker . . . "

Miss Parker sits up abruptly, the knocking at the door waking her. She had been
having strange dreams of Jarod for the past three days since she first discovered he
was missing. In this dream, she heard him calling to her, plain as day. But it
seemed more real than a dream. It seemed to be a sign that Jarod was okay. He
just needed her help.

The knocking starts up again and she realizes that there actually was someone at
the door. It wasn't just part of the dream. She raises her heavy body from the
chair she fell asleep in and waddles over to the door.

"Celia," she says, sounding surprised when she sees who's visiting.

"Did I wake you? I'm sorry," Celia apologizes. "I came by to check on you."

"I'm fine," Miss Parker says quickly. A little too quickly. Celia picks up on that.

"Your husband is missing and you're fine?" Celia asks dubiously. "You know, Mara.
It's okay to admit you need help. You're not expected to be 'fine' right about now.
Let me help you."

Miss Parker bites her lip, considering this woman's offer of assistance. She knew
something strange was going on in this town. But she didn't think Celia was a part
of it. The woman seems like she can be trusted. Having made her decision, Miss
Parker lets out a shaky sigh.

"Celia, I'm sorry. I realize you just want to help. I'm not used to that," Miss Parker
explains.

"It's okay," Celia smiles, looking around the house to see what needed to be done.
"Since I'm here, why don't you go sit down. Put up your feet and relax. I'll fix us
some lunch and we can get to know each other."

"I'm not hungry," Miss Parker mumbles, sighing sadly. She walks over to the couch
and slowly lowers her bulky mass onto the couch.

"Mara, when was the last time you ate?"

Miss Parker looks up at her with a guilty expression, but doesn't say anything.

"Just what I thought," Celia says, shaking her head. "Mara, you have to eat. You
have to keep up your strength and continue to nourish the baby. Listen, I know
you feel helpless as far as your husband is concerned. But you're not helpless as
far as this baby is concerned. This little guy is depending on you."

Celia leaves on that note, giving Miss Parker something to think about. She goes
into the kitchen and twenty minutes later, emerges with a tray with a sandwich and
soup on it for each of them. She places Miss Parker's meal in front of her and
proceeds to silently eat her own lunch. After a few minutes, she has to contain her
smile of satisfaction when the other woman picks up half the sandwich and begins
nibbling on it.

"Can I ask you a question?" Miss Parker says out of the blue. She had finished the
half of sandwich she was working on and then moved onto the soup.

"Sure," Celia says, wiping some crumbs from her face. "What do you want to
know?"

"The people in Bristol. What are they . . . do they think Jarod really did what he's
being blamed of? Do they believe he seduced that young girl and then ran off with
her?"

"You know how people talk, Mara. They like a good story. And yes, that seems to
be the one floating around town. I'm not sure if they believe it or not. But they
don't really have any other explanation, so why not believe that?"

"How about you? Do you believe it?"

"Mara, I just don't know," Celia tells her truthfully. "But I believe in you. And if
you trust your husband, then I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Besides, I hardly trust the source of the stories."

"The MacArthur woman?"

"Yes. And Lynn Stokes," Celia nods. "But I'm not sure who spread it faster. They
both like to stir up trouble. Especially Lynn."

"You don't seem to like her very much," Miss Parker notices. "Why is that?"

"Well, for one thing, she doesn't seem to be able to keep her hands off of everyone
else's man," Celia says, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, I noticed that," Miss Parker laughs. "Don't get me wrong. Jarod is brilliant.
But I don't think he was hired by her just for his academic skills."

"I wouldn't doubt that," Celia laughs as well. "I shouldn't have trusted her around
my ex-husband."

"No way," Miss Parker gasps.

"That's another story for another time," Celia promises, holding up her hand to stop
any further questions. "Anyway, besides being man hungry, Lynn has made it a
point to separate herself from us 'more common folk'. She has this air of
superiority and thinks she's better than us. She buys really fancy clothes and just
got a really nice car. And just recently, she moved about 20 miles out to
Edgebrook."

"Edgebrook?" Miss Parker questions, suddenly very alert. "That's a pretty ritzy
area, I hear. How can an employee of the school system afford to live out there as
well as the other stuff?" Miss Parker starts to run that thought through her head,
tuning out what Celia was saying. She had a feeling this could be the piece of the
puzzle she was looking for.

"No one knows," Celia shrugs. "No one really cares, either. Like I said, her attitude
doesn't make her very popular. Mara? Are you even listening to me?"

"What? Oh, sorry. I was thinking," Miss Parker says distractedly.

"About what?"

Miss Parker looks at her, but doesn't say anything. It wasn't really a matter of not
trusting Celia anymore. She had a feeling that the woman was upright. But she
also had another feeling. An even stronger feeling that Jarod may have stumbled
upon some very dangerous people trying to keep a very dangerous secret. She
didn't want Celia trapped in the middle of that. Nobody deserved that kind of peril.

"Mara?" Celia calls to her to get her attention. "What were you thinking? You
dazed out on me for a second."

"Lynn and her money," Miss Parker says. She's decided to tell the woman the
truth. Most of the truth, anyway. There were things Celia could never find out. "It
just seems kind of odd to me that she'll all of a sudden have a lot of it to spend.
Right around the time when so much of it turns up missing from the student
council."

"What money?" Celia asks, confused.

"That's what Jarod was going to talk to the sheriff about the day he disappeared.
Apparently some students had come to him about some missing funds. If I were to
guess, I'd say that Kylie was one of them."

"She's the student body president. So she would notice the missing money," Celia
tells her.

"You know, Lynn and the sheriff seemed really interested in what Jarod told me
about the situation. I made them believe that I knew nothing." Miss Parker gets a
renewed energy that she hadn't had since Jarod was gone. Pieces of the puzzle
were falling into place. She just needed to finish unscrambling the picture
somehow. "I think the money is the key somehow. It's the only common link
between Jarod and Kylie."

"Mara, you have to tell someone your theory. It could help find your husband and
Kylie."

"I can't go to the sheriff," Miss Parker insists adamantly. "I think he's involved in
this as well."

"Well you can't go off on this by yourself. Not in your condition," Celia says,
pointing to her stomach.

"You're right," Miss Parker sighs in frustration. "I'm going to need help with this."

"I'll help as much as I can," Celia offers.

"No, it'll be too dangerous. I don't want to get you in the middle of this."

"Well I can do something. Anything. Let me help you, Mara."

"Actually, there is something you can do," Miss Parker says, looking sheepishly in
Celia's direction. "You in the mood for a little travelling?"

"Travelling? Where?"

"You ever hear of a town called Blue Cove, Delaware? I have some friends there
that can help. For reasons I can't get into, I can't contact them. But you can. You
can get a message to them for me."

"Delaware?" Celia's eyes pop wide open in shock.

"You know, I don't know what I was thinking. Nevermind. Delaware is so far . . . "

"No, I'll go," Celia interrupts her. "I was just wondering who would keep an eye out
on Lisa. With her dad out of town, I don't want her to be alone, especially
considering what's going on with Kylie."

"She can stay here and keep me company," Miss Parker offers.

"Thanks, Mara," Celia smiles. "She's a good girl. She won't be any trouble. I
promise."

"I'm sure we'll be fine. Why don't you go get her and bring her back here while I
get my message ready to send with you."

"Okay. I'll be right back. Oh, and don't worry about the dishes. I'll make sure Lisa
helps you out as much as possible."

"Celia, I don't expect her to wait on me hand and foot. I'm perfectly capable of . .
."

"Mara, Mara, Mara," Celia says, shaking her head and letting out a light chuckle.
"You really are used to taking care of yourself. But, like it or not, you will let Lisa
and I help you. At least until your husband gets back. Is that clear?"

"Yes Ma'am," Miss Parker laughs.

"Good," Celia laughs with her. "Now I'm going to get Lisa now. You rest until we
get back."

Miss Parker thanks her and walks her to the door, watching her drive away. She
smiles as she thinks to herself how nice a feeling it is to have someone looking out
for her. She hadn't really accepted that kind of help since her mother died. It was
different, but definitely something she could get used to.

* * * * * * * * * *

Broots wanders around the bookstore, feeling a pair of eyes watching him. He
thought the Centre gave up tracking him a few months ago. He looks around,
trying to spot the sweeper sent to look after him, but comes up empty. He
dismisses the feeling as paranoia.

He looks down at the stack of books in his hand. Ever since Jarod and Miss Parker
disappeared, there haven't been much for him to do at the Centre. He can't even
spend time with Sydney without it seeming too suspicious. So he's spent a lot of
time reading books on different subjects.

He takes his stack to the register, ready to pay. Rounding the corner, he wasn't
paying attention and finds himself, his books, and a nice looking woman all in a
heap on the floor.

"I'm so sorry," he apologizes, picking up the books strewn about the floor. After
helping the woman off the floor, he hands her the one book in the stack on
women's health issues. He assumed it belonged to her.

"This must be yours," he blushes.

"Thanks," she smiles. "And I think this belongs to you."

She shoves an envelope in his hand and hastily retreats, leaving him standing there
with a confused expression on his face. He looks down at the envelop she gave him
and notices his name scrawled across the front. The handwriting looked familiar.
Like Miss Parker's. His eyes widen in shock and it takes him a second or two before
his breathing resumes. As much as he wants to rip it open and read what's inside,
he realizes that he still may be monitored. He casually tucks the envelope inside
his jacket pocket and heads up to the register, acting as if the envelope doesn't
even exist.

* * * * * * * * * *

Sydney packs his notes into his briefcase and prepares to leave. This was the last
in a six week series of lectures he's been giving at Blue Cove Community College.
It wasn't a big time university, but it gave him something to do. With Jarod and
Miss Parker gone, his work at the Centre hasn't even come close to being an
interest to him. He still works there, but only because he's too afraid of what will
happen to him if he leaves. But one day, he hopes they'll just eventually forget
about him and allow him to go his own way.

"Dr. Green," someone calls to him. He turns around and sees the school's special
events coordinator walking into the classroom. "It's been a pleasure having you
lecture here. The students have had only good things to say about you."

"The pleasure has been mine, Mrs. Adams," he smiles. "I'm sorry that it's over."

"We'll be sure to call you if anything else in the future comes up." She hold her
hand out to shake his, and starts to leave. "Oh, I almost forgot. A woman left this
for you in the office. She didn't leave a name, but said it was very important that
only you receive this."

"Thanks," Sydney says distractedly, opening the envelope she gives him. He has to
stifle a gasp when he sees the handwriting. He'd recognize that handwriting
anywhere. It belonged to Miss Parker. "Mrs. Adams. This woman, was she tall,
slender, with dark hair?"

"No. She was actually closer to my height. With short, curly blond hair. Why?"

"No reason," he says, forcing a smile to his face. He starts to put the envelope in
his briefcase, but changes his mind and puts it in his pocket. He'd rather have it
close to him. "Well, thanks again for the opportunity. I hope to be hearing from
you soon."

He slams his briefcase shut and practically runs out of the classroom. He needed to
get someplace where he could read what Miss Parker would risk her safety to
contact him about.

* * * * * * * * * *

Doubletree Inn
Detroit, MI

Broots hoists his bag onto his shoulder and then bends down to get the other bag
still on the floor. The note he was given said to check into this hotel and await
further instructions. So on a moment's notice, he packs up himself and his
daughter and rushes halfway across the country.

"This is it, Debbie," he tells the girl when they get to their room. "Take the key and
open the door. My hands are full." And even if they weren't, he's sure they'd be
shaking like a leaf. He just doesn't know what to expect. He hasn't seen Miss
Parker in seven or eight months. He was sure he'd never hear from her again. So
why now, he wonders to himself.

Broots steps into the room and is shocked at who he sees on the bed in front of
him. It wasn't Miss Parker, but someone else.

"Sydney? What are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same question," Sydney says, standing up to cross the
room. "I take it you got a mystery letter from Miss Parker, too."

"Yeah," Broots nods, pulling the letter from his jacket. "She told me to get Debbie
and come to this hotel."

"What are we supposed to do now?" Sydney wonders. Broots just shrugs, not
knowing the answer to that question either. But they don't have to wonder for very
long. A few seconds later, the phone rings. Broots frowns in confusion and goes to
answer the phone.

"H - hello?" he stutters into the phone.

"This is the front desk. The car requested for the occupants of this room is
downstairs waiting on you. You can't stop by the desk for the keys."

Broots stares at the phone in his hand for a few moments before hanging it up.

"What is it, Broots?"

"There's a car downstairs waiting on us," he says, still in a confused daze. This was
a strange game and he wasn't sure he liked playing it. "Syd, do you really think
this is Miss Parker? What if it's that woman? What if she's setting a trap?"

"What if it isn't, Broots? What if Miss Parker really needs our help? I don't think we
have any other choice than to go downstairs and get in that car."

"You're right, Syd," Broots sighs. "Let's go." Broots gets the bags again and they
all leave the room they just entered. He still wasn't sure about what he was getting
himself into. But Sydney was right. If it meant helping Miss Parker, then he was
willing to take the chance.

* * * * * * * * * *

Celia paces in front of the door, checking her watch again to see the time. They
really should be here by now. She really hopes she didn't do anything wrong. She
made a promise that she'd help, and she really didn't want to let her new friend
down. She goes over in her mind all of her actions to make sure she didn't forget
anything. What if they didn't read the notes? Or what if the didn't get the
directions to the house at the hotel's front desk when they got the key? So much
could have gone wrong.

"Mom, relax," Lisa says from behind her. "You finally convinced Mrs. Wilson to get
some rest. I think you should take your own advice."

"I'm fine, Honey," she says, hugging her daughter. "What about you? You look
pretty tired yourself."

"She didn't sleep very well while you were gone. And you know how she's been
since you got back. She's driving herself crazy waiting on these friends of hers. I
just hope they're going to be the help she expects them to be."

"She doesn't strike me as the type to trust or depend on too many people. The fact
that she trusts them tells me that even if they can't help, they're just the people
she needs to see right now. I have a feeling they love and support her. And that's
. . . "

She's interrupted by the sound of car doors slamming outside.

"That must be them," she gasps. She looks out the window to confirm her
suspicions. She takes a deep breath to calm herself before opening the door to
them.

"Miss Pa . . . oh, it's you," Broots says, sounding somewhat dejected.

"Celia Denton. Nice to meet you." She steps out of the doorway and ushers them
inside. "You're Broots and you're Sydney, am I right?" They both nod wordlessly.
"And this must be Debbie."

Debbie steps behind her father, not sure what to make of the woman. She looked
nice enough, but her father seemed nervous. That made her nervous.

"Where's Miss Parker?" Debbie asks quietly.

"Who? Oh, you must mean Mara," Celia realizes. She chuckles at the confused
expression on Broots and Debbie's faces. "She's resting."

"She told you her name," Sydney comments, sounding surprised. "She must really
trust you. Very few people know her first name."

"I'm not surprised," Celia says with a laughs again. "It took her so long to accept
my help, even when she knew she couldn't get through this alone."

"Mrs. Denton . . ."

"Celia, please," she corrects Sydney.

"Of course. Celia, what exactly is going on? Why were we lured here?"

"It's Jarod," Celia tells them. "He's missing."

* * * * * * * * * *

Celia watches the two men struggle for the words to say. But none seem to come
out. They manage to make their way into the living room and flop down onto the
sofa, both still stunned. Or maybe it was worry. Celia really couldn't tell which it
was.

"Lisa, why don't you take Debbie into the kitchen," Celia suggests. "I'm sure she's
hungry from the two hour trip from Detroit. I need to speak with these gentlemen."

After the girls have left the room, Broots is the first to recover activity in his vocal
chords.

"Missing? When? Who? What happened?" he asks.

"She doesn't really know. But she's worried sick about him. She can't handle this
by herself. That's why she needed me to contact the two of you."

"She actually admitted that?" Sydney asks with shock. "She's usually pretty
stubborn. Has been that way since she was a little girl. She tends to run herself
ragged trying to handle things on her own."

"Well, she can't this time," Celia sighs. "She's got other things to worry about.
Even more important than Jarod."

"More important?" Broots asks. "What could be more important than . . . "

His question is cut off by the sounds of footsteps coming down the hall. They all
stand up and turn around, assuming Miss Parker would be entering the room any
second.

"I thought I heard voices," she says, barely able to contain her smile as she comes
into the room. She was happier to see them than she realized she would be. She
waddles up to Sydney and embraces him. "When did you guys get here?"

"Miss Parker," Broots gasps. "You - you're . . . look at you."

"Yes, Broots," she laughs. "Look at me." She looks down at her stomach and gives
it a light pat.

"You and Jarod are having a baby?" Sydney asks, an almost proud grin spreading
across his face. "That's wonderful."

"It wasn't exactly our choice, but we're happy about it." She gives Broots and
Sydney a 'don't ask' look and went to sit down on the sofa. "Now if you guys can
help me find him before the baby's born, that would be even better." She gives
them a nervous laugh, but they know it's all an act. She was terrified. That she
would never see him again. That something terrible had happened to him. That
the Centre would catch up with them.

"Don't you worry about a thing," Broots says, patting her hand gently. "We're here
to do what we do best - to catch ourselves a pretender."

"And we'll find him this time. That's a promise," Sydney adds.

It felt good being together with them like that again. She missed the old days. But
Sydney was right. This time they were going to find Jarod. They had to. Because
this time, his life depended on it.

* * * * * * * * * *

Sheriff Stevens walks past Jarod's room. Cell, was more like it. It was a tiny
square area of room with a cot in one corner and a toilet and sink in another corner.
There were no windows and the only door was the was that locked from the outside.
The sheriff was glad he remembered about this place. No one would even think to
look out here.

The sheriff slides open the small panel in the door. He usually only opened it to
slide the meals through, but this time he was just curious. Curious about this
teacher. He was new in town, just arrived a few months back. Immediately, the
sheriff was jealous of him. All the women in town seemed to swoon over him.
Including his own wife. But he didn't really worry about her being unfaithful.
Fidelity was her middle name. What really bothered him was how interested Lynn
seemed in him. Of all his mistresses, she was his favorite, though fickle as the day
is long. He couldn't stand the thought of losing her to Jarod.

"Mr. Wilson," he calls through the slit. The man's eyes pop open and stare coldly at
him. It was a bit unsettling for the sheriff.

"What do you want with me?" Jarod asks. "Is it the money? I won't tell a soul, I
promise. Just let me go. Please. My wife needs me."

"Oh yeah. Your wife." The sheriff is starting to feel bolder. Hearing Jarod beg for
his freedom was somewhat empowering. "She's a cute one. But, she thinks you
knocked up one of your students and ran off with her. I'm sure it's only a matter of
time before she's coming to me for comfort. All the women in town do, you know.
Or at least they did until you showed up."

"Is that what this is about? You're jealous?" Jarod laughs at the ridiculous
situation. "I can assure you, I'm not interested in taking the roll of town stud away
from you. I'm perfectly happy with my wife. Let me go and you'll never see us
again."

"Tempting, but I don't think so," the sheriff says, after pretending to ponder his
offer for a few moments. "You seemed so anxious to tell someone about the
missing money at the school. What would make me believe you'd just leave this
alone now?"

Jarod scowls, trying to come up with a new approach. There's got to be something
he could say to get the man to release him.

"I heard someone crying. Next door, I think. Who's here with me? Someone else
you kidnapped?" Jarod accuses.

"That's none of your business!" the sheriff yells. Jarod can see that he's struck a
nerve.

"Let me see if I can guess. I'd say it's that missing student that you told my wife I
ran away with. The young lady in the, um . . . unfortunate situation. I'd also say
that you were the one responsible for her . . . condition." Jarod looks smugly at
the man and can see that he's right on the money. "Sheriff, I'm surprised at you.
You should know the laws about statutory rape."

"It wasn't rape," the man lets slip before realizing he's confirming Jarod's
accusations. "She consented."

"But she's underage. Consent doesn't matter."

The sheriff slams the slit closed, almost catching his finger in the process. He sees
now they were right to get Jarod out of the way. Not only to give them a cover
story for the missing funds and the missing MacArthur girl, but also because no one
in this one horse town would have even found out about the money. Nobody but,
Jarod it seems. There was more to this guy than what he initially thought. He's
not going to make the mistake of underestimating him.

* * * * * * * * * *

Debbie giggles as the bowl of ice cream shakes on Miss Parker's belly. The girl
never tired of seeing the trick, begging the woman to show her again and again.

"That's really him in there?" she asks Miss Parker, rubbing her hand across the
expansive stomach. "He sure does kick a lot."

"You don't have to tell me that," Miss Parker smiles.

"Debbie, stop bothering Miss Parker," Broots scolds lightly. He didn't want to ruin
the girl's fun, but he also didn't want her to be a nuisance to Miss Parker.

"It's fine, Broots," Miss Parker assures him. "I've been dying to let you guys know
about the baby anyway. I'm glad she's excited. I'm going to expect you to baby
sit, young lady."

"Anytime, Miss Parker," Debbie says with a smile, hugging the woman. "But Dad's
right. I'm going to leave you alone for now. Lisa said she would take me to the
mall and maybe out for pizza with some friends of hers. Is that alright with you,
Dad?" She looks expectantly at the man, praying that he says yes.

"Are you sure it'll be okay? I mean, safe?" Broots looks over to Miss Parker,
knowing she understands what he's talking about. He doesn't want to risk the
Centre spotting her and getting to her.

"She'll be fine," Miss Parker promises, smiling at the man's protective streak. It
wasn't anything like how her father used to be with her. She could see that with
Broots, it came from love. Her father just wanted to control her. She shakes off
the thought of her father, unwilling to let him get her down. She had enough to
worry about with finding Jarod. Instead, she rises and goes to the desk and pulls
out her purse. She takes out a few bills to give to Debbie.

"200 bucks?" Debbie's eye open wide in amazement as she quickly counts the
money. "Thanks Miss Parker!" she squeals and hugs the woman again.

"Debbie . . ." Broots calls out to her. But it's too late because the girls are now out
the house and practically in the car. He turns to Miss Parker instead, mouth wide
open as if he were about to protest.

"Broots, it's fine," Miss Parker says, laughing at the man's reaction. "We have
plenty. Besides, she deserves some fun. I didn't mean for her to come here just to
get caught up in my little drama. Speaking of which, how's the computer search
coming along?"

Broots looks out the window at the car retreating down the driveway and sighs. He
was used to her being his baby. But now, his baby was a fourteen year old young
lady, about to go hang out with a new friend, and meet up with other new friends.
Possibly *male* friends. He shudders at the thought and tries to push it out of his
mind. He walks over to where his computer is set up and clicks a button to disable
the screensaver.

"Nothing yet," he frowns at her. "This town is so small. Computer records aren't
updated as often. And if this sheriff has something to do with Jarod's
disappearance like you think, then the records may never be updated."

"You're right," she admits. "I didn't think of that. Expand the search to the
neighboring towns. In the meantime, I can't just sit around here doing nothing
anymore." She spots her shoes by the door and slides into the loafers, having long
ago given up high heels.

"Where do you think you're going?" Celia asks her, voicing the question on the
men's minds. But they were too afraid to actually say anything. Too many times
they've been on the receiving end of Miss Parker's wrath.

"To look for something. Anything. I feel so useless around here," Miss Parker says.

"Well, you can't drive yourself. Let me take you," Sydney offers, finding the
courage to speak up.

Miss Parker looks back and forth between him and Celia with a look of exasperation
on her face and finally sighs in frustration.

"Fine," she relents. "I swear there must be a conspiracy between the two of you to
keep me from driving."

"Broots and I will stay here and keep on with the computer search," Celia says, just
laughing off the other woman's frustrated comments. She looks and gives Broots a
shy smile to make sure he didn't object to the arrangements. He gives her a shy
smile in return, seeming to be pleased with spending some time alone with the
woman.

"Okay. You two be sure to call us if you find anything," Miss Parker orders before
storming out the door in the old, familiar Miss Parker fashion. Sydney shrugs at the
others in the room before meekly following the woman.

"So, what's going on with the computer?" Celia asks Broots once they're alone.

"Not much. It's just going to churn for awhile. There's not much we can do right
now. Except maybe . . . " He looks down, a light blush coloring his cheeks.

"Except what?" she asks him coyly.

"We can talk. You know, get to know each other and stuff. I think our daughters
are becoming fast friends. Maybe we should too." He lets out a breath he didn't
even realize he was holding when her face lights up with a delighted grin.

"I'd love that," she says, moving to sit next to him on the sofa.

* * * * * * * * * *

The sheriff paces nervously outside of Jarod's room. He was very unnerved by his
earlier confrontation with the man. Jarod may be the prisoner, but he's the one
who had the sheriff quaking with fear. The sheriff is shaken from his thoughts by
the sounds of footsteps coming towards him. He looks up and sees Lynn
approaching him. She gets worried when she notices the scowl on his face.

"What happened?" she asks.

"It's this Jarod guy. He kind of scares me," the sheriff admits. "What exactly do
you know about him?"

"What do you mean?" Lynn is confused. "He's a teacher. That's what I hired him
for."

"Yeah, right," the sheriff deadpans. "I've seen the way you look at him, Lynn. I'm
sure you were hoping to get into something . . . extracurricular with him."

"Jealous?" She lifts an eyebrow and flashes a coy smile at him. "You're not exactly
faithful to your wife. What makes you think I'd be faithful to you, Buck? That's the
nature of adulterous affairs."

"Whatever," he grumbles. "My question is this. How much did you check out his
background? Did you check his references? What's his resume look like?"

"Like it was out of a textbook, actually. It was perfect. Flawless, really."

"Flawless? Lynn, that didn't set off any signals?" he yells, running his hands angrily
through his hair. "This guy could be anybody. He could be undercover or
something, did you think of that? He's in there spouting off like he's some kind of
lawyer or something. This guy is much more than just a high school teacher."

"Baby, calm down," Lynn says throatily. The sexy tremble in her voice causes the
sheriff to instantly take notice. She saunters up to him and leans into his suddenly
aching groin. He smiles at her, knowing how this game was played.

"And what if I don't?" he practically groans, especially when she rubs a bare foot up
the back of his calf.

"Then I guess I'll just have to come up with a way to help you . . . relieve some
tension," she purrs, working his ear lobe into her mouth and biting it lightly. She
moves down to his neck and is well on her way to leaving her mark on him when a
cry rings out from down the hall.

"That was from Kylie's room," he says, pushing Lynn away. He grabs his pants,
which he discovers had been mysteriously unbuttoned and unzipped, and refastens
them, before moving quickly to the girl's room. He pulls out his keys and unlocks
the door, rushing inside. He may have a lot of girlfriends, but that didn't mean he
didn't care about each of them.

"What's wrong with her?" Lynn asks impatiently.

"I don't know." He furrows his brow and looks back at the girl, gently sweeping her
hair out of her face to reveal the tears streaming down. "Kylie. Can you hear me?
What's wrong, sweet heart?"

"It hurts," she gasps. "I think it's the baby."

The sheriff lifts his panic stricken face to Lynn to see what he should do. He didn't
have any idea what was happening.

"Don't look at me," Lynn snaps. "You're the one who got her pregnant and brought
her here. This is your mess to deal with."

They both look around when they hear a banging on the wall. It sounded like it was
coming from the room next door. From Jarod.

"Is everything alright in there?" his muffled voice calls. "Please, let me help. I've
had some medical training."

"Oh, so he's a doctor now," the sheriff says sarcastically. "Tell him thanks, but no
thanks. I'm not going to risk setting him loose. I'll just take her to the hospital."

"Talk about risk," Lynn says nervously. "Are you sure that's what you're going to
do? What if she talks?"

"I'll make sure she doesn't," the sheriff promises. He lifts the girl into his arms and
carries her out of the room.

Lynn watches them disappear down the hall. She was getting a bad feeling about
this whole thing. It was time to cut her losses and get out of town. All she needed
was enough money to get her somewhere warm and tropical with lots of muscle
bound cabana boys.

The pounding on the wall startles her. She forgotten all about Jarod.

"Hello? Hello? Is anyone there? Does someone need help?"

Lynn walks patiently down the hall to Jarod's room. She slides open the tiny slit
and peeks inside.

"She'll be fine, Jarod. The sheriff took her to the hospital."

"Good," he sighs. "If her accomodations are anything like mine, then they're less
than adequate for a healthy pregnancy. She needs to get out of here. Has she
been taking any prenatal vitamins? How about her meals? Have they been
properly balanced?"

"You seem to know an awful lot about this," Lynn says.

"My wife is pregnant. You know that," he says. "And like I said before, I've had
some medical training."

"Medical training?" Lynn sound suspicious. "You've had legal training as well? Buck
says you were dispensing lawyerly advice to him earlier. Tell me something, Jarod.
When, in between being a doctor and a lawyer, have you had the time to become a
teacher?"

"You'd be surprised at what I could do," he tells her cautiously. He didn't know
what she was thinking. But he didn't like the tone of her voice.

"I was actually more surprised at what you *wouldn't* do. Namely me," she purrs,
trying again to seduce him.

"Miss Stokes. I love only my wife. I've loved her my whole life. I wouldn't risk that
by having an affair. Besides," he adds with a grin. "She'd kill me if I did. And I
mean that literally. She'd take out her gun and . . . well, you get the picture.
She's a good shot, my wife."

Lynn looks into the room and can see a look of pride on Jarod's face. He truly
believed his wife would kill him. And that made him proud. She doesn't know what
kind of sick relationship he had with his wife, but it wasn't one she wanted to get in
the middle of any longer. No, she's decided Jarod should have a more lucrative use
to her. She would use him as her meal ticket out of that town.

* * * * * * * * * *

After a quiet start, Broots and Celia end up talking for hours. He checks the
computer from time to time to make sure nothing has come up, but nothing out of
the ordinary demands his attention. He eagerly turns it back to Celia. They don't
even realize how long they've been talking until an excited Miss Parker bursts into
the house. Broots looks at his watch and is surprised at the time.

"Mara," Celia gasps. "Slow down. You're going to hurt yourself."

"No time. We found something, Something that could possibly lead to Jarod," she
says in a rushed jumble. Sydney has to translate for her.

"We found the car Jarod was driving, abandoned a few miles from the school. When
we searched it, we found this." He looks to Miss Parker and she holds out her hand
for Broots and Celia to see what she held.

"It's his tape recorder," she tells them before they have the chance to ask. "It's
voice activated. Somehow, it ended up under the seat. And apparently the sheriff
didn't know. Because the whole thing is on here. How the sheriff kidnapped him
and everything. Jarod left as many clues as he could, but the tape cuts off before
he can tell us where he was taken." She sits down and takes a deep breath, trying
to calm her rapidly beating heart. If she didn't settle down soon, the baby would
start kicking up a storm again. But she couldn't help it. She was so close.

"Maybe you can help us, Celia. On the tape, Jarod mentions leaving the school and
heading west down highway 20," Sydney explains. "Is there anything out there?
Houses? Farms? Anyplace like that the sheriff can hold two hostages without
anyone noticing?"

"West on Highway 20 pretty much leads nowhere," Celia says apologetically. "The
highway has to end somewhere. And it ends there, about 30 miles outside of
town."

"30 miles? Why does it continue on for so long if there's nothing out there?" Miss
Parker asks, desperate for any clue.

"Wait a minute," Celia says, suddenly remembering something. "There used to be
something out there. Just about where the highway ends. I thought they tore it
down, but it's possible it's still out there."

"What?" Broots asks.

"Cedar Springs used to be out there. It's an old mental hospital," she clarifies for
them when they all give her a confused look. "Most people don't even know about it
since they added a psychiatric wing to the hospital in Edgemont years ago and shut
down Cedar Springs. But I remember it because my older sister used to tell me
stories about it being haunted when we were growing up."

"We should get out there," Miss Parker insists, trying a few times before lifting
herself off the couch.

"You're kidding, right?" Broots asks her incredulously. "Miss Parker, you can barely
get off the couch. What are you going to do out there?" He's never been so angry
with her before. And he's never had the courage to express himself like that to her.
But it was time she realized her limitations.

"I'm going to get my husband," she growls at him, before waddling across the room
to the closet. She reaches up on the top shelf and grabs a box. Inside the box was
her gun. She lifts it up, the shining metal sparkling in the light. "And if anybody
gets in my way, this should stop them."

"Mara, that's a gun," Celia gasps in surprise.

"Celia, there's a lot about me that you don't know. I had a dangerous job working
for some dangerous people. Those people are after Jarod and I now. The gun is for
protection." Actually, more like an extension of her arm, but she doesn't feel it
necessary to tell Celia that.

"I can see now why you were so sure Jarod would never cheat on you. With that
thing around, you'd be tempted to kill him," Celia laughs nervously.

"You have no idea how close I've gotten," Miss Parker says, laughing along with her.
"I wouldn't hesitate if he even thought about touching another woman."

"And he knows it," Sydney adds with a chuckle. "Jarod knows who's boss around
here."

"Yeah. He does," she sighs sadly, remembering him. Sometimes if she lets it, the
sadness of him being gone could really overwhelm her. But she didn't have time for
that now. She had to go find Jarod. Wiping a stray tear from her cheek, she goes
back to her task of loading the gun.

"Mara, I wish you'd reconsider, but I know you won't," Celia starts, interrupted by
the ringing of her cell phone. She excuses herself and answers it, going into the
kitchen for some privacy.

"She's right, Miss Parker," Broots says.

"Save it, Broots," she snaps at him. "I *am* going out there. And I *will* bring
Jarod home. Now you can stand here and try to stop me, or you can come with me
and help me."

"You're not going to let this go, are you? I guess I'm going with you," he sighs,
shaking his head.

"Thank you," she whispers, barely able to contain her tears. "I have to do this. I
have to find him," she says, trying to make them understand the risk she's taking.
She looks down at her stomach and caresses it gently. "We need him."

"Then let's go get him." Broots gives her and encouraging smile and steps up to
her, placing his hand next to hers on her belly. "You hear that, little guy? We're
going to go get your daddy."

Miss Parker is getting the other gun out of the closet to give to Broots when Celia
returns from the kitchen, visibly upset.

"What's wrong, Celia?" Miss Parker asks, trying to keep herself from panicking. She
could sense the woman's tension. Something tells her that phone call didn't bring
good news.

"That was Olivia MacArthur," Celia practically whispers. "They found Kylie."

"Oh, no," Miss Parker gasps, putting a hand to her mouth. "She isn't . . . "

"No, she's not dead," Celia answers quickly. She can see the other woman let out a
relieved sigh. But Celia bites her lip, knowing that the rest of the news she had to
share may be more that her friend could handle.

"That's good to hear. How is she doing? Is there anyway she can help us find . . . "
she pauses and stares at Celia, taking in her pained expression. "There's more
you're not telling me. It's Jarod, isn't it?"

"Mara, why don't you sit down," Celia gently suggests. She's shocked when the
woman actually listens and lowers her bulky mass into a nearby chair.

"Just tell me," Miss Parker pleads. "Is he okay?"

* * * * * * * * * *

Lynn turns on her television, impatiently flipping through the stations while she
waits. She hates waiting. She hates waiting in line at the grocery store. She hates
waiting at the DMV. And she really hates waiting for someone to pick up the phone,
which is what she's doing now. Finally the deep voice she was expecting picks up.

"Miss Stokes, it's been awhile. What can I do for you?"

"You sound as if you remember me," she says suspiciously, knowing he was just
playing the game as most executives do. She's sure he didn't remember her at all.
Just pretending like he did. But she couldn't complain. At least he took her call.
That really was more than she expected.

"Of course I do. Tall. Dark hair. Dark eyes. Delicate porcelain skin. Your mother
was part Asian, right?"

"You really do remember," she gasps in surprise. She remembers how interested
he had been in her heritage. Almost obsessed with it.

"Yes. I do," he chuckles. "I don't mean to rush you, but I'm pretty busy around
here. What can I do for you?"

"I have something that you might be interested in. Someone, actually. He's really
smart. Probably even a genius. Has these unbelievable talents. He's too good to
be true, almost. And he seems like he'll fit in well at that 'think tank' you
mentioned working for," she explains.

"Um hm," he says, sounding pretty disinterested. "And I assume you're looking for
some sort of compensation in exchange for this person."

"It sounds so barbaric when you put it that way. But yes. That's what I was hoping
for. You see, I need to get out of town. As soon as possible. And I could use some
. . . relocating money. A new life is expensive these days."

"I can imagine," he says with a laugh. "Listen, why don't you let me talk to the
money people around here and I'll get back to you and see if we're interested."

"But I really need to know . . . "

"I understand," he says, cutting her off. "I'll get back to you as soon as I can."

She could tell she was getting the brush off. And there wasn't anything she could
do about it. She shuts her mouth in resignation, silently listening as he mutters a
few more words before the line goes dead.

That didn't go as expected, she thinks to herself, the dial tone blaring harshly in her
ear. He didn't say no, right out. But she couldn't be sure she could count on him.
She'd give him a little longer, but if he refused, she'd have to take matters in her
own hands.

* * * * * * * * * *

Lyle hangs up the phone, glad to have gotten rid of the woman on the other end.
She was a useful diversion, but that's about all she was. Unique. Exotic, but still
just a diversion. One of his sweepers waits in the doorway until he's finished.

"A lead, Sir?" the sweeper asks.

"No, Clarence. Just a woman trying to get some money. Well, what she has may
pan out in the long run, but it's not what I'm looking for right now." Lyle taps his
chin, feeling a bit unsettled. Like there's something just on the edge of his mind,
but he just can't reach it. "Actually, I think I will follow this up. It can't hurt
having something on the back burner. Put Sydney and Broots on it. They haven't
been too helpful tracking Jarod. Maybe they can take care of this situation for me."

"They're both out of town, Mr. Lyle. Should I send a couple of the sweepers
instead?" Clarence suggests.

"Both of them? That's a bit odd, isn't it? Do you know where they are?"

Lyle watches Clarence pull out a thin black book that looks kind of like a journal.
He was surprised sometimes at how serious this young sweeper took his job. That's
why Lyle has taken him under his wing, so to speak. This young man was going
places. And Lyle wanted to be on his side when he got there.

"Mr. Broots took his daughter to a dance camp in Flint, Michigan. Sydney is
attending a symposium in Detroit," Clarence informs him.

"They're both in Michigan. Hmmm." Lyle taps on his chin again. He's feeling like
there's something he's missing. And he just can't quite put his finger on it. He hits
the intercom button to speak with his assistant. "Sue, where did that call come
from? The last one that came through from Miss Stokes?"

"Michigan. A town called Edgebrook," Sue answers him quickly and efficiently.

"Isn't that a coincidence?" Lyle grins. Suddenly, everything was crystal clear.
"What are the chances of Broots and Sydney both suddenly needing to go out of
town and both ending up in Michigan the same time I get a phone call from
someone in Michigan knowing of a mysterious genius I might be interested in
buying?"

"Slim to none, Sir," Clarence smiles. "Does this mean we're going to Michigan?"

"Not we. Just me," Lyle says. "Too many sweepers will be noticed. I'll meet with
Miss Stokes and let her lead me to this genius she's trying to sell. If I'm guessing
right, it's Jarod. And with any luck, my sister will be nearby."

He dismisses Clarence to go make travel plans for him. Lyle can barely contain his
excitement. This was just the chance he was looking for. A chance to sneak up on
Jarod and his wayward sister. And then, it'll be all over before they even realize
what happened.

* * * * * * * * * *

Celia casts a pitiful glance at the woman who has become on of the best friends
she's had in a while. Yet, there was so much she still didn't know about her. Like
how she would react to the news she had to tell her, for one thing. She ends up
opening and closing her mouth a few times before finally shaking her head and
turning away from her audience.

"Celia?" Miss Parker says shakily. She was really starting to get scared. A few
tears fall down her face. "Tell me what's going on, please. I need to know."

"Okay," Celia relents, her shoulders sagging with the weight of it all. She turns
back to face them again. "Kylie's been taken to the hospital. She was found, badly
beaten and barely conscious."

"What about her baby?" Miss Parker asks, placing her hands on her stomach. A few
more tears fall when she sees Celia shake her head from side to side.

"It was too late by the time she got there." Celia wipes away her own tears.

"If they found the girl, then have they found Jarod as well?" Broots wants to know.

"That's the thing. Now, they have even more of a reason to look for him. The
police are thinking Jarod did this to her."

"She told them that?" Miss Parker can't believe it. She can't believe he'd do that.

"It's impossible," Sydney insists, voicing Miss Parker's doubts. "He could never do
something like that. And if she says so, then she's lying."

"Sydney, it's alright," Miss Parker says, trying to calm him. "There's obviously
some confusion. Isn't that right, Celia."

"Mara, this is what I was told," Celia shakes her head apologetically. "But I don't
think they heard this account from Kylie. When she was conscious, she couldn't
talk. The doctors think her larynx has been crushed."

"So who are they getting this wild tale from?" Sydney asks angrily, still agitated
from the accusations about his surrogate son.

"Sheriff Stevens."

Miss Parker was actually expecting that, so she wasn't too shocked to hear it from
Celia.

"Sheriff Stevens?" she asks again, just to be clear. "Was he the one who . . .
"found" Kylie?" Miss Parker doesn't bother to hide her skepticism. She rolls her
eyes when Celia nods to the affirmative.

"What are you thinking, Miss Parker?" Broots wants to know. "It's obvious you're
not buying the Sheriff's version of events."

"I'm thinking that the sheriff didn't have to try too hard to find Kylie because he
knew exactly where she was. He's probably the one who kidnapped her and Jarod
because they were getting too close to the truth about the missing money from the
school."

"What missing money?" Broots asks.

"The money stolen by him and Lynn Stokes," Miss Parker says with a laugh. It's all
so clear now. She doesn't understand why she didn't put it all together sooner.
"With Jarod and Kylie out of the way, there wouldn't be anyone else to question
where the money went. And if anyone else did, they can just say that Jarod and
Kylie took it and ran away together."

"But how would the sheriff know that Jarod and Kylie were even aware of the
money being gone? You said that Jarod was on his way to the sheriff to voice his
opinions. But it seems to me that the sheriff already knew he was coming." Celia
still needs some convincing that the man she's known practically her whole life is
responsible for all of this.

"From Kylie?" Broots suggests. But that's apparently the last piece of the puzzle
Miss Parker needs. Her eyes widen with an epiphany that the others have yet to
catch on to.

"The baby was his," Miss Parker gasps. Again, it all becomes so clear for her. So
obvious. "He was having an affair with her. That's how he was able to take her
without a struggle. And she must have told him that she went to Jarod for help.
That's how he knew that Jarod knew about the money."

"What about this Lynn Stokes woman?" Sydney asks. "What's her part in all this?"

"She's money hungry and man hungry," Celia tells them. "She's probably having
an affair with the sheriff too."

"Okay, that would make sense. But there's still one thing I don't understand,"
Sydney says. "Why risk taking the girl to the hospital? With both Kylie and Jarod
out of the way, no one would have figured out his and Lynn's involvement with that
money. But taking Kylie to the hospital is putting all of that in jeopardy."

"Because of the baby," Miss Parker says. "20 bucks says that her miscarriage had
nothing to do with her assault. I'd say she was miscarrying. The sheriff panicked
and decided to take her to the hospital. But not without first insuring that she
wouldn't be able to tell anyone what he had done."

"So he was the one who . . . "

"Beat her? Crushed her larynx? That would be my guess," Miss Parker says with a
nod.

The whole group is silent for awhile, letting all of the information soak in. There
was a lot going on. And the question still remained . . . where is Jarod?

"So, what do we do now?" Celia asks.

"You are going to the hospital," Miss Parker orders. "I know you're worried sick
about Kylie. Go ahead. I'll be fine," she assures the woman when she sees the
torn look on her face.

"Sydney, go with her," she tells the man. "Broots and I are going to find Jarod.
Because now that their little operation has been compromised, I don't think Lynn is
going to sit around patiently waiting to be caught. We have to get to Jarod. And
we have to get to him now."

* * * * * * * * * *

The drive was silent, Miss Parker spending most of it staring out the window. Once
again, she was delegated to the passenger side of the car. She really was starting
to get annoyed with people thinking she couldn't drive anymore. At least, she
would be annoyed if she didn't realize they were probably right. She was tired of
fighting the steering wheel for a comfortable position to drive in.

"Is he worth all this? Your life? Your baby's?" Broots asks silently.

"Jarod? Of course he is," she snaps at him, not believing he could say such a thing.
"We may not have made this baby the old fashioned way, but he's ours. We love
him and we love each other."

"Oh," he sighs. "I didn't mean to offend you, Miss Parker. It's just the last time I
saw you, loving was the last word you would have used to describe the relationship
between you and Jarod. A lot has changed."

"I'm sorry, Broots," she apologizes, suddenly realizing the confusion. "I've spent
almost 8 months with Jarod, falling more and more in love with him each day,
feeling his child grow inside of me. And even now, I can barely comprehend how
much I love him. So I understand what you're thinking. But Jarod is my life. I
wouldn't be able to make it without him. You know how I've been these past few
years while we were searching for him."

"I always thought that was from intense hatred," Broots laughs. "But, they say it's
a thin line between love and hate. I guess yours and Jarod's line was more like a
dot."

"Funny," she says sarcastically, but joining in his laughter anyway. "But speaking
of love, what's going on with you and a certain curly haired blond I left you with
this afternoon? You two were looking pretty cozy on my couch."

"Celia?" he asks, his smile growing when he mentions her name. "She's nice."

"Nice?" Miss Parker repeats, sounding somewhat disappointed. "That's all?"

"And she's pretty," he adds nonchalantly, secretly amused at how his vague
descriptions were driving her crazy. He could elaborate. There were an abundance
of words he could use to describe his afternoon with Celia. He could say how funny
and smart and amazing and beautiful he thinks Celia is, but he figures he'll leave
that for later. At least a few more days. He knows how women talk. The second
he'd say any of those words, Miss Parker would run straight to Celia and tell her.
He's known her for just a few hours. It was too soon for . . . dare he say . . .
feeling. He'd hate to scare Celia off after one meeting. He could tell she was
special.

"Nice and pretty, huh? Well, at least you don't need a modem to interact with this
one," she teases him. She looks back out the window, seeing the sign for Cedar
Springs.

"We're almost there," he tells her, obviously seeing the sign for himself.

She lets out a shaky breath and nods. Praying desperately they find Jarod alive.

* * * * * * * * * *

Lynn looks into the room at her prisoner, anxiously pacing the floor. From time to
time, he stops at the door, trying to find a weakness in it, a possible way out. But
seeing as how this facility used to be a mental hospital, there was no getting out.
Not until she wanted him too. It was almost a shame that a good man like him
would have to spend the rest of his life locked away. Lyle had called her back
earlier that day, agreeing to her terms. He should be meeting her soon for the transfer.
Then she could get herself a new life and never look back on Bristol, Michigan. And
Jarod would belong to them . . . whoever they were. She didn't really care. She
just wanted her money.

Lynn decides to give him one last chance. If he knew his fate with Lyle, maybe he
wouldn't be so resistant to her advances. This was quite possibly his last
opportunity to . . . she feels a shiver all throughout her body just thinking about what she
wanted to do to him.

"Oh Jarod," she calls playfully into the room. "I've got some good news and some
bad news for you." She can see that Jarod has stopped his pacing and, though he
remained silent, was seemingly interested in what she had to say. She took that as
a sign to continue.

"The good news is that you'll be getting out of here soon."

"And the bad news?" he asks cautiously.

"The bad news," she laughs. "Yes, the bad news. Well, Jarod. The bad news is
that although you may be getting out of here, but it'll be on a one way trip. And this
trip doesn't include a stop over to visit with your little wife."

She ignores the mix of anger and fear that crosses his face and makes her final
offer to him.

"So I have two choices for you. You can sit here and wait for them to pick you up
and face living the rest of your life in a . . . frustrated state," she says with a grin.
"Or, I can do something to help you out. Think of it as one last fling."

"Never," he snaps, surprising her with his abruptness. "I'll never touch you."

"Suit yourself," she says nonchalantly, trying to hide her injured pride. "They'll be
here soon enough, anyway. Then you'll be out of my hair for good. Halfway across
the country in the quaint little town of Blue Cove, Delaware."

"The Centre?" he gasps. "You giving me to the Centre?" He starts to feel a little
dizzy. He wondered how this woman connected to the Centre. And he wondered
how much she knew about the situation. Was Miss Parker in trouble as well? He
had to get out of there. There was no way he could go back. And there was no way he
could let Miss Parker and the baby go either.

"Give? Don't be silly," she giggles. "My friend is paying me quite handsomely for
you."

"Whatever the money, Lynn, I can top it. Just let me out of here," he offers her.
"I'll give you anything."

"Anything?" She opens the door and walks inside, intrigued at his desperation. She
just may have some fun with him after all. "You know what I want from you, Jarod.
I didn't think you were . . . up to paying the prices." She laughs at his reaction to
her innuendo.

"Lynn, you can't send me to that place," he pleads with her hoping to persuade her
to let him go. "I have money too. I'll give you double what they were going to give
you."

"Tempting, Jarod. But it's not only about the money. You hurt my pride. No man
has ever turned me down. You can get another chance to rectify that."

"Your pride?" he asks her in disbelief. "You have no pride, Lynn. And if you did, I
couldn't give it back to you. You gave that up a long time ago, laying on your back
and throwing it out to anyone who'll take it."

"Well, you don't have to be so nasty about it," she says, rolling her eyes. A sound
from down the hall brings the smile back to her face. "It doesn't matter anyway.
They're here for you."

"No," he yells, running from his side of the room towards the door. But she's a bit
faster than him, and is able to make it outside the room first, slamming the door in
his face. "No," he yells again, banging his hands on the door before finally sliding
down to his knees, wailing in anguish.

She looks through the panel, almost feeling sorry for the man. He obviously didn't
want to go to the Centre. And she didn't understand why. But, that wasn't her
concern. She just cared about the money. The footsteps from down the hall get
closer and her heart starts to beat faster in anticipation. She was about to have
more money than she could dream of. And she could finally live that life she never
thought she would.

"As you can hear, he's in there. And he's not too excited about going with you,"
she says without even looking behind her.

"Oh, I think he'll be more than happy to go with me," she hears a voice say. But it's
not Lyle's voice. She slowly turns around to see who was behind her.

"Mara," she gasps. Not so much at Jarod's wife standing in front of her. But
because of the big gun she had pointing in her face.

"Step away from the door, Lynn, and give me the keys," Miss Parker orders in a
cool, icy voice. She didn't feel like wasting any time on this woman.

Lynn only partially complies with her orders, throwing the keys on the floor where
she knows the pregnant woman would have a hard time getting them.

"That wasn't very nice," Miss Parker says, narrowing her eyes at the woman. She
brings the gun up and shoots at Lynn, just barely missing her with the bullet, but
not with her intentions. She can tell by the look on Lynn's face that the woman
knew she wasn't to be trifled with anymore.

Out of the corner of her eye, she can see Broots scramble to get the keys and then
go to the door, trying to figure out which one opened the lock.

"Jarod?" Broots calls through the thick door. He finds the panel and slides it open
so that Jarod can hear him better. "Are you okay? Me and Miss Parker are here to
get you out."

"Broots? Don't worry about me. Just get Mara out of here. The Centre's coming,"
Jarod says quickly, knowing there wasn't much time left.

"The Centre?" Broots asks in a panic. His hands start to shake and he drops the
keys on the floor.

"Yes, they'll be here any second. You've got to get her out of here. They can't get
her or the baby. Please, Broots," he begs.

"No, Broots," Miss Parker yells. "Get the keys and get that door open. Now!"

"But Miss Parker . . . "

"I'm not leaving. Not without him," she insists.

"That makes two of us."

Miss Parker spins around and finds herself face to face with her other half. The
worst half. And he had a gun to match her own.

"Lyle," she growls. "I should have known you were behind this."

"Sis, you don't seem happy to see me," he grins that cocky grin at her.

"Sis? This is your sister?" Lynn asks incredulously.

"Twins," Miss Parker answered her. "We had the unfortunate displeasure of sharing
a womb. What are you doing here, Lyle? How did you find us?"

"You didn't think you could keep that baby from me, did you?" Lyle laughs. "And
Mr. Broots. I guess you and Debbie got lost on the way to her dance camp. So,
where's Sydney? You three tend to stick together. You're more faithful to each
other than to the Centre."

"That's right, Lyle. And you aren't going to get any of us to go back there." Miss
Parker grabs Lynn and uses her as a shield while pointing the gun towards Lyle's
head. "Broots, hurry with that lock. Get Jarod out of there now."

His nervous hands finally finds the right key, releasing the lock. For a split second,
Miss Parker looks towards the door, waiting anxiously for it to open and Jarod to
walk out. But a split second was all the time Lyle needed to make his move.

"Miss Parker! Watch out!" Broots yells, just as a shot rings out. The bullet catches
a surprised Lynn, right between the eyes. Her dead weight becomes a burden and
Miss Parker lets her drop to the floor. With no more shield, Lyle takes aim again at
his sister.

"No," Broots yells again, throwing himself towards the woman.

Miss Parker feels a pain somewhere. She can't tell where. And just before the
darkness takes over, she can hear another shot go off. She hears another body fall.
And then . . . nothing.

* * * * * * * * * *

Miss Parker pushes her way through the hazy cloudines she was under. She could
hear sounds, but they were garbled and she couldn't quite make them out. One
sound, however, penetrates the fog and it sounded like music to her ears.

"Wake up, Honey."

"Mmm. Jarod?" she mumbles through her sluggishness. "Is it really you?" She
blinks and sees his face smiling down at hers. She smiles back, lifting her hand to
touch him. To make sure he's real. She sees a band around her wrist and is
confused for a second.

"Where am I?" she asks, trying to look around before a pain in her head forces her
to stop the movement.

"Take it easy," Jarod suggests. "You got a little bump on your head. You're in the
hospital."

"Hospital? Why? What happp- Lyle!" she gasps, as it all comes back to her.

"Shhh! It's okay," he says, grabbing her hand and kissing it gently. "Lyle is . . .
he can't hurt us anymore."

"You mean . . . "

"He's dead," he whispers to her, suddenly unable to look her in the eyes. "I'm
sorry."

"Jarod?" she calls to him when she notices his shoulders start to shake, as if he's
crying. "Jarod, did you kill him?"

"I'm so sorry," he apologizes again, lifting his tear streaked face. "I know he was
your brother, but he was about to hurt you. I couldn't let him do that."

"Jarod, it's okay," she says, trying to calm him. "I understand. I would've done the
same thing. Like you said, he can't hurt us anymore. Any of us. Me, you, or our
child. You did that, Jarod. You protected us from him." She smiles tenderly at
him, gently wiping the tears from his face.

"I love you so much," he sighs, closing his eyes and enjoying her touch again. "I
was so afraid I was going to lose you. If Broots hadn't . . . " He bites his lip,
realizing he said too much. He didn't want to tell her the news until he was sure
she was ready to hear it.

"If Broots hadn't what?" She looks at Jarod and sees that he's looked away again,
not meeting her eyes. "Jarod, you're scaring me. Where is he? Is he alright?"

"Calm down first," he begs her. "I'll tell you everything. But you have to settle
down. The doctors kept you here to keep an eye on you and the baby. I don't want
anything bad to happen."

"I'm okay," she swears, letting out a deep breath. "Just tell me."

"I was locked in the room most of the time, so I'm not clear on what exactly
happened. All I know is that I heard you and Lyle talking. And just when Broots
got the door unlocked, there was a gunshot. I was so worried it was you," he says.
He places his hand on her stomach not only to reconnect with her, but also with the
baby.

"The first gun shot was when Lyle killed Lynn," she explains. "I had her in front of
me, using her as a shield. When she died, I had to let her fall, she was too heavy
for me to hold up. That left me wide open for Lyle. I think he took another shot,
this time at me. All I remember is Broots yelling."

"I had just gotten the door open after that second shot. Just in time to see Broots
pushing you out of the way. And . . . "

"He took the bullet instead, didn't he?" she asks quietly. She sees him nod his
head in confirmation, but she had already figured something like that happened.
She closes her eyes and rubs her stomach, trying to calm down. She doesn't even
try to stop her tears.

"He's not dead," Jarod tells her quickly to ease some of her grief. "But he was in
surgery all night. The doctors say it'll be a few more hours before the anesthesia
wears off. After that, we'll just have to wait and see if he wakes up. They're saying
there's a 50 percent chance that he won't."

"Wh- Where's Debbie?" she manages to ask through her tears.

"I had Sydney take the girls back to our house. Your new friend Celia has been
here with me, helping me keep watch over the two of you. She's really nice," he
smiles. "She cares a lot about you."

"She is nice. She helped me the whole time you were gone. Helping me focus first
and foremost on the baby. It was hard, but I knew she was right. And I think she
has a crush on Broots," Miss Parker says with a sad smile. They would have been
good for each other, she thinks to herself. Too bad something like this had to
happen.

"Anyway, when I got out of the room, I saw a gun on the floor," he continues with
his story. "Maybe yours got knocked out of your hand or something. But I just
picked it up and shot Lyle just as he was about the shoot again. Before he could
hurt anyone else. I found someone's cell phone and called for ambulances. Lynn
was dead at the scene. Lyle and Broots made it back to the hospital, but Lyle didn't
make it through surgery."

"So, you're a hero," she smiles. "We went there to rescue and you ended up saving
our lives. I'm proud of you." She pulls him closer to her so that she can kiss him.
It's been so long, and now that she has him, she doesn't ever want to let him go.
"I love you," she whispers, nuzzling his nose with her own.

"I love you, too," he tells her between his own gentle kisses.

"I missed you so much. Jarod, I'm lost without you." She claims his mouth again,
trying to make up for all the times in the past she was denied this pleasure. Trying
to make most of right now. And making promises for the future.

* * * * * * * * * *

The sun makes its way through the darkness, signalling the start of a new day.
Celia had been long awake, however. She takes a sip of her fourth cup of coffee in
as many hours and adjusts the blanket on her lap. She look over at the clock and
sees that it's shift change time. Broots would be getting another nurse soon.
Another nurse who would try to send her from the room, but she wasn't leaving.

"Celia," a voice whispers from the doorway. She turns around and sees Sydney and
Lisa standing there next to a teary Debbie.

"You guys are back," Celia says, standing to stretch her back. "Debbie, honey. Did
you get any rest?"

"I'm worried about my dad," the girl says with a sniff. "How is he?"

"I'm sure he would love to hear your voice," Celia smiles, trying to give some
encouragement to Debbie. "Why don't you and Sydney visit with him for awhile?
Lisa and I need to go check and see how Kylie's doing this morning."

"Okay," Debbie says quietly. She sighs contently when Celia puts her arms around
her and hugs her tightly. It felt nice to be held like that. "Thank you, Celia.
Thanks for staying with my dad. And for caring about him."

"I care about you too, Sweetheart," she says, smiling down at the girl. "Just let me
know if you need anything. Anything at all."

"The hug is nice," Debbie blushes.

"I'll always have one for you," Celia says with a wink. "Now, you go and sit with
your dad. Let him know you're here, okay?" She waits for Debbie to nod before
heading towards the door. Lisa follows her out, gently closing to door behind her so
that it won't slam. She looks into the room one last time and wonders to herself
what that aching in her chest is. She's known this guy for less than a day and
already she can feel the pain of separation.

"You coming, Mom?" Lisa asks, breaking her from her pondering.

"Yeah. Let's go," she sighs, already counting the minutes until she can return.

* * * * * * * * * *

Miss Parker stands at the door, her hand frozen halfway between her body and the
knob. She knows she has to walk through that door, but she can't seem to get her
feet to agree with her.

"You don't have to do this," she hears Jarod say softly into her ear. The warmth of
his body presses against her back and she can feel his strength infusing into her.

"Yes. I do," she says aloud, trying to convince both Jarod and herself. She takes a
deep breath and forces her hand to the knob, turning it and opening the door
quickly before she can change her mind.

"Do you want me to go in with you?" Jarod asks. She just nods her head, unable to
speak at the moment. He grabs onto her hand and gently pulls her inside the
room.

All the breath leaves her body as she takes in the still body in front her her and she
wobbles a bit in her trek. Jarod's arms go around her and pull her to his body.

"I'm fine," she whispers after getting her footing back. "I'm just surprised, that's
all. I didn't expect the wires and tubes and monitors."

"It's life support," Jarod explains. He leads her to a chair that's been set up next to
the bed and helps her to sit. "To keep his organs alive and functioning."

"Until the doctors can harvest them and give them to someone who deserves
them," she guesses. She lifts her hand tentatively towards Lyle's face and it hovers
in the air for a moment. She finally allows it to touch him, her fingers gently
tracing the outline of his lips.

"He had my . . . I mean, our mother's mouth. And her nose. I never noticed that."
She sits for almost an hour with him, not saying a word. Silent tears pour down her
face, not for the man laying before her, but for the brother she lost so many years
ago. Long before she even knew he existed.

"Are you ready? You should be getting back to your room," Jarod says, placing a
hand on her shoulder. He let her stay much longer than he should have.

She looks up at him and nods, holding out her hand for him to help her up.

"Good bye, Lyle," she whispers into his ear. "I really hope you find more peace in
your next life than in this one. No one deserves what we had to go through."

Jarod leads her silently back to her hospital room, getting her tucked back into the
bed.

"Are you going to be alright?" he asks her.

"It's weird," she says with a yawn. "I never wanted to think of Lyle as my brother.
But I realize now that I always did. It's like . . . a piece of me is missing. Actually,
it's more like a piece of me has always been missing, but I'm just now realizing now
what it was. Does that make sense?"

"He was your twin. I'm sure there was some kind of connection."

"But there wasn't a connection. I think that's what was missing," she yawns again
and her eyes start to drift shut. "That bond was long ago broken. Don't ever let
them break us, Jarod. I can't lose you."

"Shh! You sleep now," he whispers, kissing her forehead. "You won't lose me. Not
now. Not ever. I promise you."

A small smile pulls at the corners of her mouth before she drifts off completely.
Jarod sighs, wondering how he was going to keep his promise to her. Despite all of
their precautions, the Centre was still able to keep up with them. They couldn't live
their life being barely one step ahead of them. There really was only one thing for
them to do. And he really didn't want to do it. But if it meant safety for her and
the baby, then it was a sacrifice he'd have to make.

To be continued . . .