Title - Saying the Words
Author - Nicky
Rating - PG
Category - JMPR
Summary - Jarod and Miss Parker have a decision to make - keep running or face
the demons from their past?
Disclaimer - The characters aren't mine. I'm just using them for my own
entertainment purposes.
* * * * * * * * * *
Jarod tips up to the door and nudges it open with his foot. He sticks his arm into
the doorway, waving around bouquet of roses. He's disappointed that she doesn't
even seem to notice them.
"Mara?" he says, walking the rest of the way into the room. He sees that she's just
hanging up the phone and realizes that's why she didn't say anything about the
flowers. When she finally looks up at him, her eyes light up with glee.
"More flowers, Jarod?" she smiles, putting the phone back on the bedside table and
holding her arms out to him. He gives her the roses, being careful not to scratch
her with the thorns. "They're beautiful. Thank you."
"Let me take them for you," he offers, dumping out the dying flowers he brought
her yesterday and replacing them with the fresh roses.
"If I stay here much longer, they're going to have to turn my room into a flower
shop," she giggles.
"Well, that won't be a problem," he grins. "A little birdie told me they're kicking
you out of this joint today."
"That's good," she sighs in relief. "I am so ready to get back to my own house and
sleep in my own bed with my very own husband." She looks seductively at him and
can see the desired effect her words are having on him.
"He's ready for that too," Jarod's voice rumbles deeply. In two long strides, he's
back across the room and sitting on the side of her bed. "He's more than ready, in
fact." He leans down to her and captures her lips with his own, not wasting any
time and diving straight inside. He gasps when she catches his tongue between her
teeth and gently nibbles it. She alternates between biting and sucking his tongue,
driving him crazier and crazier by the second.
"You like that, huh?" she grins smugly at him, his eyes wild and face flushed.
"Oh, yeah," he nods his head erratically, still flustered at the special treatment she
gave his tongue. "Do I even want to know where you learned that trick?"
"Probably not," she laughs.
"So, who were you on the phone with when I came in?" he asks, trying to give
himself a mental cold shower. There was no use getting himself all worked up with
her still in the hospital.
"I was making arrangements for Lyle's body," she tells him, her previous playful
mood instantly sobering. "I want to send him home. He should be buried with my
mom. No matter what he's done, he was still her child."
"I understand," he assures her. "Lyle really didn't have much more choice on how
his life turned out than we did. I'm just glad our life turned out like this. Despite
how things started, we're finally together and we have a baby on the way. We're
happy. I just wish . . . "
"Wish what, Jarod?" She can see something is now troubling him. She grabs his
hand and gently squeezes it, encouraging him to say whatever's on his mind.
"What is it?"
"This can't last. They're not going to let it. I'm not going to be able to keep you
safe," he finally admits. "Lyle got so close. Too close. The next time, we might not
be so lucky. The next time, we'll have . . . " He places his other hand on her
stomach.
"I know," she whispers, looking down and watching as he caresses their child. "But
we can't give up. Not now. We're a family. And I'm not going to let them destroy
that."
"We can't keep running from them. I can't keep uprooting you. You're going to
need to be settled before the baby comes."
"You mean *we're* going to need to be settled, don't you?" she asks him with her
voice shaking from trying to hold in her tears. Despite her efforts, a few manage to
escape and she angrily swats them away. "Jarod? What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that I don't know how or if I can protect you anymore."
"So what? You're just going to leave me now?" she screams, more angry tears
falling down her face.
"No," he says quickly, just now realizing what she's thinking. He leans kisses her
cheeks, wiping away the tears with his mouth. "I could never leave you. Never.
You know that. Not if I had a choice. I was trying to say that I'm tired of running.
I'm tired of looking over my shoulder. We can't give our baby a life like that. So I
say that we should stop. Stop the running. Stop the hiding. Stop playing their
game."
"And how do you suggest we do that?" she asks skeptically.
"We go home. Back to your house in Blue Cove. We find you a doctor. We put
together the nursery. And we live our life. It'll be much easier keeping an eye on
the Centre when we're right in their back yard."
"That's too dangerous," she says, shaking her head. "We can't. What if they take
you? Or the baby?"
"You won't let them get our child," he smiles knowingly.
"I won't let them get you either," she cries.
"We might not be able to prevent that from happening," he whispers, his own tears
starting to fall. "We both know that." He pulls her into his arms and hugs her
tightly for a few minutes. He could tell she just needed time to think. Once she
did, she would realize that this really was for the best.
"When do we do this?" she asks, breaking the silence.
"As soon as possible. We can make it back in time for Lyle's funeral."
She just nods, pulling out of his embrace. She stares out the window for a few
moments, still thinking about how life was about to change yet again.
"Jarod, tell me everything is going to be alright."
"Everything will be alright for you and for the baby. I think you two will be safe," he
tells her honestly. "I can't promise anything else. I wish I could, but I can't.
That's a chance I'm willing to take. And it's the best shot we have."
The heavy silence is broken again by the doctor coming into the door.
"Mrs. Wilson," he says cheerfully. "Looks like someone is about ready to get out of
here."
"Yes, it's time," she smiles politely at him. "It's time to go home." She looks over
at Jarod and he nods his head, understanding the double meaning of her words. It
really was time. Time to stop running. Time to go back. Time to make that old
house a home again. For whatever time she has left with Jarod, she's going to be
sure to make the most of it.
* * * * * * * * *
Sydney walks into the waiting room with a fresh cup of coffee. He was determined
he wasn't going to let Celia spend another minute at the hospital. The woman
needed rest and her body was beginning to demand it. He almost laughs seeing the
tiny woman curled up in the chairs, fast asleep.
"Celia," he calls to her, watching her eyes flutter open slowly. "Why don't you go
home and get some rest? Those chairs don't really look all that comfortable."
"I actually was," she tells him with a yawn. "Lisa is up visiting Kylie and Debbie's in
there with her dad. I was going to give them both a few more minutes and them
take both of them home early tonight. I think we all need a little break. Looks like
you showed up just in the nick of time. I know Debbie will feel much better
knowing her dad won't be here alone."
"You've been a good friend, Celia," Sydney says warmly. "To Debbie and Broots.
To Jarod and Miss Parker. These past few days have been terrible. But we all made
it through with your help."
"It's the least I could do," she says, getting distracted at something over his
shoulder. "Speak of the devil."
Sydney turns around and smiles at the approaching Jarod and Miss Parker.
"Hey you two! Mara, you're back in plain clothes," Celia notices. "Does that mean
you're getting out of here."
"Yeah, my doctor just released me," she smiles.
"We just stopped by to say good-bye," Jarod says.
"Good-bye? You're just leaving the hospital, right?," Celia asks, confusion marring
her face.
"No, we're leaving Michigan," Miss Parker tells them. "Jarod and I decided that it's
time to go back home."
"To Blue Cove?" Sydney asks, eyes wide open. He can't believe they'd want to be
anywhere near the Centre.
"It's the only thing we can do, Syd," Jarod explains. "We can't run anymore. Not
with the baby coming so soon. We have to make a stand. Draw a line in the sand,
so to speak. Hopefully, they won't cross it."
"Well, just know that I'm behind you, no matter what."
"Thank you, Sydney. That means a lot. We're going to need all the support we can
get," Miss Parker smiles. "Now if you all will excuse me, I need to go see Broots
before we go. How's he doing?"
"Not much better. He hasn't regained consciousness yet," Celia sighs. "I'll go in
with you."
The two women go into the room, leaving Jarod and Sydney outside alone.
"Is this really the best thing, Jarod? What about the Centre? Aren't you worried
about them getting to you? How did you convince Miss Parker to go along with
this?"
"Slow down, Syd," Jarod chuckles at all of the questions. But his mood was far
from joyous. They're all serious issues that he's going to be facing soon enough.
"Yes, I truly believe this is the best thing for us. No, I don't know what to expect
from the Centre. And yes, I'm pretty sure they're going to want me back. But
that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make for my family's safety. But like I said earlier,
hopefully it won't come to that."
"Jarod, I wish . . . "
"I know, Sydney," Jarod interrupts. "I know. I wish so much that things could
have been different. But if they were, I most likely wouldn't be standing here today
with my beautiful wife and beautiful child on the way. What happened before was
the past. It was a horrible past and a terrible way for a child to grow up, but I
survived it. And I wouldn't change a day of it if the end result wasn't the same, if I
didn't end up right here right now, finally living the life I've always wanted with the
one person I've always wanted. We're together. We're in love. And we're . . dare
I say . . . normal."
Sydney can't help but smile. He's watched Jarod and Miss Parker all their lives.
And never had he seen either of them with as happy as they are at this moment. It
was the most rewarding feeling for him to see them achieve that. He's the closest
person either of them has to a parent, and it does his heart good to know that
despite what they've been through, they've finally found the thing that most people
search their whole lives for without ever finding.
"Just be happy, Son," Sydney says proudly, pulling Jarod into his arms. He hugs
the man for a few moments until the door to Broots' hospital room opens up again.
"Hey there stud, save some of that loving for me," Miss Parker teases.
"Only for you, Honey," Jarod calls back to her with a laugh. "You ready to go?"
"Almost," she says. She turns to hug Celia, sad now that she has to leave her.
"Celia, take care of my moron in there. Tell him he has to get better so that you
two can be my baby's god parents."
"Mara," she gasps, surprised to be bestowed such a gift after only knowing her for
such a short time. "I'd be honored.
"Good. That means I'll be seeing lots of you," Miss Parker laughs before leaning
over to whisper in Celia's ear. "Although, I have a feeling that wherever he goes,
you won't be far behind. You two can make each other happy. Trust me on this."
She smiles and winks at the blushing woman. She grabs Jarod's hand and looks up
at him, letting him know she's ready now.
"Sydney," Jarod says, offering the man his free hand to shake. "We'll see you soon.
Come by for dinner when you get back to town. We'll cook out or something. I
hear it's what normal people do."
Sydney just laughs and rolls his eyes. Those two were about as far from normal as
they could get. But so long as they're happy. That's all that really matters. As
they get further and further down the hall, Sydney says a sincere prayer that they
will be able to stay that way. They deserve to live their dreams.
* * * * * * * * * *
Jarod pulls the car over and sets it in park. After listening to the engine rumble for
a few more seconds, he finally shuts it off and looks over at his wife.
"This is it. Are you sure you want it to be today?" he asks her. "You had a rough
morning. Maybe you should rest and do this tomorrow."
"It has to be today," she nods resolutely, taking a deep breath to steel her nerves.
"Let's go." She turns to get out of the car, finally hoisting her body up after some
struggle. She begins the walk inside the big building when she stops suddenly and
turns around.
"You know I love you, right?" she asks him. She has to tell him, to make sure he
knows. "We may walk in there and never come back out. I just needed to tell
you."
"I love you too," he smiles, wrapping his arms around her. "You're going to be fine.
And if things go the way I'm hoping, I will be too."
"Okay, then," she says, pulling away from him, trying to put her 'Miss Parker' icy
persona back on. "Let's do this." She starts her walk back towards the building,
her heart pounding in her ears. Jarod's fingers lace through her own, clasping her
hand to his. She was grateful for the contact. He always had a way of knowing
what she needed and when she needed it.
"You can do it," he whispers to her just as they reach the front doors of the Centre.
"I believe in you." He squeezes her hand one last time for emphasis before
breaking the connection. He pulls on the doors and allows her to enter before him.
She pauses in the hallway momentarily, mixed emotions about returning to the
place. It's been so long since she's been there last. Eight months ago, her father
betrayed her, allowing her to be used for Lyle's experiments. She still doesn't know
exactly what they wanted with the baby, but she was determined that they would
never find out. This was her baby and Jarod's baby. The DNA tests all those
months ago proved that. But they were both ready to accept and love him
regardless. And in the process, they ended up falling in love and accepting each
other. So if anything, she should probably thank her father for actually giving her a
life.
"Let's get this over with," she whispers to him. "The quicker I get out of here the
better." She starts walking towards her father's office, ignoring the looks of
everyone as they walked past. She didn't know what was more shocking. The fact
that she was very pregnant and was waddling more than walking. Or the fact that
she had the ever elusive Jarod walking behind her, looking like a very willing
prisoner.
They reach his office and are both a bit disappointed to find it empty.
"I guess we wait," she sighs, finding the most comfortable chair to sit in. Her feet
were killing her. They definitely were too swollen for pumps, even the low heeled
variety she had to wear these days.
"This may not be entirely bad," Jarod says, a small smirk starting to grow on his
face. He makes his way to the computer and starts typing into it.
"What are you doing, Jarod?" she asks him curiously, kneading the muscles in her
lower back.
"Setting up a little meeting. The element of surprise may work to our advantage."
"A meeting? With who? About what?"
"With everyone. About me," he grins. "You've found me. You've brought me back.
I think you have more power now than either of us realize."
"I don't get it."
"Think about it, Honey. Your father was so intent on getting me back. You think it
was just because I was a pretender? I don't think so. This place was around before
I came here and it has survived without me for years since I left. There has to be
another reason."
"But why? We've been searching relentlessly for you for years. What possible
reason could they have for wanting you back here so badly?"
"That I don't know," he sighs in frustration. "But I don't think we should stick
around here while we figure it out. Let's go back to your office until it's time for
this meeting." He looks nervously around the office, wondering if they were truly
alone. He had the feeling they were being watched.
"That's a good idea," she yawns. She eagerly accepts his hand as he helps her out
of the chair.
"You okay?" he asks with some concern.
"Fine," she smiles wearily. "Just tired. And my back is killing me."
She leads him the through the hallways to her office with less spunk than she did
the first time. She was quickly running out of energy. She hoped all this was over
soon. She was ready for it to be all over. Inside her office, she feels Jarod direct
her towards the sofa and she happily complies with his order for her to lay down.
She had just closed her eyes when she hears a gasp from Jarod.
"What is it?" she asks, her eyes popping back open.
"It's Angelo," he smiles. He walks over to where the man is hiding in the shadows
and pulls him into a hug. "How have you been, Friend?"
"Jarod happy," he laughs. He looks over to Miss Parker and gets a confused look on
his face. "Miss Parker sad?"
"No, Angelo," she smiles, wiping away the tears that confused him. "I'm not sad.
I'm crying because I'm very happy to see you. It's been so long since we've all
been together."
He still doesn't look entirely convinced that she's telling him the truth.
"Come here," she tells him. She takes his hand and places it on her belly.
"Baby," he smiles in amazement.
"That's right, Angelo. It's a baby. And he makes me . . . feel things very deeply,"
she tries to explain to him the mystery of her raging hormones. "So when I saw
you, I got so happy that it made me cry."
"Baby," he repeats. "Angelo help baby."
"Angelo? Why does the baby need help?" Jarod asks, a worried look now on his
face. Maybe coming back was a mistake after all, he wonders to himself.
"Baby scared. I can help." He moves his arm from Miss Parker's stomach to
around her waist and lowers his head to her belly. He hums lightly, murmuring
indistinguishable sounds that leave Jarod and Miss Parker confused. He looks at
them and smiles serenely. "Baby fine now. You fine too. Baby protect you."
"I don't underst-"
"They're afraid of baby," he interrupts her. "Baby will protect you." He smiles one
more time at them before scurrying back to the same dark corner he emerged from.
By the time Jarod made it over to the same corner, all he saw was a air vent cover
being replaced.
"He's gone," Jarod says, turning back to face her. He walks over to where she is
and sits down next to her. "What do you think he meant by them being afraid of
the baby? That the baby will protect us?"
"I have no idea," she shrugs. "But we unfortunately don't have much time to figure
that out. It's time to go."
* * * * * * * * * *
They make it to the room with the meeting and find it packed to capacity. The
mysterious request sent out by Jarod had piqued the curiosity of just about all the
executive level Centre employees, including her father. A hush falls over the room
when they enter. And all eyes go either to Miss Parker's stomach or to the man
standing next to her.
Just as quickly as they had stolen the stage, it's taken away from them again. A
group of men they recognize from the headquarters in Africa come into the room
and set up a projection screen at the front and video cameras all around. They
work wordlessly, not explaining their actions to anyone in the room. Finally, the
screen lights up with an image that they've all heard about, but few have ever laid
eyes on.
"Umbotu," a couple of people whisper. Curious murmurings spread across the room
as the meeting attendees wonder aloud what's going on. All sounds cease when the
powerful African on the screen raises his hand and demands the attention.
"I trust I have been . . . summoned for a good reason," he says slowly, enunciating
each word in perfect, yet accented english. "There are rumors that the missing
pretender has been returned."
"Yes Sir," Mr. Parker boasts. "My daughter has brought him home where he
belongs."
"He doesn't belong here," she cuts in, interrupting her father. "He doesn't belong
to any of you. He's mine. My husband. My child's father. And he's not coming
back here."
"Is that what you came here to tell us, Angel?" her father asks amidst the
mutterings that have started up again.
"Silence!" Umbotu yells to the crowd, letting them know with his glare that this was
the last time he intended to have to say that. "Miss Parker, explain yourself. Are
you and the pretender truly having a child together?"
"Yes Sir, we are. And we came here today to demand something from everyone in
this room," she says.
"And what's that?"
"We want our life back. The one stolen from us on the day we were born," Jarod
says. "We refuse to run from you anymore. And we refuse to work for you another
day."
"Not until this place can become the place that it was intended to be," she adds.
"The place my mother wanted it to be."
Umbotu stares at them for a long, tense moment, his face hard and unreadable.
The room silently waits for words, the final say in all matters Centre related. They
all knew that. No one ever crossed Umbotu and lived to talk about it.
"So be it," he says definitively, his decision made. The audience is shocked. But
they didn't dare say another word, not wanting to risk facing Umbotu's wrath.
"What exactly is it that you need from me?"
"Assurances. I need to know my family will be safe," she says without even a
thought. It was the most important thing to her right now. Not money or power.
But the security to knw that she will have a future. "I need to know that my child
will not become another causualty of this place. Like my mother. Jarod's brother.
My brother."
"No," her father gasps. "Lyle."
"I'm sorry, Daddy," she whispers. "We buried him this morning. With Mom."
"You did this," Mr. Parker growls angrily at Jarod. "I know it was you."
"No, Daddy! *You* did this. All those years ago when you let Raines take him and
turn him into a monster. That will not happen to my child. Anyone who lays a
hand on his head will have to answer to me. Anyone who does anything to my baby
will have me to deal with."
"Wrong, Miss Parker. They will have *me* to deal with," Umbotu says. "This child
is sacred. He is special beyond what any of us can fathom. In time, his destiny will
become clear. But until that time, no harm shall come to him or his parents. Is
that clear?"
"My son is dead, Umbotu," Mr. Parker says, with an eerie calm in his voice. "I only
think it's fitting that the man responsible should suffer the same fate." With a
deadness in his eyes, he pulls out a gun from his pocket and aims it at Jarod. For a
split second, he makes eye contact with his daughter, his true intentions clear only
to her.
"Daddy, don't do this," she pleads, moving to stand in front of Jarod. "You don't
have to do this."
"I'm sorry, Angel," he whispers, taking the safety off the gun. A few rushed words
in African are yelled from Umbotu before the room is silenced by gunshots.
The Chairman falls to the floor, seemingly in slow motion. His blood begins to run
freely from the various wounds to his body and everyone just watches in shock as
his life quickly drains away. Miss Parker kneels next to him to feel for a pulse,
knowing there won't be one. Despite her efforts to stop them, her tears begin to
flow. This man laying before her didn't deserve them. He's brought her more
misery than anyone should have in one lifetime. But the man was also her father.
It was a bond she hadn't been quite able to break.
"I hope the rest of you realize how serious I am," Umbotu says, breaking the
silence. "Let the consequences of Mr. Parker's actions be a warning to you all."
Without another word, the African cuts the connection from the video call, leaving
the screen in darkness. And the room, once again, in silence.
Jarod gives Miss Parker a moment with her father, not really knowing what she's
thinking right now. Instead, he looks around and spots his would be murder
weapon. He picks up the gun and examines it, shocked to find it empty.
"It wasn't even loaded," he gasps.
"He wasn't trying to kill you. He just . . . wanted to die," she says with a sigh.
That last look he gave her conveyed it all. He didn't have any intention of killing
Jarod. But he knew what Umbotu would do to him if he tried. He just didn't want
to live anymore. That last look he gave her was to say good-bye. With a lot of a
struggle and finally help from a few nearby sweepers, she manages to stand back
up on her feet and steps over her father's corpse. There was nothing else she could
do for him. There was nothing left for her there.
"Let's get out of here, Jarod," she says, wiping away the last tear she intended to
shed for her lost family. "Let's go home."
She grabs his hand, squeezing it to assure herself that he's really there. That he's
really with her. Even though that's how it's been all their lives. Every step of the
way, he's been there. And that's how it was now. She didn't know what the future
would bring, but she knew that in order to get there, she had to leave the past
behind. He smiles down at her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. Leading
her away from the Centre one last time. And she didn't look back once.
* * * * * * * * * *
Jarod checks his watch one last time before looking up on the wall. The flight was
late. Really late. Almost an hour. He hated leaving his wife alone for any length of
time. She was due any day now. But he promised her he'd go to the airport to pick
up Celia and Broots, fresh from their honeymoon. After his recovery from the
gunshot wound, they quickly discovered how much they meant to each other. And
they realized how short life could be. After a world wind courtship of barely a
month, they decided to marry. This being a second marriage for both of them, they
just knew that the time was right.
The sound over the loud speaker finally announces the arrival of the flight and
Jarod breathes a sigh of relief. Lisa and Debbie were at the house with Miss Parker,
so he really didn't have anything to worry about. But he still did anyway. He was
anxious to get back home.
"Jarod!" he hears from behind him. He turns around and sees a slightly sun burned
Broots walking towards him, his new wife in tow.
"Mr. and Mrs. Broots," Jarod says with a smile. "Do you mind if I kiss the bride?"
He places a small peck on Celia's cheek and gives Broots a brief hug.
"Hi Jarod," Celia says shyly, still blushing from the attention of being treated like a
new bride. "The girls weren't any trouble, were they?"
"You know they weren't any trouble at all, Celia. If anything, I was the one doing
all the misbehaving. All I have to say is good luck to you, Broots. Living with three
women is like having three moms around," Jarod laughs. "I was totally
outnumbered. Good thing junior is a boy."
"I don't mind at all," Broots insists. "I love my women. All of them." He leans over
and gives Celia a quick, but passionate kiss.
"Come on, Romeo," Jarod says, rolling his eyes. "Let's get to the house. Mara's
waiting."
"How is she doing?" Celia asks, keeping one eye on the circling luggage to make
sure she doesn't miss hers. It finally comes around and Broots hops over to grab it
before it goes around again.
"Huge! But don't tell her I said that," he adds quickly. "I think she was ready to
give birth a week ago, but the baby's been kind of stubborn. She can't wait to see
you, Celia. She said that she wasn't going to have that baby without you."
Broots comes back over with the luggage. Jarod takes one piece and leads them to
the car, smiling as Broots finds Celia's hand with own. It's nice to see someone else
as happy as he is with Miss Parker, not able to be apart for even a minute. He
knew the feeling well. He was feeling it now.
He impatiently taps the steering wheel while they get in the car, wondering silently
why he was so anxious. They finally get in and he pulls out carefully into traffic.
The nagging feeling doesn't leave, so he decides to call the house just to make sure
everything's okay.
* * * * * * * * * *
The phone rings several times before Debbie comes running down the stairs to get
it. She giggles at the sight of Miss Parker trying to reach it. It was just beyond her
fingertips and she couldn't reach over her stomach to get it.
"Hello?" she answers, slightly out of breath.
"Debbie? It's Jarod. Is Mara there?"
"She's right here. She couldn't reach the phone, even though it was right next to
her," the girl laughs.
"Give me that," Miss Parker says taking the phone. "Everyone's always so amused
at the big pregnant lady on the couch. Jarod, where are you?" she asks
impatiently.
"The flight was running late. We're on the way now. Are you okay? You sound
kind of . . . cranky," he says cautiously, choosing his words very carefully.
"Kind of cranky? Jarod, your child has his big butt is pressed into my lungs so that
I can barely breathe. And I think he's break dancing or something in time to the
chiming of the clock. Must be like music to him," she snaps at him. She lets out a
small groan and rubs her tight belly.
"You okay?" he asks her with some concern when her moaning stops.
"Jarod, I think we just covered the answer to that question."
"No, you just moaned. Is something wrong?"
"It's just break dancing time again," she sighs wearily. "He's early this time. No
chiming clock to get him started."
"And this has been happening how often?" he asks her, an idea starting to form in
his mind.
"Well, the clock goes off every quarter hour, so . . . "
"Every 15 minutes," Jarod mumbles to himself. He looks down at his watch to see
the time. "But he was about 5 minutes early with it this time." He bites his lip for
a few moments, running all the factors through his head. "Honey, do me a favor.
Call me in ten minutes if he does it again."
"Why?"
"I think you may be in labor," he tells her calmly. But inside, he felt anything but
calm. His heart was beating a mile a minute and his palms were starting to sweat.
"I'm still almost an hour away from home, so I may end up meeting you at the
hospital."
"Jarod, I doubt very seriously I'm in . . . whoa." He hears a thud and assumes she
dropped the phone to the floor.
"What? What happened?" Jarod cuts across three lanes of traffic and slams on his
brakes once he reaches the shoulder of the road. He ignores all of the horns and
obscene gestures he gets from the passing vehicles. "Mara. Mara!"
"Uncle Jarod?" He hears Debbie's shaky voice on the other line.
"Debbie, what's going on?"
"She just kind of exploded or something. There's . . . stuff . . . all over the place,"
Debbie tells him. "It looks like she sat on a water balloon."
"I'm okay," he hears Miss Parker say in the background. "Calm down, Debbie. My
water just broke. Go upstairs and get Lisa." Jarod hears the phone hit the floor
again and then the sounds of Debbie's retreating foot steps.
"What is it, Jarod?" Celia asks. Jarod looks up to see that she's standing outside
the driver's side door. He didn't even notice that she had gotten out of the car.
She opens his door and pulls on his arm until he's standing up. Without much of a
fuss, she's able to push him into the backseat while Broots gets into the driver's
seat. pulling the car back onto the highway.
"Her w-water broke," he stutters, starting to go in shock a little. "She sent for
Lisa."
"Good," Celia says soothingly. "Lisa will know what to do. She's seen me do births
before."
"I knew I shouldn't have left her alone," Jarod chastises himself. "I knew this could
have happened at any time."
"Jarod, it's okay," Broots says. He looks in the rearview mirror at Celia and they
share an amused grin. They've both had experience in this area and chuckled
slightly at the other man's nervousness. "She still has plenty of time if the
contractions are 10 minutes apart. I know you know that. You've probably simmed
every possible scenario of her giving birth."
"I do know that. And you're right. I have simmed this. But for some reason, the
simulation was a lot less nerve wracking," he laughs uneasily. "I'm just worried.
And I want to be there with her."
"I'll get you there," Broots promises. "Just relax. You guys took Lamaze, right?
Just breathe. Hee Hee Hee Hoo," he demonstrates before disolving into a laughing
fit.
"Danny, Honey, stop teasing Jarod," Celia giggles. "He's going to be fine, aren't
you?"
"Jarod? Are you still there?" Jarod lifts the phone to his ear when he hears the
voice from the other end.
"I'm here. What's happening? I heard you telling Debbie your water broke."
"I'm fine," she says, trying to calm down his anxious questions. But truthfully, she
was probably even more nervous than he was. "The girls helped me get into
something dry and now we're headed for the hospital. Lisa's going to drive. Debbie
called Sydney from the cell phone and he's going to meet us there."
"So you're fine?" he repeats. "Everything's under control."
"Jarod, hang up the phone and meet us to the hospital, okay?" she orders him
gently, trying hard not to laugh at him. Even she was starting to get amused at his
apparent distress.
"Aunt Mara, we should go," Lisa says to her. "Those contractions are going to come
quicker and harder now that your water has broken."
"She's right," Jarod says through the phone. "You go. I'll be there shortly. I love
you."
"I love you, too. See you soon."
He hears the click on the line and knows that she's hung up the phone. Sitting
back, he looks out the window at the passing scenery as it raced by. He tries to tell
himself to calm down, but it was no use. He was scared beyond belief. About what
would happen in the next few hours. And about how it was going to change the
rest of his life. No amount of pretending can help him prepare for what lies ahead.
* * * * * * * * * *
Sydney jumps to his feet when he sees Miss Parker being wheeled into the hospital.
Actually, he heard her before he actually saw her, the independent Parker streak
rearing it's ugly head. He laughs as she practically bites the poor orderly's head off.
"I'm FINE," she yells. "Perfectly capable of walking in here on my own."
"I got it," Lisa says with a sympathetic glance at the young man. She takes over
pushing the wheelchair, leaving Debbie to carry the bag. "Thanks for your help,
Sir."
"Sydney," Miss Parker says with a smile, a complete change in attitude from just a
second before. "I'm so glad you're here. Have you seen Jarod?"
"Not yet," he says. "But, I ran into your doctor when I got here. She's got
everything all set up for you. Everything you need is ready and waiting."
"All I need is Jar - ahhhh," she finishes with a loud groan. This was one of the
worse contractions yet. Before, she couldn't even tell they were contractions. But
now, there was no doubt in her mind that she was in labor.
"Just breathe through the pain, Aunt Mara," she hears Lisa say, trying to calm her
down.
"Lisa, Sweetheart, I love you dearly," Miss Parker gasps through her gritted teeth.
"But if you don't get your little, cute, thin and currently pain free self away from
me, you might not be cute and pain free for much longer! Ahhh!!"
"Why don't I get her settled in her room," the nurse behind the desk offers, taking
over wheelchair duty from a giggling Lisa who was trying desperately to hold back
her laughs. Debbie gives Sydney the bag and he follows the nurse down the hall.
"Is she going to be okay?" Debbie asks nervously after the others disappear around
the corner.
"She'll be fine," Lisa assures her, her giggling finally calming down. "That was just
the pain talking. You would not believe some of the things I hear women scream
when they're having babies. Wait until Uncle Jarod gets here. She's going to be
yelling all kinds of stuff at him."
"I hope he gets here soon," Debbie sighs, looking down at her watch. "I'm ready to
see Dad and Mo- I mean your mom. I missed them."
"Me too," Lisa smiles. "You know, Debbie. It's okay if you want her to be your
mom too. I thought it would be weird sharing her, but it's not. I kind of like having
a little sister now."
"I miss having a mom," Debbie smiles shyly. "My own mother was . . . let's just
say I was glad when she left me with my dad. We were able to take care of each
other."
"It was just the two of you for awhile, huh?"
"Yeah. But I don't mind sharing him with you and Celia. I kind of like having a big
sister," she smiles, imitating Lisa's earlier statement.
"Oh no, you're copying me already," Lisa says, rolling her eyes playfully. She grabs
Debbie's arm and pulls her down the hall. "Come on 'Sis'. Let's go to the cafeteria.
This is going to take awhile. We can check on her later."
* * * * * * * * * *
Sydney takes a cool washcloth and gently wipes the sweat from Miss Parker's brow.
Her labor had gotten even more intense in the past half hour, yet she refused to
take any drugs. He was doing his best to try to help her, but he wasn't who she
needed. She needed Jarod.
Just then, he hears a clamoring outside in the hallway, as if there was a collision.
"Sorry," a familiar voice gasps, trying to catch his breath. The door flies open and a
disheveled looking Jarod comes running into the room. Celia is right behind him.
"Hey," Miss Parker says with a tired smile and as much enthusiasm she can muster.
The contractions were leaving her exhausted. "You made it. Both of you." She
reaches for Jarod and pulls him into her arms, hugging him tightly.
"Sorry I'm so late," Jarod apologizes, kissing her on her forehead. "How are you
doing?"
"She's progressing normally," Sydney tells him. "The contractions have been pretty
brutal, though."
"The last time the doctor checked her, she was dilated to almost 8 centimeters,"
Celia says, flipping through her chart. "Not much longer now."
"I'm so glad you're here," Miss Parker tells Celia. "Where's the hubby?" she asks
with a giggle.
"He's out with Debbie and Lisa showing them the gifts we brought back for them."
"Lisa!" Miss Parker gasps. "Oh, Celia. I was awful to her earlier. I have to
apologize."
"She told me about that," Celia laughs. "She's not upset, so don't worry. Right
now, you have more important things to focus on." Celia points to the monitor next
to the bed that was starting to show activity. "Contraction is coming."
The squiggly line starts to spike just moments before the pain registers with Miss
Parker. She grabs onto Jarod's hand, trying to brace herself. Sydney decides to
wait outside. He's already seen more of this childbirth than he had planned.
"Jarod, help her with her breathing," Celia reminds the man gently. "Don't let the
pain overtake you, Mara."
She helps them through the next several contractions until the doctor returns to
the room to check on Miss Parker again.
"Jarod, you made it," the doctor remarks as she lifts the sheet to see how much
further her patient has progressed. "Ooh, just in time it seems. Mara, you're
almost there. I'm going to go scrub up and we can get started. Is this your
midwife?" She turns to Celia and offers her hand to the woman.
"I'm sorry," Jarod apologizes. "Dr. Reston, this is our dear friend, Celia Broots."
"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Broots," the doctor smiles. "Why don't you come with me
to scrub up while I send the nurses in to get her prepped. Dad, we'll have you
scrub when we get back," she tells Jarod.
He nods wordlessly, suddenly losing his ability to speak.
"You okay, Dad?" Miss Parker asks him, noticing his shell shock at the mention of
the word. It really was amazing that they were about to be somebody's parents.
He nods again before changing his mind shaking it from side to side. He wasn't
alright. Everything seemed upside down and backwards. He was supposed to be
supporting her. He was supposed to be the calm one. For some reason, he couldn't
get a handle on things.
"This is really happening," he croaks in disbelief. "We're about to have a baby."
"Yes. We are," she smiles, caressing his cheek with her hand.
"Like . . . right now."
"Yes, Jarod," she giggles, placing her hand on her stomach. "Right now."
"But what if . . . "
"No what ifs," she says, holding a finger over his lips to quiet his doubts.
"Everything is going to be fine." She replaces her finger with her lips, giving him a
kiss of reassurance.
At that moment, he believed her. And all of his fears melted away. She just had to
say a few simple words and suddenly his world was spinning on its axis again.
"You're going to be a great mother," he whispers hoarsely, tears starting to flow.
"You're so amazing and so beautiful right now. I love you so much."
"I love you, too," she replies, barely holding in her own tears. "And you're going to
be a great father. Sure it's going to be hard, but we can do it. I know we can.
We'll get through it together."
"Just like always?"
"Just like always," she promises, grabbing onto his hand. It was going to be a
bumpy ride and she didn't plan on letting go of him. Not ever. He was her life line.
Her soulmate. Without each other, they were lost. But together, they managed to
forge a path to the future and to all the happiness they could have ever hoped for.
* * * * * * * * * *
Broots stares nervously out the window at his arriving guests. It was the first time
Jarod, Miss Parker and month old baby Charlie had attempted to travel with the 45
miles out to Broots and Celia's new home. After his recovery and subsequent
marriage to Celia, Broots found the courage to leave the Centre. And although
nothing bad has happened to him or his family, he had a feeling that at times they
still kept an eye on him. But whatever mysterious protection Jarod and Miss Parker
is under seemed to have extended to him and Sydney as well. He didn't
understand it, but he didn't question it and he certainly didn't complain. He and
Celia moved out here with the Debbie and Lisa because of the nearby girls school in
the area with an excellent reputation.
"What if this was a mistake?" he sighs to Celia, who has come from the kitchen to
stand behind him. "I should have told them as soon as I found out. She's going to
kill me."
The sounds echoes of laughter ring from the living room as the girls entertain Ms.
Crandle, their teacher from school.
"You said you needed to be sure," Celia reminds him. "They'll understand."
"I hope you're right," he says skeptically. "But it's too late now. Here they come."
Before Miss Parker can ring the bell, Broots opens the door and welcomes her inside
his home. Jarod was still at the car, slowly and carefully unhooking the baby seat
to avoid waking up the sleeping child.
"It's so good to see you, Mara," Celia squeals, excitedly hugging her friend. They
talked on the phone several times a day and saw each other at least once a week.
But they still acted like it's been years since their last reunion. "You look great.
That weight just melted off of you."
"Hey guys," Miss Parker smiles. "Thanks for inviting us for dinner. It was nice to
get out of the house for awhile. I didn't realize it was going to be a dinner party,
though. Who does that other car belong to?"
"One of the girls' teachers from school," Celia answers quickly, shooting her
husband a furtive glare that Miss Parker doesn't miss.
"I get the feeling that it's something more than . . . " she starts to say, suspicious
of their true motive, when she's interrupted by another woman's voice moving
towards her.
"Celia, did you need any help with dinner? I'd be glad to . . . " the woman stops in
her path, her mouth falling wide open in shock. Her eyes follow suit and she begins
a desperate search for a way of escape. Seeing that she's trapped, she pins a
probing glare at Miss Parker, wondering what's going on. "What's she doing here?"
"Ms. Crandle, let me explain," Broots says to the woman.
"Broots, you know who this is . . . right?" Miss Parker asks with a shaky voice, her
shock starting to wear off.
"I had my suspicions. Just let me explain," he requests again. This time, he's
interrupted by a baby's cry and the front door opening. They all turn around to see
Jarod struggling with the door while attempting to put the pacifier in the baby's
mouth.
"I thought we'd make it before he woke up, but . . . " Jarod also stops, frozen in his
tracks by the shock of the woman standing in front of him. With the last of his
coherent thoughts, he gently sets the baby carrier on the floor to avoid the risk of
dropping the child from his suddenly unstable hands.
"M - m - mom?" he is all he can manage to get past his restricting throat.
"Jarod," the woman gasps. "It's you. I can't believe it. After all this time." She
doesn't waste another second before pulling him into her arms for the first time in
more years than she can remember.
"Oh, Mom," he cries onto her shoulder. "I've been looking for you. But I couldn't
find you. I'm sorry I didn't find you."
"You had your own problems to deal with," she says, glaring once again in Miss
Parker's direction. "I thought *she* was one of the ones after you."
"You don't understand . . . " Miss Parker says, trying to defend herself.
"How could you do it?" Ms. Crandle/Jarod's mother asks her. "Your mother and I
were friends. I know what that place did to her. How could you work for them?"
"It's not like that anymore, Mom," Jarod cuts in, grabbing Miss Parker's left hand
and holding it up for his mother to see the rings. "She's no longer my huntress.
Mara and I are married."
Miss Parker smiles uneasily at her skeptical mother-in-law. Clearly she was going
to need a bit more convincing. So she bends down and gets the one thing she
knows this woman won't be able to resist.
"This is Charles Sydney Parker. Our son. But we call him Charlie." She cradles her
baby gently, unable to resist his sweet softness. She gives him one last squeeze
before offering him to his grandmother's arms.
The woman cuddles the bundle close to her, realizing now how wrong she was.
"I'm so sorry," she apologizes. "I assumed . . ."
"I don't blame you," Miss Parker says. "Chasing Jarod is what I was taught to do.
And it's what I did for many years. But I eventually learned that *loving* him is
what I was *born* to do. Hopefully, we'll have many more years for that."
"What about the Centre?" Jarod's mother asks nervously.
"Taken care of," Jarod explains. "We don't have to worry about them anymore."
"This is like a dream come true," his mother starts to cry. She gives the baby a
kiss on the cheek before giving him back to Miss Parker. "I've been alone for so
long, missing my family, missing my babies. But I've found you now, Jarod. I had
given up on ever seeing any of you ever again, but here you are."
"It's a miracle," Miss Parker sighs, her own tears starting to flow. "But how did you
end up here with Broots and Celia?"
"She teaches at the school the girls go to," he explains. "I went for Parent's Night
last week and almost had a heart attack when I saw her. I did a little bit of
snooping to make sure she was who I thought she was and then arranged this
dinner for you all to meet."
"And speaking of dinner," Celia cuts in. "I think it's ready. How about we all eat?"
She smiles and ushers everyone into the dining room.
Jarod takes the seat between his wife and his mother. He takes each other their
hands and squeezes gently, just to make sure they were really there and that he
wasn't dreaming. It felt like a dream, only better. Better than anything he could
have ever imagined. He had stopped searching for his family, content with the life
he was building with Miss Parker and Charlie. But they ended up finding him. At
least his mother did. And he knew it was only a matter of time before the others
were reunited. Everything seemed to be falling in place. He had a wife he
cherished. A child he adored. Great friends he loved. And now he had his mother.
Everything before was perfect. Now they were only better. Miss Parker looks at
him and he can see in her eyes that she feels it too. She gives him a smile and
then leans over for a quick kiss full of promise. A promise that the best is yet to
come.
The end . . . FINALLY ! ! !
Author - Nicky
Rating - PG
Category - JMPR
Summary - Jarod and Miss Parker have a decision to make - keep running or face
the demons from their past?
Disclaimer - The characters aren't mine. I'm just using them for my own
entertainment purposes.
* * * * * * * * * *
Jarod tips up to the door and nudges it open with his foot. He sticks his arm into
the doorway, waving around bouquet of roses. He's disappointed that she doesn't
even seem to notice them.
"Mara?" he says, walking the rest of the way into the room. He sees that she's just
hanging up the phone and realizes that's why she didn't say anything about the
flowers. When she finally looks up at him, her eyes light up with glee.
"More flowers, Jarod?" she smiles, putting the phone back on the bedside table and
holding her arms out to him. He gives her the roses, being careful not to scratch
her with the thorns. "They're beautiful. Thank you."
"Let me take them for you," he offers, dumping out the dying flowers he brought
her yesterday and replacing them with the fresh roses.
"If I stay here much longer, they're going to have to turn my room into a flower
shop," she giggles.
"Well, that won't be a problem," he grins. "A little birdie told me they're kicking
you out of this joint today."
"That's good," she sighs in relief. "I am so ready to get back to my own house and
sleep in my own bed with my very own husband." She looks seductively at him and
can see the desired effect her words are having on him.
"He's ready for that too," Jarod's voice rumbles deeply. In two long strides, he's
back across the room and sitting on the side of her bed. "He's more than ready, in
fact." He leans down to her and captures her lips with his own, not wasting any
time and diving straight inside. He gasps when she catches his tongue between her
teeth and gently nibbles it. She alternates between biting and sucking his tongue,
driving him crazier and crazier by the second.
"You like that, huh?" she grins smugly at him, his eyes wild and face flushed.
"Oh, yeah," he nods his head erratically, still flustered at the special treatment she
gave his tongue. "Do I even want to know where you learned that trick?"
"Probably not," she laughs.
"So, who were you on the phone with when I came in?" he asks, trying to give
himself a mental cold shower. There was no use getting himself all worked up with
her still in the hospital.
"I was making arrangements for Lyle's body," she tells him, her previous playful
mood instantly sobering. "I want to send him home. He should be buried with my
mom. No matter what he's done, he was still her child."
"I understand," he assures her. "Lyle really didn't have much more choice on how
his life turned out than we did. I'm just glad our life turned out like this. Despite
how things started, we're finally together and we have a baby on the way. We're
happy. I just wish . . . "
"Wish what, Jarod?" She can see something is now troubling him. She grabs his
hand and gently squeezes it, encouraging him to say whatever's on his mind.
"What is it?"
"This can't last. They're not going to let it. I'm not going to be able to keep you
safe," he finally admits. "Lyle got so close. Too close. The next time, we might not
be so lucky. The next time, we'll have . . . " He places his other hand on her
stomach.
"I know," she whispers, looking down and watching as he caresses their child. "But
we can't give up. Not now. We're a family. And I'm not going to let them destroy
that."
"We can't keep running from them. I can't keep uprooting you. You're going to
need to be settled before the baby comes."
"You mean *we're* going to need to be settled, don't you?" she asks him with her
voice shaking from trying to hold in her tears. Despite her efforts, a few manage to
escape and she angrily swats them away. "Jarod? What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that I don't know how or if I can protect you anymore."
"So what? You're just going to leave me now?" she screams, more angry tears
falling down her face.
"No," he says quickly, just now realizing what she's thinking. He leans kisses her
cheeks, wiping away the tears with his mouth. "I could never leave you. Never.
You know that. Not if I had a choice. I was trying to say that I'm tired of running.
I'm tired of looking over my shoulder. We can't give our baby a life like that. So I
say that we should stop. Stop the running. Stop the hiding. Stop playing their
game."
"And how do you suggest we do that?" she asks skeptically.
"We go home. Back to your house in Blue Cove. We find you a doctor. We put
together the nursery. And we live our life. It'll be much easier keeping an eye on
the Centre when we're right in their back yard."
"That's too dangerous," she says, shaking her head. "We can't. What if they take
you? Or the baby?"
"You won't let them get our child," he smiles knowingly.
"I won't let them get you either," she cries.
"We might not be able to prevent that from happening," he whispers, his own tears
starting to fall. "We both know that." He pulls her into his arms and hugs her
tightly for a few minutes. He could tell she just needed time to think. Once she
did, she would realize that this really was for the best.
"When do we do this?" she asks, breaking the silence.
"As soon as possible. We can make it back in time for Lyle's funeral."
She just nods, pulling out of his embrace. She stares out the window for a few
moments, still thinking about how life was about to change yet again.
"Jarod, tell me everything is going to be alright."
"Everything will be alright for you and for the baby. I think you two will be safe," he
tells her honestly. "I can't promise anything else. I wish I could, but I can't.
That's a chance I'm willing to take. And it's the best shot we have."
The heavy silence is broken again by the doctor coming into the door.
"Mrs. Wilson," he says cheerfully. "Looks like someone is about ready to get out of
here."
"Yes, it's time," she smiles politely at him. "It's time to go home." She looks over
at Jarod and he nods his head, understanding the double meaning of her words. It
really was time. Time to stop running. Time to go back. Time to make that old
house a home again. For whatever time she has left with Jarod, she's going to be
sure to make the most of it.
* * * * * * * * *
Sydney walks into the waiting room with a fresh cup of coffee. He was determined
he wasn't going to let Celia spend another minute at the hospital. The woman
needed rest and her body was beginning to demand it. He almost laughs seeing the
tiny woman curled up in the chairs, fast asleep.
"Celia," he calls to her, watching her eyes flutter open slowly. "Why don't you go
home and get some rest? Those chairs don't really look all that comfortable."
"I actually was," she tells him with a yawn. "Lisa is up visiting Kylie and Debbie's in
there with her dad. I was going to give them both a few more minutes and them
take both of them home early tonight. I think we all need a little break. Looks like
you showed up just in the nick of time. I know Debbie will feel much better
knowing her dad won't be here alone."
"You've been a good friend, Celia," Sydney says warmly. "To Debbie and Broots.
To Jarod and Miss Parker. These past few days have been terrible. But we all made
it through with your help."
"It's the least I could do," she says, getting distracted at something over his
shoulder. "Speak of the devil."
Sydney turns around and smiles at the approaching Jarod and Miss Parker.
"Hey you two! Mara, you're back in plain clothes," Celia notices. "Does that mean
you're getting out of here."
"Yeah, my doctor just released me," she smiles.
"We just stopped by to say good-bye," Jarod says.
"Good-bye? You're just leaving the hospital, right?," Celia asks, confusion marring
her face.
"No, we're leaving Michigan," Miss Parker tells them. "Jarod and I decided that it's
time to go back home."
"To Blue Cove?" Sydney asks, eyes wide open. He can't believe they'd want to be
anywhere near the Centre.
"It's the only thing we can do, Syd," Jarod explains. "We can't run anymore. Not
with the baby coming so soon. We have to make a stand. Draw a line in the sand,
so to speak. Hopefully, they won't cross it."
"Well, just know that I'm behind you, no matter what."
"Thank you, Sydney. That means a lot. We're going to need all the support we can
get," Miss Parker smiles. "Now if you all will excuse me, I need to go see Broots
before we go. How's he doing?"
"Not much better. He hasn't regained consciousness yet," Celia sighs. "I'll go in
with you."
The two women go into the room, leaving Jarod and Sydney outside alone.
"Is this really the best thing, Jarod? What about the Centre? Aren't you worried
about them getting to you? How did you convince Miss Parker to go along with
this?"
"Slow down, Syd," Jarod chuckles at all of the questions. But his mood was far
from joyous. They're all serious issues that he's going to be facing soon enough.
"Yes, I truly believe this is the best thing for us. No, I don't know what to expect
from the Centre. And yes, I'm pretty sure they're going to want me back. But
that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make for my family's safety. But like I said earlier,
hopefully it won't come to that."
"Jarod, I wish . . . "
"I know, Sydney," Jarod interrupts. "I know. I wish so much that things could
have been different. But if they were, I most likely wouldn't be standing here today
with my beautiful wife and beautiful child on the way. What happened before was
the past. It was a horrible past and a terrible way for a child to grow up, but I
survived it. And I wouldn't change a day of it if the end result wasn't the same, if I
didn't end up right here right now, finally living the life I've always wanted with the
one person I've always wanted. We're together. We're in love. And we're . . dare
I say . . . normal."
Sydney can't help but smile. He's watched Jarod and Miss Parker all their lives.
And never had he seen either of them with as happy as they are at this moment. It
was the most rewarding feeling for him to see them achieve that. He's the closest
person either of them has to a parent, and it does his heart good to know that
despite what they've been through, they've finally found the thing that most people
search their whole lives for without ever finding.
"Just be happy, Son," Sydney says proudly, pulling Jarod into his arms. He hugs
the man for a few moments until the door to Broots' hospital room opens up again.
"Hey there stud, save some of that loving for me," Miss Parker teases.
"Only for you, Honey," Jarod calls back to her with a laugh. "You ready to go?"
"Almost," she says. She turns to hug Celia, sad now that she has to leave her.
"Celia, take care of my moron in there. Tell him he has to get better so that you
two can be my baby's god parents."
"Mara," she gasps, surprised to be bestowed such a gift after only knowing her for
such a short time. "I'd be honored.
"Good. That means I'll be seeing lots of you," Miss Parker laughs before leaning
over to whisper in Celia's ear. "Although, I have a feeling that wherever he goes,
you won't be far behind. You two can make each other happy. Trust me on this."
She smiles and winks at the blushing woman. She grabs Jarod's hand and looks up
at him, letting him know she's ready now.
"Sydney," Jarod says, offering the man his free hand to shake. "We'll see you soon.
Come by for dinner when you get back to town. We'll cook out or something. I
hear it's what normal people do."
Sydney just laughs and rolls his eyes. Those two were about as far from normal as
they could get. But so long as they're happy. That's all that really matters. As
they get further and further down the hall, Sydney says a sincere prayer that they
will be able to stay that way. They deserve to live their dreams.
* * * * * * * * * *
Jarod pulls the car over and sets it in park. After listening to the engine rumble for
a few more seconds, he finally shuts it off and looks over at his wife.
"This is it. Are you sure you want it to be today?" he asks her. "You had a rough
morning. Maybe you should rest and do this tomorrow."
"It has to be today," she nods resolutely, taking a deep breath to steel her nerves.
"Let's go." She turns to get out of the car, finally hoisting her body up after some
struggle. She begins the walk inside the big building when she stops suddenly and
turns around.
"You know I love you, right?" she asks him. She has to tell him, to make sure he
knows. "We may walk in there and never come back out. I just needed to tell
you."
"I love you too," he smiles, wrapping his arms around her. "You're going to be fine.
And if things go the way I'm hoping, I will be too."
"Okay, then," she says, pulling away from him, trying to put her 'Miss Parker' icy
persona back on. "Let's do this." She starts her walk back towards the building,
her heart pounding in her ears. Jarod's fingers lace through her own, clasping her
hand to his. She was grateful for the contact. He always had a way of knowing
what she needed and when she needed it.
"You can do it," he whispers to her just as they reach the front doors of the Centre.
"I believe in you." He squeezes her hand one last time for emphasis before
breaking the connection. He pulls on the doors and allows her to enter before him.
She pauses in the hallway momentarily, mixed emotions about returning to the
place. It's been so long since she's been there last. Eight months ago, her father
betrayed her, allowing her to be used for Lyle's experiments. She still doesn't know
exactly what they wanted with the baby, but she was determined that they would
never find out. This was her baby and Jarod's baby. The DNA tests all those
months ago proved that. But they were both ready to accept and love him
regardless. And in the process, they ended up falling in love and accepting each
other. So if anything, she should probably thank her father for actually giving her a
life.
"Let's get this over with," she whispers to him. "The quicker I get out of here the
better." She starts walking towards her father's office, ignoring the looks of
everyone as they walked past. She didn't know what was more shocking. The fact
that she was very pregnant and was waddling more than walking. Or the fact that
she had the ever elusive Jarod walking behind her, looking like a very willing
prisoner.
They reach his office and are both a bit disappointed to find it empty.
"I guess we wait," she sighs, finding the most comfortable chair to sit in. Her feet
were killing her. They definitely were too swollen for pumps, even the low heeled
variety she had to wear these days.
"This may not be entirely bad," Jarod says, a small smirk starting to grow on his
face. He makes his way to the computer and starts typing into it.
"What are you doing, Jarod?" she asks him curiously, kneading the muscles in her
lower back.
"Setting up a little meeting. The element of surprise may work to our advantage."
"A meeting? With who? About what?"
"With everyone. About me," he grins. "You've found me. You've brought me back.
I think you have more power now than either of us realize."
"I don't get it."
"Think about it, Honey. Your father was so intent on getting me back. You think it
was just because I was a pretender? I don't think so. This place was around before
I came here and it has survived without me for years since I left. There has to be
another reason."
"But why? We've been searching relentlessly for you for years. What possible
reason could they have for wanting you back here so badly?"
"That I don't know," he sighs in frustration. "But I don't think we should stick
around here while we figure it out. Let's go back to your office until it's time for
this meeting." He looks nervously around the office, wondering if they were truly
alone. He had the feeling they were being watched.
"That's a good idea," she yawns. She eagerly accepts his hand as he helps her out
of the chair.
"You okay?" he asks with some concern.
"Fine," she smiles wearily. "Just tired. And my back is killing me."
She leads him the through the hallways to her office with less spunk than she did
the first time. She was quickly running out of energy. She hoped all this was over
soon. She was ready for it to be all over. Inside her office, she feels Jarod direct
her towards the sofa and she happily complies with his order for her to lay down.
She had just closed her eyes when she hears a gasp from Jarod.
"What is it?" she asks, her eyes popping back open.
"It's Angelo," he smiles. He walks over to where the man is hiding in the shadows
and pulls him into a hug. "How have you been, Friend?"
"Jarod happy," he laughs. He looks over to Miss Parker and gets a confused look on
his face. "Miss Parker sad?"
"No, Angelo," she smiles, wiping away the tears that confused him. "I'm not sad.
I'm crying because I'm very happy to see you. It's been so long since we've all
been together."
He still doesn't look entirely convinced that she's telling him the truth.
"Come here," she tells him. She takes his hand and places it on her belly.
"Baby," he smiles in amazement.
"That's right, Angelo. It's a baby. And he makes me . . . feel things very deeply,"
she tries to explain to him the mystery of her raging hormones. "So when I saw
you, I got so happy that it made me cry."
"Baby," he repeats. "Angelo help baby."
"Angelo? Why does the baby need help?" Jarod asks, a worried look now on his
face. Maybe coming back was a mistake after all, he wonders to himself.
"Baby scared. I can help." He moves his arm from Miss Parker's stomach to
around her waist and lowers his head to her belly. He hums lightly, murmuring
indistinguishable sounds that leave Jarod and Miss Parker confused. He looks at
them and smiles serenely. "Baby fine now. You fine too. Baby protect you."
"I don't underst-"
"They're afraid of baby," he interrupts her. "Baby will protect you." He smiles one
more time at them before scurrying back to the same dark corner he emerged from.
By the time Jarod made it over to the same corner, all he saw was a air vent cover
being replaced.
"He's gone," Jarod says, turning back to face her. He walks over to where she is
and sits down next to her. "What do you think he meant by them being afraid of
the baby? That the baby will protect us?"
"I have no idea," she shrugs. "But we unfortunately don't have much time to figure
that out. It's time to go."
* * * * * * * * * *
They make it to the room with the meeting and find it packed to capacity. The
mysterious request sent out by Jarod had piqued the curiosity of just about all the
executive level Centre employees, including her father. A hush falls over the room
when they enter. And all eyes go either to Miss Parker's stomach or to the man
standing next to her.
Just as quickly as they had stolen the stage, it's taken away from them again. A
group of men they recognize from the headquarters in Africa come into the room
and set up a projection screen at the front and video cameras all around. They
work wordlessly, not explaining their actions to anyone in the room. Finally, the
screen lights up with an image that they've all heard about, but few have ever laid
eyes on.
"Umbotu," a couple of people whisper. Curious murmurings spread across the room
as the meeting attendees wonder aloud what's going on. All sounds cease when the
powerful African on the screen raises his hand and demands the attention.
"I trust I have been . . . summoned for a good reason," he says slowly, enunciating
each word in perfect, yet accented english. "There are rumors that the missing
pretender has been returned."
"Yes Sir," Mr. Parker boasts. "My daughter has brought him home where he
belongs."
"He doesn't belong here," she cuts in, interrupting her father. "He doesn't belong
to any of you. He's mine. My husband. My child's father. And he's not coming
back here."
"Is that what you came here to tell us, Angel?" her father asks amidst the
mutterings that have started up again.
"Silence!" Umbotu yells to the crowd, letting them know with his glare that this was
the last time he intended to have to say that. "Miss Parker, explain yourself. Are
you and the pretender truly having a child together?"
"Yes Sir, we are. And we came here today to demand something from everyone in
this room," she says.
"And what's that?"
"We want our life back. The one stolen from us on the day we were born," Jarod
says. "We refuse to run from you anymore. And we refuse to work for you another
day."
"Not until this place can become the place that it was intended to be," she adds.
"The place my mother wanted it to be."
Umbotu stares at them for a long, tense moment, his face hard and unreadable.
The room silently waits for words, the final say in all matters Centre related. They
all knew that. No one ever crossed Umbotu and lived to talk about it.
"So be it," he says definitively, his decision made. The audience is shocked. But
they didn't dare say another word, not wanting to risk facing Umbotu's wrath.
"What exactly is it that you need from me?"
"Assurances. I need to know my family will be safe," she says without even a
thought. It was the most important thing to her right now. Not money or power.
But the security to knw that she will have a future. "I need to know that my child
will not become another causualty of this place. Like my mother. Jarod's brother.
My brother."
"No," her father gasps. "Lyle."
"I'm sorry, Daddy," she whispers. "We buried him this morning. With Mom."
"You did this," Mr. Parker growls angrily at Jarod. "I know it was you."
"No, Daddy! *You* did this. All those years ago when you let Raines take him and
turn him into a monster. That will not happen to my child. Anyone who lays a
hand on his head will have to answer to me. Anyone who does anything to my baby
will have me to deal with."
"Wrong, Miss Parker. They will have *me* to deal with," Umbotu says. "This child
is sacred. He is special beyond what any of us can fathom. In time, his destiny will
become clear. But until that time, no harm shall come to him or his parents. Is
that clear?"
"My son is dead, Umbotu," Mr. Parker says, with an eerie calm in his voice. "I only
think it's fitting that the man responsible should suffer the same fate." With a
deadness in his eyes, he pulls out a gun from his pocket and aims it at Jarod. For a
split second, he makes eye contact with his daughter, his true intentions clear only
to her.
"Daddy, don't do this," she pleads, moving to stand in front of Jarod. "You don't
have to do this."
"I'm sorry, Angel," he whispers, taking the safety off the gun. A few rushed words
in African are yelled from Umbotu before the room is silenced by gunshots.
The Chairman falls to the floor, seemingly in slow motion. His blood begins to run
freely from the various wounds to his body and everyone just watches in shock as
his life quickly drains away. Miss Parker kneels next to him to feel for a pulse,
knowing there won't be one. Despite her efforts to stop them, her tears begin to
flow. This man laying before her didn't deserve them. He's brought her more
misery than anyone should have in one lifetime. But the man was also her father.
It was a bond she hadn't been quite able to break.
"I hope the rest of you realize how serious I am," Umbotu says, breaking the
silence. "Let the consequences of Mr. Parker's actions be a warning to you all."
Without another word, the African cuts the connection from the video call, leaving
the screen in darkness. And the room, once again, in silence.
Jarod gives Miss Parker a moment with her father, not really knowing what she's
thinking right now. Instead, he looks around and spots his would be murder
weapon. He picks up the gun and examines it, shocked to find it empty.
"It wasn't even loaded," he gasps.
"He wasn't trying to kill you. He just . . . wanted to die," she says with a sigh.
That last look he gave her conveyed it all. He didn't have any intention of killing
Jarod. But he knew what Umbotu would do to him if he tried. He just didn't want
to live anymore. That last look he gave her was to say good-bye. With a lot of a
struggle and finally help from a few nearby sweepers, she manages to stand back
up on her feet and steps over her father's corpse. There was nothing else she could
do for him. There was nothing left for her there.
"Let's get out of here, Jarod," she says, wiping away the last tear she intended to
shed for her lost family. "Let's go home."
She grabs his hand, squeezing it to assure herself that he's really there. That he's
really with her. Even though that's how it's been all their lives. Every step of the
way, he's been there. And that's how it was now. She didn't know what the future
would bring, but she knew that in order to get there, she had to leave the past
behind. He smiles down at her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. Leading
her away from the Centre one last time. And she didn't look back once.
* * * * * * * * * *
Jarod checks his watch one last time before looking up on the wall. The flight was
late. Really late. Almost an hour. He hated leaving his wife alone for any length of
time. She was due any day now. But he promised her he'd go to the airport to pick
up Celia and Broots, fresh from their honeymoon. After his recovery from the
gunshot wound, they quickly discovered how much they meant to each other. And
they realized how short life could be. After a world wind courtship of barely a
month, they decided to marry. This being a second marriage for both of them, they
just knew that the time was right.
The sound over the loud speaker finally announces the arrival of the flight and
Jarod breathes a sigh of relief. Lisa and Debbie were at the house with Miss Parker,
so he really didn't have anything to worry about. But he still did anyway. He was
anxious to get back home.
"Jarod!" he hears from behind him. He turns around and sees a slightly sun burned
Broots walking towards him, his new wife in tow.
"Mr. and Mrs. Broots," Jarod says with a smile. "Do you mind if I kiss the bride?"
He places a small peck on Celia's cheek and gives Broots a brief hug.
"Hi Jarod," Celia says shyly, still blushing from the attention of being treated like a
new bride. "The girls weren't any trouble, were they?"
"You know they weren't any trouble at all, Celia. If anything, I was the one doing
all the misbehaving. All I have to say is good luck to you, Broots. Living with three
women is like having three moms around," Jarod laughs. "I was totally
outnumbered. Good thing junior is a boy."
"I don't mind at all," Broots insists. "I love my women. All of them." He leans over
and gives Celia a quick, but passionate kiss.
"Come on, Romeo," Jarod says, rolling his eyes. "Let's get to the house. Mara's
waiting."
"How is she doing?" Celia asks, keeping one eye on the circling luggage to make
sure she doesn't miss hers. It finally comes around and Broots hops over to grab it
before it goes around again.
"Huge! But don't tell her I said that," he adds quickly. "I think she was ready to
give birth a week ago, but the baby's been kind of stubborn. She can't wait to see
you, Celia. She said that she wasn't going to have that baby without you."
Broots comes back over with the luggage. Jarod takes one piece and leads them to
the car, smiling as Broots finds Celia's hand with own. It's nice to see someone else
as happy as he is with Miss Parker, not able to be apart for even a minute. He
knew the feeling well. He was feeling it now.
He impatiently taps the steering wheel while they get in the car, wondering silently
why he was so anxious. They finally get in and he pulls out carefully into traffic.
The nagging feeling doesn't leave, so he decides to call the house just to make sure
everything's okay.
* * * * * * * * * *
The phone rings several times before Debbie comes running down the stairs to get
it. She giggles at the sight of Miss Parker trying to reach it. It was just beyond her
fingertips and she couldn't reach over her stomach to get it.
"Hello?" she answers, slightly out of breath.
"Debbie? It's Jarod. Is Mara there?"
"She's right here. She couldn't reach the phone, even though it was right next to
her," the girl laughs.
"Give me that," Miss Parker says taking the phone. "Everyone's always so amused
at the big pregnant lady on the couch. Jarod, where are you?" she asks
impatiently.
"The flight was running late. We're on the way now. Are you okay? You sound
kind of . . . cranky," he says cautiously, choosing his words very carefully.
"Kind of cranky? Jarod, your child has his big butt is pressed into my lungs so that
I can barely breathe. And I think he's break dancing or something in time to the
chiming of the clock. Must be like music to him," she snaps at him. She lets out a
small groan and rubs her tight belly.
"You okay?" he asks her with some concern when her moaning stops.
"Jarod, I think we just covered the answer to that question."
"No, you just moaned. Is something wrong?"
"It's just break dancing time again," she sighs wearily. "He's early this time. No
chiming clock to get him started."
"And this has been happening how often?" he asks her, an idea starting to form in
his mind.
"Well, the clock goes off every quarter hour, so . . . "
"Every 15 minutes," Jarod mumbles to himself. He looks down at his watch to see
the time. "But he was about 5 minutes early with it this time." He bites his lip for
a few moments, running all the factors through his head. "Honey, do me a favor.
Call me in ten minutes if he does it again."
"Why?"
"I think you may be in labor," he tells her calmly. But inside, he felt anything but
calm. His heart was beating a mile a minute and his palms were starting to sweat.
"I'm still almost an hour away from home, so I may end up meeting you at the
hospital."
"Jarod, I doubt very seriously I'm in . . . whoa." He hears a thud and assumes she
dropped the phone to the floor.
"What? What happened?" Jarod cuts across three lanes of traffic and slams on his
brakes once he reaches the shoulder of the road. He ignores all of the horns and
obscene gestures he gets from the passing vehicles. "Mara. Mara!"
"Uncle Jarod?" He hears Debbie's shaky voice on the other line.
"Debbie, what's going on?"
"She just kind of exploded or something. There's . . . stuff . . . all over the place,"
Debbie tells him. "It looks like she sat on a water balloon."
"I'm okay," he hears Miss Parker say in the background. "Calm down, Debbie. My
water just broke. Go upstairs and get Lisa." Jarod hears the phone hit the floor
again and then the sounds of Debbie's retreating foot steps.
"What is it, Jarod?" Celia asks. Jarod looks up to see that she's standing outside
the driver's side door. He didn't even notice that she had gotten out of the car.
She opens his door and pulls on his arm until he's standing up. Without much of a
fuss, she's able to push him into the backseat while Broots gets into the driver's
seat. pulling the car back onto the highway.
"Her w-water broke," he stutters, starting to go in shock a little. "She sent for
Lisa."
"Good," Celia says soothingly. "Lisa will know what to do. She's seen me do births
before."
"I knew I shouldn't have left her alone," Jarod chastises himself. "I knew this could
have happened at any time."
"Jarod, it's okay," Broots says. He looks in the rearview mirror at Celia and they
share an amused grin. They've both had experience in this area and chuckled
slightly at the other man's nervousness. "She still has plenty of time if the
contractions are 10 minutes apart. I know you know that. You've probably simmed
every possible scenario of her giving birth."
"I do know that. And you're right. I have simmed this. But for some reason, the
simulation was a lot less nerve wracking," he laughs uneasily. "I'm just worried.
And I want to be there with her."
"I'll get you there," Broots promises. "Just relax. You guys took Lamaze, right?
Just breathe. Hee Hee Hee Hoo," he demonstrates before disolving into a laughing
fit.
"Danny, Honey, stop teasing Jarod," Celia giggles. "He's going to be fine, aren't
you?"
"Jarod? Are you still there?" Jarod lifts the phone to his ear when he hears the
voice from the other end.
"I'm here. What's happening? I heard you telling Debbie your water broke."
"I'm fine," she says, trying to calm down his anxious questions. But truthfully, she
was probably even more nervous than he was. "The girls helped me get into
something dry and now we're headed for the hospital. Lisa's going to drive. Debbie
called Sydney from the cell phone and he's going to meet us there."
"So you're fine?" he repeats. "Everything's under control."
"Jarod, hang up the phone and meet us to the hospital, okay?" she orders him
gently, trying hard not to laugh at him. Even she was starting to get amused at his
apparent distress.
"Aunt Mara, we should go," Lisa says to her. "Those contractions are going to come
quicker and harder now that your water has broken."
"She's right," Jarod says through the phone. "You go. I'll be there shortly. I love
you."
"I love you, too. See you soon."
He hears the click on the line and knows that she's hung up the phone. Sitting
back, he looks out the window at the passing scenery as it raced by. He tries to tell
himself to calm down, but it was no use. He was scared beyond belief. About what
would happen in the next few hours. And about how it was going to change the
rest of his life. No amount of pretending can help him prepare for what lies ahead.
* * * * * * * * * *
Sydney jumps to his feet when he sees Miss Parker being wheeled into the hospital.
Actually, he heard her before he actually saw her, the independent Parker streak
rearing it's ugly head. He laughs as she practically bites the poor orderly's head off.
"I'm FINE," she yells. "Perfectly capable of walking in here on my own."
"I got it," Lisa says with a sympathetic glance at the young man. She takes over
pushing the wheelchair, leaving Debbie to carry the bag. "Thanks for your help,
Sir."
"Sydney," Miss Parker says with a smile, a complete change in attitude from just a
second before. "I'm so glad you're here. Have you seen Jarod?"
"Not yet," he says. "But, I ran into your doctor when I got here. She's got
everything all set up for you. Everything you need is ready and waiting."
"All I need is Jar - ahhhh," she finishes with a loud groan. This was one of the
worse contractions yet. Before, she couldn't even tell they were contractions. But
now, there was no doubt in her mind that she was in labor.
"Just breathe through the pain, Aunt Mara," she hears Lisa say, trying to calm her
down.
"Lisa, Sweetheart, I love you dearly," Miss Parker gasps through her gritted teeth.
"But if you don't get your little, cute, thin and currently pain free self away from
me, you might not be cute and pain free for much longer! Ahhh!!"
"Why don't I get her settled in her room," the nurse behind the desk offers, taking
over wheelchair duty from a giggling Lisa who was trying desperately to hold back
her laughs. Debbie gives Sydney the bag and he follows the nurse down the hall.
"Is she going to be okay?" Debbie asks nervously after the others disappear around
the corner.
"She'll be fine," Lisa assures her, her giggling finally calming down. "That was just
the pain talking. You would not believe some of the things I hear women scream
when they're having babies. Wait until Uncle Jarod gets here. She's going to be
yelling all kinds of stuff at him."
"I hope he gets here soon," Debbie sighs, looking down at her watch. "I'm ready to
see Dad and Mo- I mean your mom. I missed them."
"Me too," Lisa smiles. "You know, Debbie. It's okay if you want her to be your
mom too. I thought it would be weird sharing her, but it's not. I kind of like having
a little sister now."
"I miss having a mom," Debbie smiles shyly. "My own mother was . . . let's just
say I was glad when she left me with my dad. We were able to take care of each
other."
"It was just the two of you for awhile, huh?"
"Yeah. But I don't mind sharing him with you and Celia. I kind of like having a big
sister," she smiles, imitating Lisa's earlier statement.
"Oh no, you're copying me already," Lisa says, rolling her eyes playfully. She grabs
Debbie's arm and pulls her down the hall. "Come on 'Sis'. Let's go to the cafeteria.
This is going to take awhile. We can check on her later."
* * * * * * * * * *
Sydney takes a cool washcloth and gently wipes the sweat from Miss Parker's brow.
Her labor had gotten even more intense in the past half hour, yet she refused to
take any drugs. He was doing his best to try to help her, but he wasn't who she
needed. She needed Jarod.
Just then, he hears a clamoring outside in the hallway, as if there was a collision.
"Sorry," a familiar voice gasps, trying to catch his breath. The door flies open and a
disheveled looking Jarod comes running into the room. Celia is right behind him.
"Hey," Miss Parker says with a tired smile and as much enthusiasm she can muster.
The contractions were leaving her exhausted. "You made it. Both of you." She
reaches for Jarod and pulls him into her arms, hugging him tightly.
"Sorry I'm so late," Jarod apologizes, kissing her on her forehead. "How are you
doing?"
"She's progressing normally," Sydney tells him. "The contractions have been pretty
brutal, though."
"The last time the doctor checked her, she was dilated to almost 8 centimeters,"
Celia says, flipping through her chart. "Not much longer now."
"I'm so glad you're here," Miss Parker tells Celia. "Where's the hubby?" she asks
with a giggle.
"He's out with Debbie and Lisa showing them the gifts we brought back for them."
"Lisa!" Miss Parker gasps. "Oh, Celia. I was awful to her earlier. I have to
apologize."
"She told me about that," Celia laughs. "She's not upset, so don't worry. Right
now, you have more important things to focus on." Celia points to the monitor next
to the bed that was starting to show activity. "Contraction is coming."
The squiggly line starts to spike just moments before the pain registers with Miss
Parker. She grabs onto Jarod's hand, trying to brace herself. Sydney decides to
wait outside. He's already seen more of this childbirth than he had planned.
"Jarod, help her with her breathing," Celia reminds the man gently. "Don't let the
pain overtake you, Mara."
She helps them through the next several contractions until the doctor returns to
the room to check on Miss Parker again.
"Jarod, you made it," the doctor remarks as she lifts the sheet to see how much
further her patient has progressed. "Ooh, just in time it seems. Mara, you're
almost there. I'm going to go scrub up and we can get started. Is this your
midwife?" She turns to Celia and offers her hand to the woman.
"I'm sorry," Jarod apologizes. "Dr. Reston, this is our dear friend, Celia Broots."
"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Broots," the doctor smiles. "Why don't you come with me
to scrub up while I send the nurses in to get her prepped. Dad, we'll have you
scrub when we get back," she tells Jarod.
He nods wordlessly, suddenly losing his ability to speak.
"You okay, Dad?" Miss Parker asks him, noticing his shell shock at the mention of
the word. It really was amazing that they were about to be somebody's parents.
He nods again before changing his mind shaking it from side to side. He wasn't
alright. Everything seemed upside down and backwards. He was supposed to be
supporting her. He was supposed to be the calm one. For some reason, he couldn't
get a handle on things.
"This is really happening," he croaks in disbelief. "We're about to have a baby."
"Yes. We are," she smiles, caressing his cheek with her hand.
"Like . . . right now."
"Yes, Jarod," she giggles, placing her hand on her stomach. "Right now."
"But what if . . . "
"No what ifs," she says, holding a finger over his lips to quiet his doubts.
"Everything is going to be fine." She replaces her finger with her lips, giving him a
kiss of reassurance.
At that moment, he believed her. And all of his fears melted away. She just had to
say a few simple words and suddenly his world was spinning on its axis again.
"You're going to be a great mother," he whispers hoarsely, tears starting to flow.
"You're so amazing and so beautiful right now. I love you so much."
"I love you, too," she replies, barely holding in her own tears. "And you're going to
be a great father. Sure it's going to be hard, but we can do it. I know we can.
We'll get through it together."
"Just like always?"
"Just like always," she promises, grabbing onto his hand. It was going to be a
bumpy ride and she didn't plan on letting go of him. Not ever. He was her life line.
Her soulmate. Without each other, they were lost. But together, they managed to
forge a path to the future and to all the happiness they could have ever hoped for.
* * * * * * * * * *
Broots stares nervously out the window at his arriving guests. It was the first time
Jarod, Miss Parker and month old baby Charlie had attempted to travel with the 45
miles out to Broots and Celia's new home. After his recovery and subsequent
marriage to Celia, Broots found the courage to leave the Centre. And although
nothing bad has happened to him or his family, he had a feeling that at times they
still kept an eye on him. But whatever mysterious protection Jarod and Miss Parker
is under seemed to have extended to him and Sydney as well. He didn't
understand it, but he didn't question it and he certainly didn't complain. He and
Celia moved out here with the Debbie and Lisa because of the nearby girls school in
the area with an excellent reputation.
"What if this was a mistake?" he sighs to Celia, who has come from the kitchen to
stand behind him. "I should have told them as soon as I found out. She's going to
kill me."
The sounds echoes of laughter ring from the living room as the girls entertain Ms.
Crandle, their teacher from school.
"You said you needed to be sure," Celia reminds him. "They'll understand."
"I hope you're right," he says skeptically. "But it's too late now. Here they come."
Before Miss Parker can ring the bell, Broots opens the door and welcomes her inside
his home. Jarod was still at the car, slowly and carefully unhooking the baby seat
to avoid waking up the sleeping child.
"It's so good to see you, Mara," Celia squeals, excitedly hugging her friend. They
talked on the phone several times a day and saw each other at least once a week.
But they still acted like it's been years since their last reunion. "You look great.
That weight just melted off of you."
"Hey guys," Miss Parker smiles. "Thanks for inviting us for dinner. It was nice to
get out of the house for awhile. I didn't realize it was going to be a dinner party,
though. Who does that other car belong to?"
"One of the girls' teachers from school," Celia answers quickly, shooting her
husband a furtive glare that Miss Parker doesn't miss.
"I get the feeling that it's something more than . . . " she starts to say, suspicious
of their true motive, when she's interrupted by another woman's voice moving
towards her.
"Celia, did you need any help with dinner? I'd be glad to . . . " the woman stops in
her path, her mouth falling wide open in shock. Her eyes follow suit and she begins
a desperate search for a way of escape. Seeing that she's trapped, she pins a
probing glare at Miss Parker, wondering what's going on. "What's she doing here?"
"Ms. Crandle, let me explain," Broots says to the woman.
"Broots, you know who this is . . . right?" Miss Parker asks with a shaky voice, her
shock starting to wear off.
"I had my suspicions. Just let me explain," he requests again. This time, he's
interrupted by a baby's cry and the front door opening. They all turn around to see
Jarod struggling with the door while attempting to put the pacifier in the baby's
mouth.
"I thought we'd make it before he woke up, but . . . " Jarod also stops, frozen in his
tracks by the shock of the woman standing in front of him. With the last of his
coherent thoughts, he gently sets the baby carrier on the floor to avoid the risk of
dropping the child from his suddenly unstable hands.
"M - m - mom?" he is all he can manage to get past his restricting throat.
"Jarod," the woman gasps. "It's you. I can't believe it. After all this time." She
doesn't waste another second before pulling him into her arms for the first time in
more years than she can remember.
"Oh, Mom," he cries onto her shoulder. "I've been looking for you. But I couldn't
find you. I'm sorry I didn't find you."
"You had your own problems to deal with," she says, glaring once again in Miss
Parker's direction. "I thought *she* was one of the ones after you."
"You don't understand . . . " Miss Parker says, trying to defend herself.
"How could you do it?" Ms. Crandle/Jarod's mother asks her. "Your mother and I
were friends. I know what that place did to her. How could you work for them?"
"It's not like that anymore, Mom," Jarod cuts in, grabbing Miss Parker's left hand
and holding it up for his mother to see the rings. "She's no longer my huntress.
Mara and I are married."
Miss Parker smiles uneasily at her skeptical mother-in-law. Clearly she was going
to need a bit more convincing. So she bends down and gets the one thing she
knows this woman won't be able to resist.
"This is Charles Sydney Parker. Our son. But we call him Charlie." She cradles her
baby gently, unable to resist his sweet softness. She gives him one last squeeze
before offering him to his grandmother's arms.
The woman cuddles the bundle close to her, realizing now how wrong she was.
"I'm so sorry," she apologizes. "I assumed . . ."
"I don't blame you," Miss Parker says. "Chasing Jarod is what I was taught to do.
And it's what I did for many years. But I eventually learned that *loving* him is
what I was *born* to do. Hopefully, we'll have many more years for that."
"What about the Centre?" Jarod's mother asks nervously.
"Taken care of," Jarod explains. "We don't have to worry about them anymore."
"This is like a dream come true," his mother starts to cry. She gives the baby a
kiss on the cheek before giving him back to Miss Parker. "I've been alone for so
long, missing my family, missing my babies. But I've found you now, Jarod. I had
given up on ever seeing any of you ever again, but here you are."
"It's a miracle," Miss Parker sighs, her own tears starting to flow. "But how did you
end up here with Broots and Celia?"
"She teaches at the school the girls go to," he explains. "I went for Parent's Night
last week and almost had a heart attack when I saw her. I did a little bit of
snooping to make sure she was who I thought she was and then arranged this
dinner for you all to meet."
"And speaking of dinner," Celia cuts in. "I think it's ready. How about we all eat?"
She smiles and ushers everyone into the dining room.
Jarod takes the seat between his wife and his mother. He takes each other their
hands and squeezes gently, just to make sure they were really there and that he
wasn't dreaming. It felt like a dream, only better. Better than anything he could
have ever imagined. He had stopped searching for his family, content with the life
he was building with Miss Parker and Charlie. But they ended up finding him. At
least his mother did. And he knew it was only a matter of time before the others
were reunited. Everything seemed to be falling in place. He had a wife he
cherished. A child he adored. Great friends he loved. And now he had his mother.
Everything before was perfect. Now they were only better. Miss Parker looks at
him and he can see in her eyes that she feels it too. She gives him a smile and
then leans over for a quick kiss full of promise. A promise that the best is yet to
come.
The end . . . FINALLY ! ! !