Disclaimer: I don't own Mort Rainey or anything Secret Window. That belongs to Stephen King.

AN: Greetings to my lovely readers and even lovelier reviewers! I know it's hard to believe, but this story is drawing to a close. Don't panic, though, there are several chapters left before the end. Anyway, I'm thinking of possibly doing a sequel to Lonely Hearts, or, more likely, starting a completely new story. What do you guys think: sequel or new story? Let me know in your review…I aim to please! Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 9: A Gift of Time and Freedom:

The Next Morning, Amber's POV:

My eyes and face felt crusty and icky as I opened them. Sighing, I rubbed the sleepy-dust out of my eyes and rubbed my face, looking around. I was still on the couch, and Bubbles was still on top of my chest, looking at me with golden eyes.

"Meow?" she quipped in her kittenish voice, as though she were asking how I was doing.

Smiling, I scratched under her chin and she purred, closing her eyes in bliss. After a moment, Bubbles leapt off me and headed for the kitchen, sitting down next to her food bowl. Even though she was only a half-grown kitten, she was very smart, for a cat. She lets me know what she wants and when she wants it.

'I wonder if caring for the baby will be this difficult,' I thought to myself.

Sighing, I sat up and looked around. I was surprised to see Mort sitting on the ground, his back against the armrest section of the couch, asleep. He looked so peaceful and so content when he's asleep. In spite of myself, I smiled and picked up a blanket from the back of the couch and gently spread it over him. He stirred a bit, but didn't wake. I left him to his rest and went to feed my precious kitten, as well as feed my own growling stomach.

Now, normally I hate cooking, but since I'm eating for two now, I decided it was time to learn. I dug out a pack of Ramen noodles, a couple eggs, and some frozen vegetables. Half an hour later, I had a steaming bowl of noodle soup in front of me, with a large glass of milk on the side. Nutritious and delicious…yummy! Plus, it was healthy for the baby, so it's a winning dish all around.

'The baby,' I thought, stopping my fork halfway to my mouth. 'I'm actually having a baby!' I lay the fork back in the bowl.

The thought hadn't fully hit me until just now. I was actually pregnant with Mort's baby. I was going to be a mother! A mother at age 22…my mother would freak out if she knew. I chuckled at that last thought. Yeah, I could picture it now…my telling her of my condition…the look of shock on my mom's face, right before she exploded and started screaming things in Chinese and English. It'd be hilarious to anyone watching, but not for me. I guess it's a good thing I'm not at home then, huh? I shoved all thoughts aside and finished my food.

As I washed my dirty dishes, my thoughts turned back to the baby. What if Mort didn't want it? But that was impossible, right? I mean, he and Amy had lost their baby, and it had crushed them. Mort had to want this child after what had happened before, right? But what if he was angry at me for letting this happen? I stopped washing. After all, he hadn't been very happy last night when I'd told him I was pregnant, and had run out of the room. He'd never done that before, and it worried me. If he was angry about the baby, did that mean that he wouldn't hesitate to kill us both to keep the birth from happening? Was Mort even capable of killing an unborn child? My heart told me 'no,' but my head said otherwise. No matter what happened, though, I'd never let Mort hurt my baby. I may not have wanted my child to be conceived by a kidnapper, but I'll be dead and rotting before I'd let someone hurt my baby!

I was almost finished with the dishes when Mort raced into the kitchen, panic written all over his face. Despite my uneasiness about the baby, I smiled and finished rinsing the last dish, placing it on the drying rack before drying my hands and hanging up the towel. As I turned around, Mort pulled me into an intense hug. I was too surprised to hug him back.

"Oh, God, Amber, I'm so sorry," he gasped, his face buried in my hair, next to my ear. "I didn't mean to run out like that, you just surprised the heck out of me. I'm so sorry!"

I blinked as he continued to hold me and babble apologies. He was sorry? Did that mean that he wanted the baby after all? I wouldn't end up dead and buried like Ted and Amy? I sighed with relief before allowing my arms to drift around his neck and return his embrace.

"It's okay, Mort," I whispered to him. "I'm sorry I surprised you like that. I should have picked a better time and place for telling you, that's all."

Mort chuckled as he pulled back slightly. "There really isn't a time and place for telling a man he's going to be a father," he said, moving one hand up to caress my cheek as he smiled at me. "You've given me the best news I've ever heard in my life. I'm going to be a father." His eyes widened, as though the news had also just hit him. "Oh, my God, I'm going to be a father!"

As I stood there, laughing at his expression, Mort picked me up and swung me around a few times. He then put me down and knelt in front of me, pressing his ear against my belly like he was trying to hear a message from the baby, as though it was telling him some sort of secret. I simply stood there and blushed as he listened. A few moments later, Mort pulled back and looked up at me.

"Thank you for this, Amber," he whispered, standing up and putting his hand on my belly. "Thank you for giving me another chance at fatherhood."

I smiled and blushed under his gaze. "Well, it wasn't all me, you know," I said, looking at the floor.

He chuckled. "Too true," he muttered, wrapping an arm around my waist and leading me into the living room. He gently pushed me onto the couch and I lay down, Bubbles leaping onto the back of the couch. "And I believe that it's time for you to take a rest before you overwork yourself."

I just yawned and obeyed, falling asleep with Mort tucking me in and Bubbles purring on the pillow next to me.


Mort's POV:

He stared at her wife as she drifted off to sleep. Unable to help himself, Mort leaned over her and softly kissed her on the lips, pulling back quickly so as not to wake her. She stirred, but didn't wake. After making sure she was comfortable and that Bubbles was there to keep her company, Mort went up to his study to make a few phone calls, extremely glad that he had gotten rid of the horrible green phone and bought a cordless phone instead. He'd made the switch the day after Amber had gotten 'sick,' and it had worked out for the best. This way, the phone could be with him, and he wouldn't wake Amber while she was resting.

Picking up the phone, Mort was about to dial his agent, but stopped. Instead, he sat down and picked up a piece of paper that was on his desk. It was a note from his publishing company, asking him to go out on another tour to promote his new book. Actually, it was more like they were commanding him to go out and promote it. It was a pointless order, though; the book was number one on the New York's Bestseller List for the fourth week in a row, so what was the problem?

'Greedy bastards,' Mort thought angrily. There was no way in Hell he was going to leave his pregnant wife alone in the cabin, not for all the fans in the world!

It wasn't that he was afraid something would happen to her and the baby while he was gone, far from it. It was more like he was scared that someone would come and discover her, taking both her and the baby away from him! Or worse, what if she left on her own? He'd never see his baby! No, there was no way he was going to leave Amber alone while he was touring the U.S. and Europe. He'd have to find a way, that's all. How hard could it be?


A Week Later: Mort's POV:

"No, that's not good enough, Jimmy," Mort growled into the phone. Pacing back to his desk, he listened to his publicist try and talk him out of his plan.

"Mort, the female fans won't appreciate you doing this!" Jim argued. "They'll get jealous and might not buy your books when, or if, they hear about this!"

"I don't care what it looks like, I want it done!" Mort snapped. "She's pregnant, for God's sakes, and there's no way I'm doing this and leaving her alone!"

Jim sighed. "I'll try and talk to the company, Mort, but I can't make any promises," he said softly, trying to calm Mort down. "I'll do my best." He hung up.

Groaning, Mort switched off the phone and buried his head in his arms, trying to figure things out. Talking with both his agent and his publishing company was harder than he thought. So far, Mort had done everything he could in order to stay here with Amber and the baby, but it wasn't going well. The company had refused to cancel the tour which started next week, and his agent and publicist hadn't done anything to stop it. Mort was stuck going on the tour, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Well, maybe one thing….


Amber's POV:

"WE'RE WHAT?!" I shrieked. No, I wasn't angry, but Mort thought I was.

Mort winced. "We're going on a tour of the U.S. and Europe," he said softly, trying to calm me down. "Well, actually, I'm going on the tour for the book, and you're coming with me."

I sat down on the couch, Bubbles jumping onto my lap. "Is it a good idea for you to take me on the tour, Mort?" I asked, looking up at him. Bubbles 'meowed' for attention, so I began petting her. "I mean, I'm three months pregnant, Mort. Should I even be traveling?"

Mort smiled. "You'll be fine," he assured me. "I talked to my publicist and agent, and they've spoken to the best doctors in New York. According to them, you're fit to travel, as long as you rest and take care of yourself." He suddenly frowned. "You'll have to stop traveling a month or so before the baby's born, but the tour will be ending here on the East Coast, so it really shouldn't matter."

I still wasn't sure about the whole thing. Traveling while pregnant? Was that even a good idea? Movie stars and super models did it all the time, but I still wasn't so sure about me. I mean, those stars probably had an army of specialists trailing them around, and who would I have while Mort signed autographs and talked to all sorts of gorgeous female fans? I'd grow fat and pregnant, and Mort probably wouldn't be there with me half the time!

'But it's Europe!' I thought. I'd always wanted to go to Europe, and the tour would go to ever single country I wanted to see…England, France, Ireland, Scotland, Spain, Italy and Germany. I'd always wanted to go to Europe, and here was my chance! And if it was safe to travel, why shouldn't I go?

I looked up at Mort. "When do we leave?"


A Week Later: Amber's POV:

Three days after Mort had told me of his plans to take me along, we had packed into the car (Bubbles included, there was no way I was leaving her behind!) and headed for New York, where we would be leaving for the book tour. We had decided to leave early so Mort could talk to his agent and publicist about the plans for the tour. I was left in the hotel room so I could rest, but was visited by some of the best doctors in New York so that I knew what to do when traveling.

Had I known that there was so much trouble in getting ready to travel while pregnant, I would have simply stayed at home.

The doctors gave me a huge list of things I could and couldn't do while flying. I needed to stay hydrated. I needed to eat a good amount of food for my sake and the baby's. I had to stay comfortable. I was to avoid smoking flights when going overseas (well duh!). I shouldn't overwork myself. I needed to stay near the front of the plane to easily get on and off. I was to stop traveling at least four to six weeks before the baby was due. And so forth.

I should have been thankful, but I was beginning to feel the hormones kick in, so I constantly snapped at the doctors. Thankfully, they were very patient with me, and actually handed me several printed copies of their instructions. They also gave me their cards and told me to call if there was anything I needed, no matter what. They also gave me a list of European doctors I could see! I actually smiled and thanked them for their help as they left. After they were gone, I called room-service and ordered a steak dinner and some peppermint ice cream, polishing it off in record time and ordering a second helping of ice cream before Mort came back. He had smiled at the empty plates and hugged me before ordering some dinner for himself and getting a pay-per-view movie for us to watch together.

Four days later, I was getting on a plane bound for France. I had flown before, but this was a completely different experience from my previous trips around the States. When I'd traveled with my folks, we always flew coach, but now I was traveling first-class! The seats were wider and more comfortable, and the food actually tasted good! Mort did everything he could to make me comfortable; he stole all of the cabin's pillows and tucked them behind my back to keep it from aching. At night, he tried to keep me warm by snatching a few blankets from sleeping passengers. They weren't happy with him, but after Mort explained that I was pregnant, they were more than happy to share. It was the best flight I'd ever been on in my life.

The hotel room was better than I thought it would be. I had pictured Mort and I sharing and ordinary, but nice, room somewhere in a remote part of Paris, but Mort's publishing company had surprised us both by getting us a suite of rooms in the classiest part of Paris, right near the Eiffel Tower! I could actually see it from our room! Since we had a whole day before Mort had to go out to sign books and give interviews, we walked around the streets, window shopping and nibbling on pastries. Well, Mort nibbled…I wolfed them down like crazy. After all, I was eating for two, right?

But that had been yesterday. Today, I was in our suite, resting my aching feet and eating small French pastries with a side of pickled artichoke hearts for an afternoon snack. Gross, I know, but those damn pregnancy cravings can't be argued with. I wanted to be out there, walking around Paris again, but Mort had ordered me to stay inside the room until he came back from the book signing and the interview. To make matters worse, security guards had been placed outside the door, supposedly to 'keep me safe from fans.' Oh, well, I was too tired to go anywhere anyway. My feet hurt, so I decided to obey Mort (and the doctors) just this once. Plus, I had Bubbles, my wonderful cat, to keep me company, so it wasn't that bad. I ended up falling asleep watching a French soap opera with Bubbles purring in my ear.


Mort's POV:

Mort was exhausted when he got back to the hotel, but it had been worth it. His book was a huge success in France, and his publishers couldn't be happier. The interview had been fine, until they started asking questions about Ted and Amy's mysterious disappearance. Mort had smiled and shrugged, saying that he didn't know what had happened to his ex-wife and her lover, but that he hoped that they were happy, wherever they were.

What had surprised him, however, was when they asked him about his new wife, Amber. The press wanted pictures of the two of them together, but Mort had frowned and denied their request. Instead, he said that his wife was not going to make any public appearances with him, claiming that she was camera-shy and didn't like the idea of her privacy being invaded. Several reporters had voiced protest at this, but Mort had been firm with them and they had retreated from the subject. However, he was sure that they wouldn't give up until they had a photograph of her for their papers and magazines. That was what worried him. If word got over to America that he had kidnapped Amber and forged their marriage, Mort had no doubt that he'd be arrested the instant he set foot on American soil. He wife and baby would be left without him, and he would never let that happen!

Walking towards the suite, he nodded at the guards stationed there and walked inside, securing the door behind him before going into the living room. Taking a look around, Mort chuckled when he saw the empty room-service dishes.

'Well, at least the baby is getting all of the food it could possibly need!' he thought, smiling. Looking at the couch, he saw Amber comfortably asleep, Bubbles curled up on her belly. 'That can't be good for the baby,' Mort thought, frowning. He made a 'shoo' noise, startling Bubbles awake and off of Amber. Satisfied, he slipped up to his sleeping wife and tapped her shoulder.

"Come on, baby, wake up," he whispered. "Don't you want to go to dinner?"

Amber's eyes fluttered a moment before opening. She groaned a little, her gaze quickly working to find who had awoken her. When her eyes met his, she looked up and smiled at him. Mort felt his heart flutter a bit when she gave him that smile…it was so sweet and happy…she had never given him a smile like that before. He stared at her.

"Mort? Mort, are you even there?"

He snapped out of it. "Huh? Did you say something?"

Amber laughed. "I asked if there was a reason for waking me up."

Mort grinned at her. "Just thought you'd like to go out for some real French cuisine, darling," he said, stroking her cheek. "What do you say?" He didn't need to ask twice. They were out the door in three minutes, and seated at a restaurant downstairs in ten.

After ordering their dinners, Mort sat and stared at his very beautiful wife, thinking about the reporters from that afternoon. How was he going to keep Amber out of the press? He couldn't keep her inside the hotel all the time, she and the baby needed fresh air and exercise while he was away. Perhaps he'd just take her out at night, when it was too dark to get any pictures of her? But she deserved to see France during the day, too, and she had told him that seeing Europe had been a dream of hers. How could Mort deny his lovely pregnant wife of her dreams?

Dinner arrived at that point, interrupting his thoughts. As they ate, Mort told Amber about his day, leaving out the reporters. She didn't need to know about them just yet. After all, she might want to be found, even though she was having his baby. No, not yet. He'd wait until later. For now, though, they'd just have a nice dinner and night together.

Once the dishes had been removed and everything paid for, Mort offered Amber his arm. She stared at it in surprise, but accepted it nonetheless. Escorting her out of the hotel, the two walked the streets, enjoying the nightlife that Paris had to offer. As a finale for their perfect evening, Mort took her up to the top of the Eiffel Tower, watching her eyes widen and hearing her intake of breath at the dazzling sight. He slowly wrapped his arm around her waist and was delighted when she snuggled into the warmth of his shoulder. Looking down, he saw her eyes looking up at his face. Taking advantage of the moment, Mort leaned down and gently kissed her.

She didn't fight it.

AN: Piratical Perfection: please leave your e-mail address in the"E-mail" line of review box! Thanks!