Bette barely bothered to look at the television in the corner of the waiting room. She expected it would just be endless reports of the earthquake, and after having lived through it personally, she just wasn't intrigued by the statements of the other survivors. Trey was asleep in his car seat on the floor by her feet. She supposed she could send him back to the hospital nursery, but she felt bad using the nurses there as free day care. He was all right with her. The hospital was more than happy to share diapers and baby food.
AJ watched the reports lazily. His eyes were half closed. Bette was sure he was almost asleep. His head drooped onto her shoulder, and she stroked his hair slowly. Four hours had already gone by. Gregory wouldn't speak to anyone. He'd held Trey for a bit, whispering to the little boy things he wouldn't say aloud. When Trey fell asleep, Gregory released him without a word. For Gregory everything was silence.
The clock ticked time off above his head, but he never looked at it. He ignored the silver Rolex on his wrist. He lived for the door on the other side of the room.
AJ was asleep when the television broke the story. Bette hardly noticed. It wasn't until the name of the boat flashed on the screen that it hit her. The Neptune II was upside down in the wake of a tidal wave. It was one more horror story in a long line of tragedies. Bette was about to turn away, to join AJ in sleep.
He sat up suddenly. "Cole's on that ship. With Caitlin."
"And Sean, Annie and Emily." Bette finished as the chill settled over her.
"Emily?" AJ asked as he searched his jacket for his cellular phone.
Bette rocked Trey's car seat and the little boy slept on. She sighed as she looked up to the television. "Emily is my daughter. I haven't seen her in more than two years."
"All our children-" AJ shook his head slowly and dialed the coast guard on his cell phone. While he waited for an answer, he nudged Bette towards Gregory. "You have to tell him."
Bette's heart sank lower into her stomach. Nodding to AJ she left her chair and crossed the void to Gregory's side. His plate of food lay untouched in front of him. She rescued it from the chair and held up the cup of red jello.
"I thought you liked jello." No response.
Shrugging and forcing a smile, Bette picked up a cube of jello and held it in front of his lips as if he was a little boy like Trey. "I'm telling Olivia you weren't eating and ooo-" She bit her lip against the bitter knot in her throat. "You're going to get it."
"I hate jello." Gregory finally said as he reached for the plain white roll on the corner of his plate. "Olivia knows that."
"You used to eat it-" Bette teased as lightly as she could. "When Olivia was pregnant with Sean."
"She didn't throw up jello." Gregory pushed the cup back towards Bette and away from himself. "I would have eaten anything that she could keep down."
"Live had a couple of rough weeks there, didn't she?" Bette pressed the plastic fork into his hand and directed him towards the rice pilaf. "She looked like hell."
Eating came slowly but he was moving the fork from his plate to his mouth. Bette shook up his cup of orange juice and opened it for him as if he was a little boy. "Here."
To her relief, Gregory didn't fight her. He drank the entire container and took the second one she offered. "I think she felt worse." He finished his rice and Bette handed over some of Trey's crackers. "But she never said much."
"She had you." Bette dug in the bottom of her purse until she found the change she wanted. Trading it for a chocolate bar in the vending machine, she split it with him. "That was what she wanted. She was so afraid you wouldn't want the baby. I used to think-" She leaned in secretively. "You can't tell her I'm telling you-"
Gregory wiped chocolate from the corner of his mouth. "Spousal privilege."
"For awhile I thought she was faking it. So you wouldn't be angry with her." Bette sadly examined the wrapper of the chocolate bar. Gregory produced a dollar from his pocket and handed it to her.
"Get something with caramel." He requested as he leaned back into his chair. "Why would I be angry?"
"Why wouldn't you be angry?" Bette watched AJ's discussion as she let Gregory unwrap the candy. "She was putting herself in danger. Risking her life to have another baby."
"I never thought that." Caramel caught on his lips.
Bette reached for it with a gentle finger. "Of course not, but you know her. You know what goes on in that pretty little head."
"I just didn't want her to suffer anymore." Gregory handed her the chocolate bar and sighed heavily. "Losing the baby destroyed her."
Bette wet her finger with her tongue and then cleaned the caramel from his chin. "I think she was better off than you were. She cried. She ranted and raved and hated me and the world. Livie got over it. You shut yourself off in a little cave somewhere and only came out again when she needed you."
Gregory found himself staring into her eyes, remembering the night he'd tasted wine on her lips. The night she'd been in his bed. "She only needed me because she was too sick to take care of herself."
She tightened her grip on his chin. "She needed you because she loves you. It's as simple as that. You're just too wrapped up in your own smarts to see it. Talk about being too intelligent for your own good."
He managed the barest of chuckles and leaned closer. "I think you're the only person who's ever told me that I need to cultivate my own stupidity."
Bette got up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek, but at the last moment he turned. Their lips met in the type of bittersweet moment only two people entirely wrong for each other can share. She was warm and soft and he wanted to feel human.
AJ cleared his throat and started to speak before they even broke apart. "I need access to the Liberty Corporation's chopper. Cole and Caitlin are missing."
"Missing?" Gregory didn't even seem to register the word.
"The cruise ship, Neptune II- was overturned in the last aftershock. Sean and Annie are on the Coast guard cutter, but that ship needs to head back in with the survivors." AJ teetered on the verge of begging. He didn't want to have to fight Gregory, not in the state he was in.
"It's at the airport." Gregory replied simply. Bette hadn't seen him overwhelmed before. She hadn't seen him this torn. Caitlin- his beloved Caitlin was missing, but Olivia needed him. She needed someone to be there when she made it through her operation.
"I'll go with you." Bette volunteered as she squeezed Gregory's hand as hard as she could. "We'll bring the kids back for you. All right?"
Gregory bobbed his head and looked from AJ to the door to the surgical wing. "You'll bring her home?"
AJ nodded with manufactured calm. "I swear to you, Gregory- I'll bring her home, safe and sound."
With the remnants of his reserve, Gregory fished a crumpled business card out of his pocket. "I lent it to the relief effort. It's probably back at the airfield for refueling by now. That number should patch you directly through to the pilot. He can probably pick you up here."
Snatching the card out of his hand, AJ was out of the room in a moment to call the pilot.
Bette took more time. She patted his shoulder and kissed his cheek. "That was good of you. Livie would be proud." She reached down and picked up Trey's car seat. "I'll take the little guy to the nursery. They can look out for him while you think about his-" Bette nearly slipped. 'Mommy' was on the tip of her tongue. "You just take care of Livie for me. Okay?"
"She'll be here." He promised as he sank back into his chair. "No matter what I have to do."
Winking at him as she took the heavy car seat in both hands, Bette slipped out of the door. "That's the Gregory we know and fear."
He dropped his head back into his hands. Caitlin was missing. Sean had been shipwrecked. Olivia was fighting for her life in surgery. His life was falling to pieces around him, but he'd remained untouched. He would have given anything to have traded places with them.
If Olivia wasn't injured, she could be with Trey instead of the strangers in the nursery. If he was missing Caitlin could be dealing with her father-in-law instead of him. If he was fighting, he'd have control. He'd be able to do something instead of sit, trapped like an animal and wait for the bad news.
The waiting room grew quiet. Gregory was alone in worn plastic chairs. the wrapper from his candy bar hung empty in his fingers. He let it flutter to the floor. He watched the agonizing crawl of the minute hand on his watch. Hour six passed and he sat alone in the steadily lightening darkness. Hour seven brought the first hint of dawn.
He wasn't sure when he had fallen asleep. The thump of the door woke him instantly. Gregory jumped to his feet, expecting Dr. Machida finally bearing news of Olivia's condition.
Instead, Detective Ricardo Torres stood in the doorway with an apologetic look on his face. His hands were in the pockets of his leather jacket, but his face was grim. "Mr. Richards, I'm sorry if I started you. Dr. Robinson said I'd find you here."
A uniformed detective stood behind him, looking just as dark as Ricardo.
"What can I do for you Detective?" Running on autopilot, Gregory couldn't help looking past him for the doctor. Where was the dammed doctor? Why wasn't she done with Olivia yet? Why didn't he have any news.
"I'm sorry about Olivia." Ricardo offered sincerely as he took a few steps in Gregory's direction. The uniform held his position by the door. "I hope she pulls through."
"Thank you." His tone grew clipped. Gregory had no use for these police officers. He wanted Olivia's doctor. "Is there something I can do for you Detective?"
From Gregory's lip the politeness sounded like an insult. Ricardo sighed, there were of handful of moments he hated in his career. Forcibly ripping a man from the one place he wanted to be was going to move to the top of the list. "I'm afraid you have to come with me."
Gregory's answer came immediately. "No." His certainty rang through the waiting room.
Ricardo pulled the warrant from his pocket. "I'm afraid I have to insist."
"I don't give a damn what you have there." Gregory's expression resembled that of an angry cobra. He was moments away from the strike. "I'm staying with Olivia."
Ricardo coughed and began to recite his warrant. "Gregory Richards- you are under arrest for the rape of Caitlin Richards. You have the right to remain silent-"
He reached for Gregory's wrist.
Gregory yanked his arm back but he stood silent in the face of his accuser.
"Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney-"
Gregory started to laugh.
"If you can't afford one, one will be provided by the courts." Ricardo reached again for his hands but Gregory folded them over his chest in defiance.
He was still laughing, nearly hysterical as he stared at the blank expression on Ricardo's face.
"I raped my daughter?" He took a deep breath, but he was on the breaking point. The laughter continued despite his attempts to stop it. "I raped Caitlin? What kind of nonsense is this?"
"Just cuff him." The uniformed officer suggested impatiently.
Ricardo ignored his colleague and handed Gregory the warrant. "Dr. Robinson said he ran the blood test three times to be sure. There's no doubt, Trey Deschanel is your son."