Instant Star- Rise Of The New Generation
Chapter 4- Start Of The Reckoning
Author's note: Okay! I hope people enjoyed my little cliffhanger in the last chapter. Seriously, it's funny how these things happen. When I first started writing this, I thought it was going to be a sweet little romantic-angst thing. It still primarily is that- but somehow, this little "mystery" found a way into the story. So did more and more "backstory" about Tommy's past. Blame the evil twin inside my brain! Seriously, I'm really curious as to who you guys think is after Tommy and/or Jude and why. Never fear! All will be revealed in due time- but we've a ways to go yet! This next chapter may seem a bit more "cliche" than the past three. But it does contain some critical plot information- and even a clue as to the identity of the "evil one".
The usual request- please, please keep the feedback coming. I'm a complete "review whore" now. Totally addicted! And I'd really like to get my total up to 25 (hint, hint)...
Oh, and the usual disclaimer. We all know what that is by now. I'm not gonna bore everyone and repeat it...
Okay- on with the show...
Chapter 4- Start Of The Reckoning
The large Tudor house stood at the very end of a long winding road; tall oak trees partially concealing it from view. Outside, in its vibrant garden, Jude Harrison Quincy spread colorful cloths over the umbrellaed tables already set up in the spacious area. She and Tommy bought the house just over a year ago, after instantly falling in love with it. Their home contrived to be both cozy and luxurious. Both warm and impressive, it exactly suited the happily married young couple now residing there. It had five bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, a large living room, patio, and family room, as well as the dining room and kitchen. Of perfect size, it was just right for the family they expected to become. They loved how little special touches everywhere rendered it unique. There were antique brass wall sconces and a small crystal chandelier in the foyer. The living room contained a huge fireplace, with an intricately carved marble mantelpiece and bay windows. The master bedroom truly impressed, with its vaulted ceiling, skylight, and huge walk-in closets. The previous owner completely remodeled the kitchen; it contained restaurant quality appliances, granite countertops, and glass-fronted cabinets.
That kitchen was Jude's current destination. She opened the sliding glass doors of the patio, and eagerly stepped inside. She surveyed the handsome man standing at the counter, a striped apron covering his jeans and black T-shirt. Light brown hair fell over his forehead as he carefully stirred something in a small white china bowl.
"Almost ready?" she asked.
Tommy glanced over at Jude, now eight months pregnant, and dressed in one of his white button-down shirts. Her condition made her even more beautiful and precious to him. He had never been crazier about her. But it didn't stop him from teasing her every chance he got.
"Yep." he answered. "My special marinade"
"So, what's in that stuff, anyway?" Jude questioned him.
"I already told you. My secret ingredients."
"Five years of marriage and that's all I get?"
"Well, yeah. At least, for right now..." he insinuated, affectionately kissing her forehead. "You know everything else about me. A man's gotta have one secret.".
"Speaking of. You know, I still can't quite believe this. Who'd have thought you'd turn into a gourmet cook!"
"Well, really. One of us had to do it. And you could barely boil water!"
"Oh, come on Tommy. I wasn't that bad! And I improved!"
"Yeah, I guess you did"
He leaned over and kissed Jude quickly on the lips.
"You feeling okay?" he asked her, as his brow furrowed with concern.
"Fine. Just pregnant."
"Yeah. I kinda noticed that."
"You worry too much, Quincy. It's not like we haven't done this before."
"Yeah, I know. Speaking of that, where is our son?"
"Upstairs. Lila's dressing him. She'll bring him down in a few minutes. I gave her the rest of the day off."
"You gave both the nanny and the housekeeper off today? With guests coming? Generous of you, Mrs. Quincy."
"I just wanted it to be us today. Just family. We haven't been able to spend any time lately with Rachel and Quest. We've all been so busy!"
"Well, you would both have to get pregnant at the same time." Tommy said, smiling.
"Like that's all my fault!" Jude shot back at him, playfully.
"No. I wouldn't want it to be!" was her husband's response.
They both laughed and kissed again.
"Ok. Speaking of our friends, they'll be here any minute. We'd better get things ready." Jude commented, and turned towards the refrigerator. Opening the door, she removed the food comprising their barbeque menu. Potato salad, pasta salad, tossed salad, chilled gazpacho, rolls, dressing, soda and water appeared on the kitchen counter, as did steaks and lobster for the grill. Tommy added dishes, silverware and napkins. Together, they carried everything outside and arranged it neatly, but attractively on the serving table.
"Mrs. Quincy?" a British-accented voice called from inside.
"We're out here, Lila." Jude replied.
A plump, gray-haired woman appeared, holding a little boy by the hand.
"Mommy! Daddy!" two-year-old Patrick Quincy called excitedly.
Jude opened her arms, as her son ran into them. She carefully scooped him up and hugged him.
"Hi there, sweetie!" she lovingly said to him.
"Party!" Patrick answered, happily.
"Yes. We're having a party. Uncle Quest and Aunt Rachel are coming over for a barbecue."
"Drum!" he said, pointing to the toy he had dropped on the lawn.
"Yes." Jude answered. "I'm sure they would love to hear you play!"
"See. I told you! The kid's got it! A born performer! Just like me!" Tommy smirked proudly.
"Oh, really? I don't have anything to do with it?" Jude retorted.
"Well, maybe just a little" he conceded.
Truth was, young Patrick Quincy strongly resembled his father. His hair was a lighter shade, a golden brown. But he clearly inherited his ice blue eyes, defined jawline and facial features from Tommy. He also replicated his father's personality. Patrick generally was a calm, reserved child. However, given the right provocation, he became quite passionate and extremely stubborn. As he did right now.
"Drum!" he proclaimed loudly and started to play.
"We'll have to get him lessons in a few years." Tommy planned.
"Yes, but don't push him." Jude reminded.
They had conversed about this before. Neither parent wanted their offspring to feel pressured to follow in their famous footsteps; they did not want to burden them with unfair expectations. This was actually especially true for Tommy. Growing up, his successful surgeon father had found him most disappointing. James Quincy wanted his only son to be a doctor and was quite displeased with Tommy's lack of scientific inclination. Even Tommy's extraordinary musical talent, obvious from early childhood brought him no consolation, let alone pleasure. It was Sarah Quincy who nutured those gifts and encouraged her son to share them.
"I will be different. A better father than mine was." Tommy vowed, even before his son's birth. This promise coincided with his decision to marry Jude. He knew that only with her by his side, could he fulfill it.
"I want them to have as normal a childhood as possible, despite the fact that we're famous." he had told her.
"We'll give them the chance to develop their own interests, whatever they are. Discover their own talents, their own dreams." she agreed with him.
"Yes, but if music happens to be one of them..." Tommy began. It was not unlikely that their offspring would inherit their abilities.
"I could live with that." Jude grinned at him.
Jude wore that same smile now as she lovingly cradled their child in her arms. It was difficult for her to do, in her condition.
"Let me take him for a bit." Tommy said.
"Daddy!" Patrick happily squealed, as his father's arms grasped him firmly, but warmly.
"Airplane!" he demanded. It was a favorite game.
"Oh, you want to play airplane! Okay!". He turned the toddler around, facing him forward, as Patrick stretched out his arms and legs, making a grunting noise.
"Grrr! Grrr!" he said, imitating an engine.
"It's the Patrick Quincy Jumbo Jet! Making stops in NY, Los Angeles, London, China... It goes round the world!" Tommy cried out as he swung his boy around, making him giggle happily.
The sound of additional, but adult, laughter drew his attention towards the patio doors. Quest and Rachel stood there, just watching him.
"Lila let us in." Rachel said, answering the unspoken question. "And just in time! Now, here's something the world would like to see..." she joked, gesturing to her cell phone, with it's built in camera.
"Don't even think about it." Tommy mockingly threatened. "Besides, I'm sure you can find much more entertaining things to write about in that teen rag of yours."
"Yeah. He's really not that interesting." Jude smiled. "An old married man with kids. Not exactly the young hottie your readers wanna see. He's past his prime!"
"You so did not say that!" Rachel joined in with her friend's laughter.
"She did! And she'll pay for it, too!" Tommy replied, putting his son down. He then reached over and began tickling his wife.
"Stop it!" Jude cried. But she was still smiling.
Patrick's voice only added to the hilarity.
"Uncle Quest! Auntie Rachel! Drum!" he interrupted, as he began pounding out a rhythm.
"So, is this what I have to look forward to?" Quest smiled. He and Rachel had married almost two years ago.
"I sure hope so! I hope our baby is as great as yours!" Rachel said, unconsciously patting her six-month pregnant stomach. While her delivery date was two months after Jude's she appeared the same size. Jude looked her friend over as they both reclined on comfortable chairs as their men started cooking.
"I know." Rachel said, catching the gleam in Jude's eyes. "I'm huge!"
"Sure it's not twins?" Jude responded. She knew her remark was cliche, but so appropriate; she couldn't resist.
"No. It's just a big, healthy baby. Why so big? I don't know."
"Maybe it's what you've been eating." Quest broke in "Like all that ice cream late at night"
A chortle of laughter broke out, as Quest continued, subjecting these four hip, sophisticated professionals to further pregnancy cliches.
"Always after midnight. And always the weirdest flavors. Like "Passion Fruit", "Espresso", "Pralines and Cream" or "Winter White Chocolate". What is up with that?"
"Don't ask me!" Tommy commiserated. "With Jude, it's always spicy ethnic foods. Indian. Thai. Mexican. Incidently, there is no place in town serving nachos and quesadillas at 3:00 AM. Believe me, I tried!".
The two men took solace in male companionship as they continued grilling, leaving their wives to gossip.
"So, girl. Not too much longer for you." Rachel commented.
"Nope." Jude grinned. "Dr. Smythe said four to six weeks. I wonder how Pat's gonna like having a sibling. I guess it's going to take some getting used to."
"Probably. But he's a good kid. He'll do fine. Speaking of siblings, how's Sadie? I haven't heard from her in ages?"
"Oh, I got an email from her yesterday." Jude informed. "She's slammed. Really busy. But she loves being a foreign correspondent. And London really suits her! After all, if she hadn't moved there, she wouldn't have met Collin. Wait till you see him! He's awesome!"
"So, when are those two getting married, anyway?"
"They haven't picked out a date yet. Both working in news, it's tough. They have to see when they can both take off."
"Yeah." Tommy couldn't resist breaking in. "What is it with you Harrison girls? Both marrying your producers?" he asked, shaking his head.
"Dunno. Guess we just fall in love with our work!" Jude threw back at him.
The rest of the afternoon passed quickly, in a similar fashion, mixing catching up with gossip, playful banter and delicious food. After finishing dessert, Patrick fell asleep on a blanket on the lawn, while the satiated adults just relaxed.
Suddenly, Jude doubled over, clutching her stomach.
"Owwww!" she screamed.
"What is it?" Rachel asked.
"Cramp." Jude moaned.
"Oh, come on Jude. I know you baked that cake. But it wasn't that bad!" Tommy teased, trying to make her feel better.
"No. It's not that! Oh noooooo!" she screamed louder, in obvious agony as another, even stronger wave of pain overcame her.
Instantly, Tommy's face contorted with worry.
"Jude! Jude, what's wrong?"
"It's the baby! I think... now!" she replied.
"It can't be! Now?" he said, as the realization hit him. But it was Jude who vocalized it.
"It's too soon. Oh, my god! What if something's wrong?" she said, expressing what they both feared.
"Ok!" Rachel said, always level-headed. Her take-charge personality kicked in. "I'll call the doctor. Quest, you drive them to the hospital. I'll call Lila, and stay here with Patrick until she returns."
"I don't even have my stuff packed.yet." Jude worried.
"No prob. I'll get it together. When Lila gets here, I'll bring it to you."
"Ok" Jude agreed. "But take my car. We all know how Tommy is about anyone driving his." she added, somehow finding the strength to joke about the situation. Even now, he continued to be somewhat overprotective of his car. Almost as protective as he was of her. That side of him surfaced now.
"Jude, come on. Let's go" he anxiously said.
He carefully escorted her to Quest's car and helped her inside. Once she got settled, they quickly drove away. Fortunately, traffic was light. After a short fifteen minutes, they pulled up at South Memorial Hospital. Rachel successfully reached Dr. Smythe, who met the Quincy's when they arrived.
The very experienced obstetrician immediately shot into action, escorting the couple to an examination room. She hooked up Jude to a monitor and conducted a quick, but through evaluation. Tommy watched nervously. Finally, she rendered a diagnosis.
"It's placenta abruptio" the doctor informed them.
"What?" Tommy asked. Her use of unfamiliar medical terminology made him increasingly nervous.
"Separation of the placenta from the uterus. Since the placenta delivers the oxygen and nutrients to the fetus, this can be a serious problem. You two are fortunate. Right now, the placenta is only partially detached. But if it separates completely, there could be serious complications including the baby's death or hemorrhaging that could endanger Jude's life, too.
"What are we going to do?" Jude asked, full of fear. Tommy clutched her hand, his knuckles white.
"We need to do an emergency Cesarian section. It's good you got here so quickly. If we do this now, you both should be fine. If you agree to it."
Jude nodded her assent, as Tommy spoke.
"Yes, of course. Please take care of them."
"Of course" Dr. Smythe assured him. "Now, let's get started."
Tommy stepped aside as a nurse began prepping Jude for surgery. After she finished, he returned to her and whispered.
"Jude, I love you, sweetheart. Remember that. You're going to be fine and so will our baby."
"I just wish you could be there. Like we planned. Like you were with Pat."
"I will be. In my head and in my heart. You are always with me. I'll never stop thinking about you. And I'll see you as soon as possible."
"I love you, Tommy" Jude whispered weakly.
"I love you too" he echoed as an orderly wheeled her away.
Tommy joined Quest and Rachel, who waited nearby in a private lounge. He quickly updated them on what was happening. His friends tried reassuring him, but nothing eased his troubled mind. He couldn't sit still and paced restlessly, nerves getting hotter by the minute. An hour went by.
"Even I know that a normal C-section doesn't take this long. What the hell is going on!" Tommy snapped, his temper finally boiling over.
"Shhh!" Rachel said, patting his hand soothingly. "You know Dr. Smythe is the best there is. Probably just being careful.".
"But what if something went wrong? It's possible, something could. I can't lose them. Either of them"
"C-sections are pretty common these days. The placenta wasn't completely detached. The baby isn't that premature." Rachel practically stated the facts.
"Yeah, man. So, the signs are all good. They're both gonna be fine! You gotta believe that!" Quest supportively added.
Fortunately for Tommy, the one person who could definitely answer his questions appeared then in the doorway.
"Dr. Smythe?" he asked "How is..."
"She's fine. They both are. Congratulations! You have a beautiful new daughter."
He finally felt the tension leave his body and giddiness quickly replacing it.
"There was some difficulty with the baby's breathing, due to the problem with the placenta. We administered oxygen and she's fine now. Breathing normally, and her size and vital signs are all good. We'll keep her here a few days for observation, but all signs are very positive."
"And my wife?"
"She's okay. Sleeping. She'll be asleep for a while. She did start hemorrhaging in the delivery room, but we were able to contain it. We had to administer some pretty strong medication. But she's a fighter. Got pretty feisty in there!"
Tommy's smile finally returned then. "Why doesn't that surprise me?"
"She'll be weak and tired for a while." the doctor continued. "We'd like to keep her here for a few days too, just to be on the safe side. Then she can go home. But she'll need help."
"Of course. Anything." Tom agreed. "Can I see them?".
"Yes, absolutely. Jude has a private room, as you requested. The baby is in the special care nursery, just down the hall from her."
"Can we see her, too?" Rachel asked.
"Oh, Rachel. I didn't see you there. But I should have guessed you'd be here for your friends. Besides, I guess you're next." Dr. Smythe said, surveying her other patient.
"Hopefully, not any time soon." Rachel jibed.
"I don't think so." the doctor responded, then continued. "Since Jude has a private room, she can have any visitors at any time. You and Quest are welcome to see her. But the special care nursery has an immediate family-only policy. I'm sorry. I know you two are very close to Tom and Jude, family to them. But I can't change the rules."
"It's okay" they both agreed. All three followed the doctor to Jude's room. Rachel and Quest waited outside, respecting Tommy's need to see her alone first.
He gazed lovingly at her. To him, she seemed peaceful, but she slept so deeply, it was as if her brain was deactivated. He whispered softly, reassuring her and left her in the company of Quest and Rachel as he went to meet his daughter for the first time.
A nurse protectively stood watch over the fragile newborns. Following her strict instructions, Tommy scrubbed and donned a sterile gown before she led him to the isolette crib where his daughter rested. Like her mother, she slept quietly. He noted the small, delicate features and the light dusting of red fuzz on her head.
"Perfect!" he thought, overwhelmed with love.
"Can I touch her?" he asked.
"Of course" the nurse replied, showing him the openings in the side of the crib where his hands could reach in. He gently caressed his little girl.
Hello, honey" Tommy crooned to her. "I'm your dad. I love you."
After a too-short visit, the protective nurse ushered him out. It was time for the special care nursery to close for the night. He returned to Jude, and found her still asleep.
"Come on. You should go home and rest." his friends urged.
"No. I won't leave her. I can sleep in the chair. I don't want her to wake up and not find me here."
"Okay. We'll see you later." Quest and Rachel left.
True to his word, Tommy dozed off in that chair. It was late, and it had been a long and emotional day. Very early the next morning, Jude finally stirred. Her eyes opened, immediately noting her slumbering husband. His hair was completely mussed and his clothes wrinkled. Yet, he never looked better to her as she patiently waited for him to wake; he soon did.
"Hey" she whispered. "You're awake"
"Shouldn't that be my line?" he grinned at her.
"You've been here all night." she said, clearly touched.
"Waiting for you." he replied, returning her affection. "I always said you were worth it. So is our daughter.".
"Did you see her?" she asked.
"Of course. She's perfect. A beautiful, red-haired, little girl. Looks just like you.".
"I want to see her. I didn't get to..."
"I know, sweetheart. I'll go see about that."
Tommy spoke briefly with the nurse staffing the private ward, who made a phone call. Soon, she entered the room, bearing a soft pink bundle.
"She's doing so well. We figured it would be good if she could nurse now."
"Yes" Jude replied, putting the baby to her breast with practiced hands.
"Hello." Jude murmured to their little girl. "Hello, Ruby Sarah Quincy. We love you. Welcome to our family."
Jude and Tommy stared in wonder at their eagerly feeding daughter.
"I was so scared." she told him.
"Me, too. But everything's fine now." he reassured her.
Except that wasn't exactly true. The ominous person from their wedding sat in his elaborate house high in the hills. He carefully pasted something into a large leather scrapbook. The volume teemed with papers and clippings, noting in detail every aspect of the life of the Quincy family. It was as thorough a record as any close relative could or would be expected to have.
"Family" he sneered. "I treated them both like family! And then- stabbed in the back!"
He cheered up considerably as he added Ruby Quincy's birth announcement to his morbid collection.
"Yes" he thought. "This will really help."
Again, Tommy and Jude's love song, his evil mantra, played in his head.
"In time you slipped away... somewhere, there's a love in flames. Take my breath away."
"My time is coming!" he thought, jubilant.
Fourteen years later, it would finally arrive...