Chapter Two

He stood by the fireplace, a double martini in his hand, waiting for his wife to come home. She'd left a note saying Rudy had wanted to see her - and Steve - in his office right away, so he was worried about her health, but if he was honest with himself, he had to admit he was also worried because she was with Steve. They had been extremely close for many years, before she'd developed amnesia.

He didn't doubt Jaime's love for a second; they'd recently celebrated their anniversary - five blissful years together. There was so much love, joy and passion between them, all of it, by necessity, hidden from the world. They couldn't even wear their wedding rings. The only person outside the marriage who knew anything about it...was Steve. He'd helped design the plan that allowed them to be together and continue to keep it hidden. For five years, he'd masqueraded as Jaime's lover so they could marry without endangering their safety. He did trust Steve (And of course he trusted his wife), but while Jaime's amnesia stole her memories of Steve and their love, he knew Steve's feelings for her had never truly left him. He took several long drinks from his glass. In order to maintain the charade, Steve often had to hold Jaime in his arms, caress her, kiss her (his wife, not Steve's!), all the while ignoring his feelings. What if Steve couldn't push back his love for her anymore? What if some part of acting out a fake love with her former fiance re-ignited her memories of the very real love that had been such a huge part of her past? What if -

"Oscar? I'm home." Her voice sounded shaky, weak. Had Rudy delivered bad news? Oscar was alarmed to see Steve's arm still around her waist. Alarm turned to fear when he saw the greyish-white pallor of her skin and her red-rimmed eyes. He realized Steve was keeping her from falling to the ground, and Oscar quickly moved to take his wife into his own arms.

"Thank you," he told Steve, as he lowered Jaime gently onto the futon and covered her to her shoulders with a soft, fluffy blanket. She stared wordlessly at nothing as Oscar knelt on the floor by her side. "Jaime?"

"Give her a minute or two," Steve suggested.

"Is she hurt? Sick? Steve, what happened?"

Steve took his friend's empty glass from his hand. "Oscar, I'm gonna get you another drink."

Oscar nodded, his attention never leaving his wife. He smoothed her hair back and tenderly caressed her face. "Babe, what is it? Please talk to me."

"I'm...pregnant," she said in a barely audible whisper.

"Jaime, that's wonderful!" Oscar wrapped her in a gentle bear hug, covering her face with kisses. "But those aren't tears of joy...what's wrong?"

"We - can't hide this anymore."

"She's right, Daddy," Steve said, handing Oscar a drink and taking a swig of his own. "We need to talk about that."

"Can't you see she's in no shape -"

"I'm aware of that, but Rudy wants blood samples from both parents tomorrow. I don't think I can fake that."

"Let's go in the other room and talk about it, then," Oscar suggested. "Jaime needs to rest." They started toward the kitchen, but the voice from the futon, suddenly stronger and insistent, stopped them.
"Uh - Gentlemen? This concerns me too, you know." She smiled slightly. "And I'm gonna hear every word you say anyway."

"Well, Pal," Oscar said with a shrug, "you heard the lady." Steve took the easy chair by the fireplace and Oscar sat next to his wife, holding her protectively in his arms.

Steve had the first idea. "Oscar, you could get another doctor to draw your blood and give it to me to give to Rudy. That'd buy you a little breathing room; some time to think and prepare."

"I don't want this baby's life to start with another lie," Jaime insisted. "And Steve, you deserve your life back; this has gone on too long already."

Steve chuckled to himself. Five minutes earlier, she'd been one step from a dead faint, and here she was, taking charge. "I don't mind doing it a little longer, to keep the two of you - I mean the three of you - safe. Besides, there are worse assignments than letting the world believe I'm retired while I collect full salary for kissing you."

Jaime, nestled against Oscar's chest, didn't see the glare her husband shot at Steve. "We could tell Rudy the truth and ask him to keep it quiet for now," Steve suggested, quickly changing the subject.

"No," Oscar said. "Jaime's right; it's time to end the masquerade. We'll tell everyone we've just eloped, to avoid questions about the two of you. And Babe, I'm sending you into hiding - close by so I can still see you - at least until the baby's born."

"No." Jaime said firmly. "I'm not gonna leave you. Especially if we bring this out in the open. You'd become a prime target."

"Jaime, I'm not asking you; I'm telling you."

"Uh-uh. You're not my boss outside the office," she pointed out.

"I'm your husband."

"Meaning what?"

"Steve, help me out here," Oscar pleaded.

Steve grinned. "Sorry, my friend; you knew she was like this and you married her anyway."

"Excuse me, Austin?" Jaime said lightly. "Care to tell me what you mean by 'like this'?"

"Means you're Oscar's problem, not mine."

"Babe, please don't fight me on this..."

"Tell you what," Steve interjected, "let's decide what we're gonna do about tomorrow, then I'll get outta your hair and you two can battle out the rest."

"There's really no decision to be made. This little one," Oscar gently touched his wife's stomach, "made the decision for us. I'll tell Rudy tomorrow."

Jaime cleared her throat. "You mean we."

"Babe, you really don't need to go through that much stress right now."

"So you won't need me tomorrow?" Steve asked.

"No. But we are so grateful for everything you've done to help us; thank you doesn't begin to cover it." Oscar shook his hand.

"I'll stop by and bug you once in awhile. You're not getting rid of me that easily."

"We'll hold you to that," Oscar told him.

Steve leaned over the futon to touch Jaime's hand. "Bye, Jaime."

"Goodbye..." she whispered.

When they were alone, Oscar drew his wife closer for a long, tender kiss. "Parents," he stated. "Us."

"I love you so much," Jaime said softly.

"Babe, I love you too, and tomorrow, the world finds out how much."