"I'm sorry Ms. Williamson. He insisted on seeing you." Evangeline's young secretary, Wesley, apologized as John barged into her office. "He said it was urgent and he wouldn't take 'no' for an answer." Wes glared over at John.
Evangeline looked up from her screen and frowned. She'd been expecting John after her run in with Natalie. That had been hours ago, and she'd expected him before now. "It's okay Wes. I'm about to head out anyway. Thank you."
John watched him as he left before focusing again on Evangeline. He was relieved that she didn't look any worse for wear. He walked over to her desk to examine her more closely. "Why didn't you ca- Are you okay?" John thought better than to ask the obvious question. Evangeline hadn't really been one to rely on others outside of work.
"John, I'm fine really." Evangeline started to pack her things. She needed to get to the hospital to keep her doctor's appointment.
John stared at her expectantly. Surely, she didn't think that such a simple answer would suffice in this situation. "Bo said it got physical. Natalie had to be restrained."
"I can handle Natalie, John. She was upset and lost her temper. Some officers got to her before things got out of hand. There is nothing for you to worry about." Evangeline checked her watch. She expected John to notice that she was on her way out and excuse himself.
"Where are you headed?" John checked his watch too. He'd have to go in later today, but for now he wouldn't let Evangeline out of his sight. "I'll give you a ride."
"Not necessary. I've got a doctor's appointment and it's in walking distance. You can stand down, lieutenant." Evangeline still felt uncomfortable in John's presence. With everything that happened, they were never able to resolve any lingering feelings. She did not want to vulnerable in front of him again.
"How long are we going to do this?" John motioned between them before resting his hands on his hips. "How long are we going to pretend like there was never anything between us? Like we were never even friends?" That was something that John had been waiting to say. Months had passed but he still thought about Evangeline constantly. Now, with the baby, those feelings were more intense.
It had been over a month since she'd told John that she wasn't ready for friendship or anything else. Their relationship had only been strained further since then. "John," Evangeline started before her mother's nagging voice echoed in her mind, "you can come with me. It's just a regular checkup for the baby." This was Evangeline's attempt a trying to ease the tension. Eventually, she would have to move past the pain for everyone's sake.
John was relieved that she'd given him this much. He could see that it was hard for her to be around him. He hated that he'd let their relationship deteriorate to this point. Unlike others, John had few regrets with Evangeline. She would give him a child and for that he would always be thankful. "My car is out front."
John and Evangeline walked out together much to Wesley's dismay. Evangeline smiled to reassure him and then they were gone. The elevator ride down and the short ride to the hospital were filled with uncomfortable silence. Neither John nor Evangeline knew what to say to each other any more.
John was again forced to sit in silence as the nurse made Evangeline update her medical charts so that John could be in the examination room with her. She explained that he would have access to her OB/GYN records from conception until the baby's birth and no further. John nodded wondering why she had to go through all this song and dance in the first place.
When she was called back into the exam room, John watched as the nurse took her vitals and commented on her blood pressure. It sounded like maybe it was an issue she was working on. Evangeline brushed her off, so he didn't think too much about it.
Then Evangeline was instructed to change into her paper gowns for the examination. As if he weren't even there, Evangeline started to undress in front of John. Where he normally would have enjoyed the show, instead he felt sadness. It hadn't been done to entice or arouse him. It was just a reminder of how much they'd grown apart.
After changing, Evangeline lay awkwardly on the exam table. Within a few short minutes, she'd dozed off leaving John to fend for himself. He'd left his phone in the car intentionally and was bored. The only reading materials were posters of women's anatomy and pregnancy progress charts.
John watched Evangeline while she slept and figured she was a little cold. It had been her number one complaint while they were together. Carefully, he'd draped his overcoat over her and started to pace the room. Something must have been going on because an hour and a half passed, and the doctor still hadn't been in.
A sudden, blood-curdling scream from Evangeline shattered the silence. It took John one step to get to her. "Hey, hey, are you okay? Evangeline?" John touched her face, which was covered in sweat. Her whole body was. She'd soaked through her paper gowns and the part of the protective paper lining covering the exam table. "Evangeline?" John had seen that terrified look on her face before. Once, when she was spending the night with him after her attack at the train station and she'd awoken with a nightmare. Again, when the killer had her tied to the stake at the gym. "It was just a dream. You're okay now."
"Excuse me. Please let me through." Two nurses had entered suddenly and unnoticed. "We need to check her blood pressure."
Reluctantly, John stepped away and watched as they worked on her. They checked her blood pressure once and then again. That couldn't have been good. The senior of the two nurses told the other one to get the doctor immediately.
"Is she okay?" Now it was John's turn to sweat. He was powerless to help Evangeline.
"It's okay. I'm okay." Evangeline looked more embarrassed than anything. She still hadn't caught her breath just yet. "I'm okay." This time she repeated it for the nurse, as if that would convince her.
"Just lay back and relax. Let me get you some dry gowns to put on." The nurse went to the cabinet to get new gowns for Evangeline. She didn't leave the room while she changed this time. She simply turned away while Evangeline changed. Then she ripped off the paper exam lining and rolled out fresh liner.
John could only watch not sure what he should be doing at this moment. More than ever, he wished he had Michael's medical expertise. Then he would understand what the big deal about her blood pressure was and what he could do to help.
When the doctor stepped in, there was a collective sigh of relief. "Ms. Williamson, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. I got called in on an unexpected delivery." The doctor walked over to Evangeline and he manually checked her blood pressure and not with the machine that the nurses had been using.
"It's okay, Dr. Kent. I think I just dozed off and had a nightmare. I'm okay." Evangeline's nightmares were far less often than they had been, but they had a negative impact on her blood pressure. That and the pregnancy were cause for concern. Lily had referred her care to a colleague to make sure Evangeline received the best and most unbiased care.
"You are not okay. I can't let you leave here if your pressure doesn't come down. I know I've kept you waiting, but I'm going to give it another thirty minutes to see if your pressure comes down on its own. If it doesn't, I'm admitting you." The doctor looked over at Evangeline sternly. He wanted to put Evangeline on a low dose medicine to help with her blood pressure, but Evangeline had refused. Evangeline monitored it at home, and it wasn't consistently high enough that she wanted to risk any adverse effects to the baby.
"Doctor," Evangeline started.
"Save the arguments for the courtroom, Ms. Williamson. I've got another patient to see. I'll be back in thirty minutes." The doctor didn't leave any room for argument. Lily had referred Evangeline to him was because he was committed to patient care. He could be brutally honest, which meant he didn't have the best bedside manor.
John followed after the doctor to question him further outside of Evangeline's presence. "Excuse me." John cornered him in a secluded area. "I had some questions about Evangeline Williamson. I'm her," John fumbled not knowing what to call himself.
"Mr. McBain, I presume. The child's father. How can I help you?" The doctor stared at him impatiently. He was way behind schedule and even these few minutes would further contribute to his patient's wait times.
"Yes. I'm just curious about her blood pressure. Is it really that big of an issue?" John would keep it brief. He wanted to get back to Evangeline. If anything else happened, he at least wanted to be there.
"It's a life-threatening issue. Evangeline has a lot working against her. She has a family history of heart disease, she works in a highly stressful position that probably contributes to her high blood pressure, and this pregnancy is also contributing to that as well. The pregnancy seems to have been the trigger and most likely her blood pressure will return to normal afterward."
"She's due in a couple of months." John stressed how short of a time period they were talking about.
"To be blunt, she could die in those two months. Her and the baby. High blood pressure can be a silent killer as your organs are over worked. Your kidneys can fail. It can bring on other forms of heart disease. It can lead to stokes or death. Evangeline is doing well in controlling her diet and maintaining a rigorous workout routine. She controls her sodium intake and drinks plenty of water. She's just got to reduce her stress and rest more. Anything you can do to facilitate that will benefit your child and Ms. Williamson."
"Thank you, doctor." John had heard enough. He knew what he needed to do. He wouldn't allow anyone, including himself, to hurt Evangeline any further.
Luckily, Evangeline's blood pressure came down considerably in those thirty minutes. She agreed to continue her daily monitoring and to further reduce her workload. The rest of her checkup was successful as well.
"I'm going to assume that you're headed home now." John stepped off the elevator behind Evangeline. He would throw a fit if she tried to head back to work after the scare she'd just given him.
"No, I'm going to go over a few contracts at home, but that's it." Evangeline looked up at the setting sun. "Dammit." She pulled out her phone and check the time. She had a couple of missed calls from Layla and a text message.
"What's up?" John paused at her outburst.
"My car is in the shop. Layla was supposed to pick me up, but since things ran late she had to head in to work." Evangeline sighed at her bad luck.
"I'll take you home." John gave her a look that stopped her from objecting. "You need to stop anywhere along the way?"
"No." Evangeline followed behind him now. On the spot, she couldn't think of a way to reassure him that he was okay. She would have to let him see with his own eyes that she was okay.
John automatically started to drive towards Evangeline's old apartment building, and she had to correct him. "You're headed the wrong way. I moved, remember?"
"Oh? I just assumed you got a bigger place in the same building." John looked over at her as he waited for her to fill him in.
"Yeah, I live out towards the edge of the city limits now. I bought a house out there." Evangeline stared out the window. She wasn't prepared to have John over just yet. There were still some needed repairs and the yard was a complete mess. Evangeline punched the address into his GPS so that he wouldn't be distracted while driving. In rush hour traffic they were looking at a thirty-minute travel time.
"Bought a house? Congrats." John smiled that she had of course done the responsible thing. For now, John's place at the Angel's Square Motel would be fine, but he'd need a bigger place as the baby grew older. "Never been a fan of the suburbs myself. These long commutes make me kind of restless."
"Figures." Evangeline had done a lot of careful research before buying. She could have bought a house closer to central Llanview, but the price wasn't worth it in her opinion. Outside of rush hour traffic, she was fifteen minutes away from her office. That was good enough for her.
John changed the topic because Evangeline sounded annoyed. He wasn't exactly changing it to a safe topic though. "So, do you have nightmares often? I mean, you were completely spooked before you came out of it."
"Very rarely these days. I think I just got too hot." Evangeline got chills just thinking about it. It was always the same nightmare. Her being tied to the stake and John rescuing Natalie first. Except in her dreams, John didn't rescue her at all. He'd watch her burn as he held Natalie in his arms.
"Guess things change. You used to keep it hot enough in your apartment." John tried to lighten the mood. He glanced over at her and she looked sad. He'd missed something.
"Almost being burned alive. That's not something that you forget about easily." Evangeline chose not to dwell on it. The last thing she wanted was to throw a pity party for herself.
John swallowed hard and nodded. He felt stupid that she had to spell it out for him. Natalie too had nightmares about that incident. That he convinced himself that Evangeline would overcome that tragedy on her own was evidence of his refusal to recognize her needs. There was no use in apologizing now. "Anything I can do to help?" John had to make the offer even if he knew she would refuse it.
Evangeline mustered a smile. "I'm okay. Probably all the stress of today took more of a toll than I expected." She appreciated John's offer even if she didn't think it was sincere.
John smiled inwardly hoping that they'd made a little progress. "So, I've been thinking." Evangeline looked over at him when his tone changed. "Think about baby names and all. Probably would be a little easier if I knew whether we are having a boy or a girl." John couldn't hide his smile this time.
"Oh, I sent that paperwork over to your lawyer. It's the first sonogram and the results of my amnio. I figured Michael could help you figure it out." Evangeline smiled too. Layla had insisted that the baby was a girl. Her mother insisted it was a boy. "If you do find out, please keep it to yourself. I want to be surprised."
"I wouldn't have guessed that. I guess I'll be surprised too. If I tell Mike or mom, it will make it's way back to you soon enough." John was happy to see Evangeline smile again. He knew it would take more effort than just this before they were on better terms, but this was a good start. After he was finished with Evangeline, he committed himself to addressing a couple of issues tonight.
John walked up the stairs of Llanfair and had to suppress a smile. He'd spent a few pleasant hours with Evangeline. She missed a delivery and assembly appointment, and instead of them taking the merchandise back to the warehouse it was left on her front porch. Evangeline had a dolly, so John was able to get it inside and up the stairs on his own. Then they spent a couple of hours assembling it. Them working together just felt right. If there was any change of maintaining that peace, John needed to be here to set Natalie straight.
He rang the doorbell and was greeted by one of the many maids who was employed as staff. She offered John refreshments than he declined. Then she was off to retrieve Natalie. He walked around the sitting room and gathered his thoughts.
"John, you're here." Natalie tried not to appear too excited. All of her efforts had really paid off.
John turned and looked at her. It had only been a couple of days since he'd seen her last, but she looked completely different to him. The rose-tinted glasses had finally been removed and he could see her for what she really was. "Yeah. We need to talk."
"I agree. I know you're probably pissed at me, but I thought I was doing you a favor. I thought Evangeline was going to keep the baby from you. I knew that would kill you, so I did what I thought would help you." Natalie reasoned it all out so it sounded logical. It was much better than telling John what her true motives were.
"You being there didn't change anything. Evangeline never wanted to keep the baby from me. Whatever anyone told you or you thought you heard was wrong." John's hands were in his pockets as he continued to observe her.
"Well, I'm sorry John. I still care about you and it's instinct for me to try and help you out." Natalie huffed when John didn't immediately accept her first excuse.
"Were you trying to help me when you attacked Evangeline at the station?" John stared at her angrily.
"Yes! I mean, Evangeline got me all worked up on purpose. I lost my temper, but I didn't do anything to hurt her." Natalie rolled her eyes and looked away. Even this was a trick to draw John in.
"You had to be restrained. What would you have done to her if someone hadn't been there to stop you?" John shouted at her, but still kept his distance. He wanted to shake some sense into her, but any physical contact was off limits.
Natalie mustered a few tears. "I'm sorry if you don't believe me, but I wouldn't have hurt her. I was just upset. She told me that I'm not allowed anywhere near your baby. That's what the custody thing was about. She claims it wasn't even her idea."
John was impressed at Evangeline's clever denial. Natalie's exclusion from their child's life hadn't been her idea, but it had been her lawyer's. If John told Natalie the truth, that would weaken Evangeline's previous statement. It would probably endear Natalie to him further. "Our custody arrangement wasn't about you, but you're right. There is a clause that you are not to have any contact with our child." John wanted to look away, but he maintained eye contact with her.
"That's a low blow John. I would never hurt your baby. She's just doing this to control you." Natalie actually believed her words.
John didn't think she'd ever intentionally hurt the baby, but he had to recognize that Natalie was dangerous. She could be careless and that could lead to the child getting hurt. Regardless of intentions, John wasn't willing to risk it and neither was Evangeline. "Evangeline's not trying to control me. The clause that you're talking about, you not being able to see the baby? She wasn't lying. It wasn't her idea or her suggestion."
With those simple words Natalie felt her heart breaking. If it hadn't been Evangeline's idea, it had to have been John's. Now her tears were sincere. She looked at John as if she'd never known him at all. "Okay, stupid me. I get it, John. I'll stay away from your baby and I'll stay away from you!"
John nodded knowing that he'd finally gotten his point across. He could have done it in a kinder way, but that hadn't worked in the past. This time for sure she'd gotten the message. Now John was one step closer to mending his friendship with Evangeline.