Chapter Four

Veronica heard her phone ringing and listening to her dad said "Are you serious, Dick's doctor was one of the people that Mr. Casablancas conned."

"Yes, I found his name on the original list, not the updated one that the Treasury department has. I did some checking; Dick's doctor invested almost fifty thousand dollars."

"Why is he treating Dick?" Veronica asked.

"Better question is why when he was on the original list is he now off the current one." Keith asked. "The Treasury department agent I spoke to said that several of the original investors did drop off. I looked we are talking about the Kanes, the Echolls, the Enboms, the Pomeroys and of course then Gants. I figured with Aaron's death, that debt became null and void. I spoke to Jake; he said that he let it go at Duncan's request. Mrs. Gant died and her grandson who inherited her estate did the same. The rest were similar stories, people who wouldn't miss the money and knew the boys. The only other name off the list was his doctor's."

"Who can't afford to just let a fifty thousand dollar investment go unlike the billionaires on that list, right?" Veronica said.

"Exactly, at first I thought that Dick Senior paid the debt so that he would treat his son, but why would he pay five times the amount and then there was something about the x rays you said he told his wife he purchased."

Veronica's brain was tingling as she went through the various reasons he would buy x rays. Mac's words about Dick sending his x rays to other places to be checked out echoed through her mind.

"Dad, what if Dick isn't… what if… what if he isn't sick?" She asked. "What does his father gain from it? I mean eventually Dick would notice if he didn't die. What does he gain short term from the lie?"

"I don't know. Still it's a reach, Veronica. I know that Dick has seen other doctors at the clinic." Keith replied.

"Maybe I am wrong." She said. "Still the money bothers me."

"Me too." Keith replied then he had a thought. Getting off the phone, he did some research and found that Mr. Casablancas even when in prison had the payments kept up on the long term life insurance policy on his son. "So, Dick is still worth more dead than alive to his father even if he won't inherit from him."

Dick looked and greeted Veronica's dad who handed him a copy of the insurance policy. He was quiet for a moment when he saw that his father had somehow managed to collect on Beaver's policy in spite of his having committed suicide.

That his reason for being in town hadn't been to bond with his older son like he had said; that no he had remained because he was in a battle with the insurance company and he had wanted to keep it discreet.

"Not a surprise, Mr. Mars. It's how my dad is." He said. Being told the other theory, Dick said "Well my dad knows how insurance companies work, he would have known that I would have to have a physical by another doctor if I refused treatment."

"Did he know you refused treatment?" Keith asked.

"No, at least he didn't mention it." Dick stated. When Keith explained his theory of Dick being healthy, the blond chuckled and said "No unfortunately that is the one thing I am sure of, I was sick before he even came to town. Kayla kept pressing me to see a doctor."

Dick went quiet then said "I know that you mean well, but in truth, its time for me to let it go, Mr. Mars. It gives me hope for a few seconds then tears it away. I think that is worse than having to face that I am dying."

"I'm sorry Dick." Keith said. "I will let it go."

"No, don't." Dick said quickly. Seeing the man's surprise, he said "I am sure you are right that my dad is up to something, I need you to protect Mac and if we do have a child, our child, when I no longer am around. I just don't want to know what you find about my health only to learn later it isn't true."

Keith nodded and vowed to protect Mac for him then said "Logan is at your place with Mac. Weevil sent him there."

"Mac sent me a text. I just don't want to face him, not yet." Dick said as he looked at his desk. "I didn't have a choice in when I talked to Mac, Kayla sent her a message, so it was easier but with Logan, I owe him my life, but when I talk to him I need to ask him a favor."

"Go home, Richard, those who love you are there." Keith said then added "At times like this, be with those who love you, it makes things easier."

"For me, things have always been easy." He said with a twist of his lips. "For once, I am going to make things easier for others."

"Go home." Keith repeated as he walked to the elevator then staring back through the door saw Dick lifting a photo from his desk. Shaking his head, hoping that the younger man did as he suggested, Keith himself went home.

Mac heard the sound of footsteps and heard Dick heading straight to the bathroom. Sitting up, she didn't turn the light on, knowing that sometimes its brightness bothered Dick.

When he returned, he stopped in his tracks when he saw she was awake. "Hey, Logan is here."

"I know I got your text." He said tossing his robe onto the chair by his bed and climbing in next to her. Looking at her, seeing her tear tracks, he said "I had a visit from Keith Mars that had me thinking. I'm sorry, I should have called."

"It is fine, Dick. It's not like we have a normal marriage." She said her face turned away to hid her hurt. "I asked Logan to stay in the guest bedroom."

Dick lay on his back, staring at the ceiling then said "He made you cry, didn't he?"

"No." She answered softly then on her side, watching him she said "Dick, we talked and he is right. I have a few things I need to tell you."

"Not tonight, okay." He said avoiding the words that he was sure were going to come. That she was doing this to honor her past with his brother, that she was so sorry for him but that she was having doubts. All of the ways that this could go wrong were echoing in his head. Looking at her, he said "Words hurt right now, Mac."

Taking that to mean he had had headache, Mac rested her head against his shoulder, taking some small measure of comfort in being allowed to be this close. When his arms came around her, she once again hid her tears, unaware that he could feel them.

Logan woke up to the sound of something distant. The sound of glass clinking had him getting up and heading down the hallway. Seeing Dick standing at the wall of windows holding a glass of something he was sure contained alcohol, staring at the ocean he said "I keep hoping that this is a trick to get me home."

"I wish it was." Dick said turning to greet his best friend. When they had done the typical manly hug, he said "It's not though."

"Yeah, I gathered that when I saw Mac. I was just thinking about the past recently and when she and I started our company. How you used to hang around. I thought at the time it was because of the subject, but no, it was because of Mac."

Logan saw Dick turn to look at a photo and went to look at it himself. It was of Mac and Dick but it looked to be taken in high school. "When was that? Where was that?"

"Elevator, that idiot had a photo of all of us together in the elevator, I just had the rest of them cut out." Dick said then lifting it said "It's a symbol to remind me that just because it looks like we are together we aren't."

"You fell in love with her, didn't you?" Logan asked. "During our freshman year at Hearst."

"I don't know, I just saw her, really saw her and instantly felt a huge amount of guilt at the idea of her when Beaver had loved her. I went to see her one night; called her his beard because I was so angry she seemed still upset over his death, that she could read me, read my emotions." He replied.

"I get that, wanting to hurt someone who knows how badly you are hurting but knowing deep down you aren't hurting the right way. It's fucked up but it happens. Hell we have all of tenth and eleventh grade as proof that I understand it."

Dick looked at Logan and said "I was so sure that I would have time to find out if it was real, you know. When I was told I was sick, given my options, I went to Neptune proper. I haven't been downtown in years. I let Kayla deal with that stuff."

"Heck, I live on a mountain top with barb wire fencing around it." Logan said. "It gives me solitude to write but it also protects me from my own heart."

"Veronica?"

"I think it always will be Veronica. Every time I tried to move on, Parker, Hannah to an extent, hell even Kendall was about her. I was sick of how nasty I felt when involved with the Kendalls of the world, yet hated how I destroyed the innocents like Hannah and Parker. Hannah got shipped off and from what I heard she ran away from home. Parker…"

"Wasn't the innocent you thought she was." Dick said then taking a deep breath. "You told me you never wanted to hear Veronica's name or Piz's again the last time I tried to tell you this, but Veronica wrote you a note, she sent it to Wallace."

"Let me guess, telling me to go to hell." Logan asked.

"I don't know what was in the note. I do know that Piz and Parker conspired to keep you from getting it. I overheard them talking junior year about it. Piz really, really hated you, man. Not just for the beating but because he knew that Veronica still loved you."

"Yet she left with him." He said.

"No, she didn't and that is the only thing I was sure of after listening to them. She left town for the FBI and he made it look like they were together in New York but they weren't. She was in Washington part of the summer then with Mac the rest of it in New York."

"It's in the past, Dick." He replied firmly.

"No, it's not." Dick looked at Logan and said "Do you have any idea what I would give to be able to change the past?"

Mac had come to find Dick, worried he might have passed out and instead heard him talking.

"I could have saved Beaver from himself. I could have prevented what happened to Veronica, to Meg. Beaver and Mac might not have happened because I would make myself get my head out of my ass sooner. She might never have loved my brother; she and I might have stood a chance."

"Dick you need to tell Mac what you are feeling." Logan replied.

Mac felt her heart breaking when she heard Dick saying "No, I would walk away if I thought she really cared for me. I won't put her through the same darkness that she went through when Beaver died. I won't. I just won't cause Mac more pain."

Tiptoeing back to their room, Mac sat down and faced that she would have to keep hidden her own feelings because she couldn't; wouldn't lose what little time they had.

Rubbing her stomach, almost praying she was pregnant, she just sat there and vowed to herself that she wouldn't press him, wouldn't force him to tell her what was in his heart. She would stay silent about her emotions.

Dick and Logan stayed up and watched the sunrise then when he started to suggest surfing, remembered his promise to Mac just said he was going to bed.

In their bed, his eyes on the almost constant tear tracks on Mac's face, Dick almost wished he was unselfish enough to let her go. While he kept saying that he was aware that all of this wasn't real, in the middle of the night, when he woke up and Mac was in his arms, it felt as real as anything ever had in his life.

"Dick?" Hearing the hoarseness of her voice, he just moved in closer and for his reward, he felt Mac's soft sigh as she rested her head against what seemed to be her favorite pillow, his shoulder.

When she moaned in pleasure, he gave a soft chuckle at his body's instantaneous reaction. "At least something isn't affected by my being sick."

Logan entered the station the next day and saw Keith Mars exiting his office. "I have perfect timing. I was looking for you."

"You are buying me a cup of coffee." Keith said as they went over to Java. "So, I gather you saw Dick and Mac?"

"Yes. It's almost unreal." Logan replied.

"I need your help, Logan." Keith said handing over the two lists. "I am not a PI any more so I can't go looking into these things. Can you use the shock of your return to talk to Casey Gant and Jake, find out about how they came to be investors with Dick's father? And if there are any other names not on this list, please let me know."

Logan agreed and put the skills he had gained doing research for his books to good use. After getting a list from his father's former accountants, he did some checking. All the major investors except for those whose children had known the Casablancas boys were still part of the group looking for their money.

A little more research and Logan went back to high school. Seeing Mr. Clemmons was still the principal, he was greeted with "Please tell me someone from the Board of Education didn't retract your diploma."

"No." Logan mentioned their old FBLA classes and asked what happened to the man teaching it. Being told he was still there, he went to speak to him.

"No, and the reason I wasn't part of the lawsuit, was that in spite of how much money I lost, it wasn't worth it." Logan took the paperwork offered.

"So you were told you would only get pennies on the dollar."

"Yes, corporate accounts would get the biggest percentage of the payouts. I just didn't see the sense in hoping and dreaming that I would ever get my funds back."

Logan looked at him and said "You do know that Beaver took what you taught him and used it to take his father down."

"I heard that he was behind what happened to his dad. That was a very troubled young man. I always expected his brother to be the one who ended up in trouble, yet. Dick came to me, offered to return the money his father had gotten. He was shocked when I turned him down."

"I have to admit, I am too. After all the trouble he caused in your class and you failing him." Logan pointed out.

"I only did that because I wanted him to open his eyes and realize that life was much bigger than Neptune and his experiences. When I learned about Cassidy, a lot more made sense." He said. "Those two boys, they were brought into this world and left to raise themselves with no real guidance and way too much money."

"That pretty much describes all of the 09ers." Logan said.

"Yes, but those two even more than the rest of you. You know a few months ago, a bunch of the local people his father ripped off was meeting at the Java when one member of the group mentioned that he thought that Dick's dad had cancer."

"That he had seen the man with Dr. Prosier from the oncology clinic. We all knew he had lost a large amount in the scam. Tom said that he was sure that the doctor would rather violate his Hippocratic Oath than treat Dick Sr. that he lost his house due to him."

"Prosier is treating Dick for brain cancer." Logan said.

"Dick isn't his father but I am still surprised, but you know what, I wonder if Prosier made a deal with him. Prosier dropped out of the suit later that week. It makes sense."

"Except that I can't picture Mr. Casablancas paying over money to save Dick. Not if there wasn't profit in it for him. In fact there is a reason for him not to save his son, he has a life insurance policy on Dick." Logan said thoughtfully then thanking his teacher went to leave only to be stopped.

"You know the effort Mr. Fennell and you put into your final project. It's a shame it wasn't there all along." He said.

Chuckling, Logan said "I'm a mystery writer now, sometimes I think back to how I thought I would never need Physics and want to kick myself. "

"See, sometimes your teacher is right." The man said then wished Logan good luck with his research. "What name do you use, if you don't mind me asking?"

"LA Lester." Logan responded as he went to meet Keith Mars, he was beginning to think that Dick's father was up to something with Dick's doctor that had his friend deciding to give up.

Sitting at the breakfast table, Dick saw Mac looking at a calendar and asked what she was looking for as she went back and forth between the last few weeks.

"I'm just looking it over to figure out my schedule, nothing too important." She said delaying answering because what she was looking for should have happened the day before at the latest.

"I heard you on the phone with Madison. The store sold?" He probed.

"Yes, dad was told he has to take it easy. I set up Ryan a college fund when I got my first payout from Body Works. My parents don't have any major bills so after they pay off the store bills they will be putting any funds into their future."

"What are their plans?" Dick asked as they ate breakfast. He had found himself eating healthier since Mac had moved in.

"Dad wants to travel once Ryan graduates. He has to get the all clear from his doctor but he won't listen to him about diet. Points out that he would get plenty of exercise bird watching and hiking like they plan to do." Mac said sounding exasperated with the man. "The thing is he is refusing to acknowledge how important diet is."

"How about the hiking, how can he do that?" He asked knowing that she would have done research on his dad's illness like she had his.

"It was a very mild stroke, the only reason it was noticed was that his doctor ran his annual tests a few days later. Dad had another mild stroke while there. It's a big deal but not a big deal."

Dick hid that he didn't like her parents were still considering going forward with their plans when Mac might need them but accepted that maybe they were going then because they wanted to be back when things were worse.

Heading to the construction site after breakfast, he felt light headed and kept it to himself not wanting to admit that he wasn't feeling that great.

Mac held her breath as she waited for her answer. Finding that the first test said yes, she took a deep breath and looked at the second. The second test said inconclusive.

"Okay, time to go see the real doctor." She said and drove across town to the clinic, hoping it was still there. Finding Carmen working there, they quickly greeted each other and got caught up on their lives.

"No more romantic entanglements for me." Carmen was telling her. Looking at Mac's wedding ring set, she said "Looks like you got married.

"It's a very long story but yes. Do you remember Dick Casablancas?" Mac expected sneers and was mildly surprised.

"Yes, you do know he paid for the kid's clinic don't you?" She said. "After what happened to his brother and other boys, he set up a non judgment zone so that they could go to talk about things, to get help."

"Yes, I guess I just didn't realize it was public knowledge." Mac replied. She had only learned about it because of Keith telling Veronica.

"Its not known to the general public but the school system knows who was behind it and I treat patients over there sometimes." Carmen announced. "Now why are you here, I mean if you are involved with Dick? I doubt you have to come to this place for free medical treatment."

"I just don't want to deal with the possible implications of the wrong people knowing before I tell Dick. We want a baby but if I go to be tested there, I might run into someone and this way, it would be anonymous."

"Okay, let's get your blood drawn then I will get the obstetrician." Carmen said. An hour later, a stunned Mac was breathing into a paper bag at the news she was definitely pregnant.

"Mac, are you okay. I mean, you said you wanted this baby." Carmen stated as she helped Mac sit down in a chair.

"I do, I am happy, I just, it went so, it happened so quickly." She replied with a blush. Calling Dick's office, she asked Kayla where Dick was.

"He had moved up his appointment with the insurance company's doctor to today after his afternoon appointment cleared." Kayla replied. "Do you want the address?"

"Yes please." Mac wrote down the address, thanked Kayla then impulsively hugging Carmen said "I have to go tell Dick."

"You know, Carmen, I seem to recall a handsome and bald motorcycle rider you once liked is free." She said with a smirk.

"Sorry but I don't think he has gotten over his crush on Mars yet." She said with a sigh. Seeing Mac's surprise, she said "That was always the theory as to why he helped her so much."

"I never saw it. I think that they are just friends." Mac stated. "You know, Logan is back in town and Veronica is coming to see us this weekend."

"That won't help. Not only don't I want a man who is crushing on another girl, I don't want one who only chooses me as a consolation prize."

TBC