CHAPTER EIGHT

"Guess who's got two thumbs and can start driving again?" Keith popped his thumbs up and pointed them at his chest, "this guy."

Veronica hid a smile, "it's not that I don't believe you, but…" She glanced at the doctor for confirmation.

Dr. Albers nodded. "Unless he's taken his pain medication, he can drive and he can increase his hours at work. Light duty, for a few hours a day and no more than three days a week."

"I'll make sure he doesn't overexert himself."

Keith frowned at her and Veronica stuck her tongue out at him. "That's very mature."

"The 'guess who has two thumbs' kind of mature? Or the wise beyond my years mature?" She wrapped her arm through his, "let's take this daddy, daughter act and hit the road."

They bid their farewells to Dr. Albers and left his office. "You know how my doctor's appointment went, are you going to tell me about yours?"

Veronica almost asked how he knew, but then remembered they shared a desk and a desk calendar. "I got to hear the baby's heartbeat." At the sight of Keith's smile, she asked, "what?"

"Your voice got all soft when you said that and your expression? Wonder and amazement, like when you were little and still believed in Santa Claus."

"Come on, I never believed in Santa Claus."

"Sure you did, back when you were five going on thirty. There was a week or two where I distinctly remember you writing a letter to the North Pole and baking cookies for the elves."

"Are you sure that wasn't you?"

He conceded, "maybe."

Veronica's phone 'pinged' announcing a new email. Skype date. Late tonight? Eleven your time. Wear anything or nothing, I'm easy. Love, L. She smiled at the screen, and then slipped the phone back in her bag. "I'm going to tell Logan tonight."

"Do you know how you're going to do it?"

"Haven't a clue." She kept practicing the moment in her head. There was the blunt, I'm pregnant; the coy, you're going to need to schedule leave time in April, paternity leave; and, the cute, taping the ultrasound in front of the camera so it would be the first thing he saw. They all seemed like good ideas for about a minute and then she changed her mind. What she wanted was something uniquely them, something memorable and something that wouldn't freak him out too much. Good luck with all that, Veronica.

"Can I give you some advice without starting another fight?"

"You're asking a hormonal, pregnant woman to promise to not get upset? What kind of drugs did the doctor give you back there?"

"I just don't want you to be disappointed when you tell Logan. The news might make him a little anxious, a little worried. You've had some time to think about it and get used to the idea. This is all new for him."

"So you're saying no over-the-moon, jumping for joy reaction?"

"I'm just saying let him have his reaction, whatever it might be, without you reading too much into it."

"It's like you don't know me at all." Veronica pulled up in front of the house. Keith climbed from the car. He was still moving slower than usual, but she was happy to see his progress. Each day there was marked improvement on the path to his old self. "I love you, Dad."

"I love you too and don't worry, it will be fine."

She waited until he was safely in the house before pulling away from the curb. Last night after leaving Parker, she'd taken a drive along the coast to think about the case. The news about Piz investigating Sacks' death was both disconcerting and logical. The only things Piz really knew about Neptune were the things he'd heard from her. What did she talk about? The rich getting away with murder, literally, and the corruption within the Sheriff's Department.

Need a story about corruption in order to land your big job? Why not use the headline hit-and-run accident of a Neptune deputy and imply there was more to the story than what was being reported. It was a great pitch because it was true. No one was investigating the "accident" as all the news media were calling it. There was not one hint of it being murder anywhere in the town of Neptune except in her father's living room.

This morning on their way to his doctor's appointment, she'd asked him point blank what his late night meeting with Sacks was about and he'd tried to change the subject. When she pressed him on it, he'd bluntly told her it was his case and he didn't want her anywhere near it. It was very familiar territory for the two of them. Him wanting her to stay far away from anything he considered too dangerous and her actively defying his requests. Just like old times.

Veronica stopped to get Mac an afternoon coffee fix and then headed to the office. Mac's back was to the door, her attention focused on the computer screens, "how did your Dad's doctor appointment go?"

"How do you always know it's me?"

"It's our psychic link." She turned away from the computer and took the latte Veronica offered.

"Oh, then what am I thinking now?"

Mac closed her eyes and place two fingers against her temple, "you are thinking, I wonder if Mac was able to get all of Piz's emails and find out about the life insurance policy."

"Wow, you are good." Mac placed her hand on a stack of papers thicker than War and Peace. "Are those just his emails?"

"Yes and I've already gotten rid of all the spam… you're welcome." She wrote something on a Post-It and attached it to the top of the pile, "name and phone number for the insurance company. Remember the Primerican Life automatic withdrawal on his bank account? It was the premium payment for this policy."

Veronica glanced at the note, the name Chris Holley and a phone number. "Will he talk to me?"

"To be fair, I didn't find him, he found you. He's the insurance investigator handling the claim for Primerican."

"Claim? I thought the beneficiary of the policy needed to file the claim?"

Mac shrugged, "He said Piz's mother called the company to report his death and get whatever claim paperwork she needed. I gather she thinks she's the beneficiary of the policy."

"Anything else?"

"It was a CIA sharpshooter on the grassy knoll and the launch code is 3, that's it just 3. They needed to keep it simple for certain presidents."

"Makes total sense." Veronica picked up the novel that comprised Piz's emails. "Guess who I saw last night? Parker. She said to say hello and to let you know she's back in California."

"You talked to her about Piz?"

Veronica nodded, "she didn't really have anything new to add, but she did say he called her a few weeks back. Do you think you could get her phone records?"

"I could…" Mac's reluctance was evident in her tone, but she turned back to the computer and pulled up a site with the familiar AT&T logo in the corner. "Can we say invasion of privacy?"

"We can say it; it's just not very helpful."

In her office, Veronica retrieved both Parker's home number and cell and buzzed Mac with the information. Then she scrolled through her contacts and found the number for the Ombudsman. This Navy stuff was all very new to her and more than a little overwhelming. There were support groups and chat rooms for Navy Wives, Navy Moms, and Navy Girlfriends. You could Google every question that popped into your head. Sometimes it was helpful and sometimes it scared the shit out of her. Her recent "how to tell your deployed spouse/boyfriend you are pregnant" search yielded pages and pages of advice. The one thread she found with helpful suggestions recommended that not only should you tell the Dad-to-Be, but also the Navy at large. Just in case. Those three words set off an entirely different search. You should just throw your computer into the Pacific, Veronica.

An older woman answered the phone on the third ring with a very chipper hello, which made Veronica smile, "hi. I'm calling for Dottie, this is…."

"Veronica Mars, Logan's fiancé."

Identifying what in that greeting surprised her most – being identified by name, her familiarity with Logan, or the word fiancé – was a tough call. Please Veronica, you know it's the fiancé part. She shrugged it off, probably Logan's way of getting her access to more help and information.

Dottie chuckled, "the caller ID gave you away, Mars Investigations, Veronica Mars, but I had you going for a minute there didn't I?"

"You certainly did."

"My son serves with Logan and he mentioned you might be calling. How can I help you, Veronica?"

That was a nice twist, an offer of help. "I need to find a place to live and I'd really like a house, with a yard." Once she spoke the words out loud, an image of her and Logan playing in the yard with their baby popped into her head and she couldn't dislodge it. Veronica gave her some ideas of size, location, and price.

"Great. I'll make some calls and email you."

Veronica gave her the email address. Now that the easy part was over, she was at a loss.

"Is there something else you need?"

"I'm pregnant."

"Congratulations! I'm so happy for you both. Have you told Logan yet?"

It was nice to hear someone be happy for them. "I don't know how much you know about Logan's past, but there was this website…" She didn't want to tell Dottie too much of Logan's history, because it wasn't her story to tell. At the same time, she wanted to make sure he received whatever support he might need while he worked through his fears about fatherhood and the ghost of Aaron Echolls.

"I was a Navy wife for thirty years and I'm the mother of three boys. I often wonder how I did all that without the Internet and then I think I'm glad, because it's all too much information. Do yourself a favor and stay offline for awhile."

"I will, but in the meantime can you send the news up the chain of command? My plan is to tell Logan tonight and I'm not sure how he's going to handle the news."

"Don't you worry; the Navy takes care of its own, including you and your little one."

"Thanks." They said their goodbyes and Veronica disconnected the call. Logan's commanding officer made a perfect choice when he picked Dottie for her role as Ombudsman. Talking to her made Veronica feel better and she regretted not calling sooner. It was nice to share her worries with someone who understood them.

She looked at the stack of Piz emails and wondered if she could ask the Navy to help her with those too. Mac put them in order with the most recent on top and oldest on bottom. As promised, they went back a little more than the six months she wanted. Veronica was reluctant to read them and Mac's "invasion of privacy" comment knocked around her brain. It was hard to know where the line was. When she was a teenager, it was easier to skirt around some of the bigger moral issues. Her pursuit of the truth and doing the right thing often meant an 'ends justify the means' attitude, which was harder to maintain as an adult.

This was Piz's personal life and not intended for public consumption. Plus she wasn't really sure she wanted to read about herself and the end of their relationship from his point of view. As a delay tactic, she sat on the floor and sorted them by person.

Some of the piles were pretty slim, quick emails with colleagues about work, or friends confirming plans to get together. The emails with his mom were a little thicker. Veronica read a few of those and guessed they were typical mom, child emails. Reminders about such and such birthday, making sure that he was doing okay, and asking about work. She came across one dated right before she left for Neptune and it ended with "send our love to Veronica and tell her we can't wait to meet her." She experienced a slight pang of guilt.

The two biggest piles were Wallace, no surprise, and Parker, big surprise. Parker's comment of "exchanging emails" was so casual; in her mind, Veronica had inserted the word occasionally before it. This was more than an "occasional" correspondence. This was frequent, consistent, on a regular basis communication.

Veronica systematically picked up each pile and double checked the dates. Each pile was the same, lots of emails at first, but then less and less the closer the date got to the end of July. Then once he was in Neptune there was hardly any correspondence at all. This was true for everybody in his life, except Parker. Her pile was the exact reverse. Few emails at first, but then they started to pick up in length and frequency the closer it got to the 28th and they continued to grow in size during his stay in Neptune.

Veronica clipped the other stacks of emails together and put them all in the bottom drawer of the filing cabinet, with Wallace's emails on top. She didn't plan on reading those until she talked to her BFF first. Curiosity be damned.

She took the pile of Parker emails back to her desk and settled in for some "light" reading. The oldest ones were generic, one or two sentences; Parker, heard your show on the radio here in Denver! Piz, loved those vacation photos you posted of France. Blah, blah, blah, boring, boring, boring. Veronica barely glanced at them until she was close to the end of June. The date of the email was shortly after their breakup and a few days after the accident that killed Sacks and injured her dad.

Dear Parker, I know this is out of the blue, but I seem to remember you being friends with a girl we went to Hearst with, Cara Murphy? She is the content coordinator of a new radio program called, Reveal, which is based there in California and I am interested in interviewing for a job with them. Are you still in touch with her? If so, is there any chance you could speak to her for me? Thanks, Piz.

Dear Piz, You don't remember Cara Murphy? She was in Dr. Kinny's Intro to Sociology. Didn't you take that class with Logan? Or maybe it was Wallace? Either way, you're in luck, unlike the rest of my crowd from those days, I am still in touch with Cara. Forward me your resume and I will make sure it gets to her. Love, Parker.

Even in the email, Parker sounded a little bitter about how things ended with everyone. Veronica never gave much thought to what happened at Hearst after she left. She vaguely recalled Mac telling her that at some point Parker went back to Denver. It wasn't immediately after Veronica left, that much she was sure of, but she couldn't remember how long Parker stayed before returning home.

She turned her attention back to the emails. It was interesting to her that Piz started looking for the job with Reveal so soon after their breakup. Did this mean that he was thinking about changing jobs before the breakup or was he scrambling for a job in California so he could come after her?

The next few emails were the sending of the resume, arranging the interview, and the promise of a thank you dinner. Again, from her conversation with Parker, Veronica assumed it was a dinner that never took place. Yet lo and behold an email told a different tale.

Dear Piz, Thanks for dinner. It was a lovely gesture and completely unnecessary. I am so excited that you will be moving back to sunny California. Is Veronica happy to be coming home? I'm sure she misses her Dad. Can't wait to see you both soon. Love, Parker.

Hmm, that was interesting. Lots of correspondence, maybe a few phone calls, and an entire dinner date yet no mention to Parker that she was already in California or that they weren't together anymore. It took awhile for Piz to respond to that email and it was the day before he flew out to Neptune.

Dear Parker, I am coming to California alone. Veronica is already out there. She went to help Logan and decided to stay. Needless to say things aren't going well for us right now. Hopefully that will change once we're in the same state again. Thanks for your help. Dinner was totally necessary. Talk soon, Piz.

Well that answers your question, Veronica. Piz was definitely coming to Neptune to win you back. Yet when he got here, he didn't let me know. Why? What happened between this email and his arrival to change his mind?

She marked her place with a Post-It note and clipped the Parker emails with a large binder clip before shoving them in her bag. It was time to get out of here. She needed something to eat and she needed to get ready for tonight's "date" with Logan. Plus if she didn't get home before Dick disappeared for his night of, whatever Dick did at night, she would be locked out of the house. Maybe it was time to ask him for a key.

"I'm heading out, got a hot date with some emails and dinner. Hey do you know of a toy store that's close?" Mac raised an eyebrow and gave her a suggestive smirk. "What are you channeling Dick? Not that kind of toy store."

"Well, Logan has been gone for awhile."

"Never mind pervert."

The toy store was a dumb idea anyway. She was going to buy an 'I love you beary much' teddy bear and use it as a prop in case she stumbled for words, but this wasn't that type of conversation. It would be so much easier if he was here. Well, you know that's not true.

Wonderful aromas emanating from the kitchen led Veronica in that direction. A woman she didn't recognize was ladling homemade Paella onto two dinner plates. In her late fifties with graying hair, she was wearing a uniform that reminded Veronica of a classic television sitcom. Leave it to Dick to have his maid dress like Alice from the Brady Bunch. "Richard isn't home so he asked me to wait for you. Are you hungry?" She didn't wait for an answer; she set one plate on the table and put the other in the oven.

"This smells amazing." Veronica grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and collected silverware before sitting down. "I'm Veronica by the way."

"It is nice to meet you Veronica. I'm Rosa."

"Thank you for dinner Rosa and for waiting for me."

"Richard said he will be home late and you shouldn't wait up for him." She picked up her purse and said goodnight.

Once she was gone, Veronica devoured the Paella and contemplated eating Dick's share too. She'd missed lunch, which was not a smart thing to do. The brochure from the doctor talked about regular, small meals and eating five times a day- skipping meals, not recommended.

She needed to kill time until her date with Logan, but she couldn't seem to concentrate on anything. She tried to pick up the Parker emails, but her thoughts kept returning to her impending conversation with Logan. The television didn't help, she found herself mindlessly clicking through channels noticing shows about babies, shows with babies, commercials for baby products or toys. By the time eleven rolled around, she was a bundle of nerves.

Her computer was on and Skype was up and running. The alert for the incoming call made her jump. Veronica answered the call and Logan's face filled her screen. From his expectant look, she knew he didn't see her yet. A moment later a wide grin crossed his face, "Hey, you."

It was so good to see him. His hair was a little longer than last time, which meant he was due for a cut and he looked tired. "I mailed you a present today."

"Well it can't be you since you're still in Neptune. Those naked photos we discussed?"

"In your dreams."

"Exactly." He gave her that sexy little half smile, "is it something good?"

"I think it is." She took a deep breath, "it's a picture of a baby, our baby. I'm pregnant, Logan."

"A baby? God, Veronica." Fear etched itself into his features and filled his eyes. He reached for the computer screen, "I want to touch you." His eyes closed and he hung his head.

"Logan?"

When he raised his face, tears were streaming down his cheeks. "I don't deserve you, or this. What if I screw it all up? I can't lose you or our baby." His eyes found and connected with hers, "are you happy?"

She knew his question went deeper than are you happy we're having a baby. It was are you happy with your choice to be here. Are you happy with us? With me? He was looking for assurances- a promise. Faith. "I'm very happy."

"Have you been to the doctor? Is everything okay? How do you feel?"

"I went to the doctor yesterday." She held the ultrasound up to the camera. His expression made her breath catch. The only word to describe it was awe.

"She looks just like her mother, tiny, petite, and right now, a little fuzzy."

"She?"

"Most definitely."