Summer Joy by Nicky
Table of Contents [Report This]
Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Disclaimer - Not my characters. Just using them for fun.
Summer Joy
By Nicky
Chapter 13
*****************
The sunlight streams through the curtains, waking Jarod. He pulls the warm body closer to him, burying his nose at the back of her neck.
"Mmm. Morning Sunshine," he teases, knowing that she always responds to this greeting with a playful elbow jab to his ribs.
"Good morning, my love."
Jarod stiffens upon hearing the voice. It's not Miss Parker's voice. He looks down and sees a woman with Miss Parker's hair wearing Miss Parker's nightgown and is confused. He pulls away slowly and gets out of the bed, throwing his rarely used robe on over his boxers. The body in his bed rolls over and he allows a shocking gasp to leave his lungs.
"Kristen? Wh-what are you doing here?" he stutters, tying his robe tighter.
"I heard screaming," she claims. "When it didn't stop, I came over to check on you and Summer. I'm sorry if I startled you."
"How did you get in the bed with me?" he asks, still confused at this strange woman's actions.
"Like I said, I was checking on you. When you felt me hovering over you, you pu-pulled me down into the bed. You wouldn't let me up." She squeezes out a few tears and lowers her head into her hands, her shoulders shaking as if she were crying. "I should have woken you, but I just froze. I was too afraid to move."
"Oh, Kristen," he sighs, closing his eyes in horror. "I'm so sorry. I dreamt about Parker coming to bed and I guess I mistook you for her." He sits on the bed and tries to comfort the sobbing woman. She goes willingly into his arms. He takes a deep breath, about to say something to her, when he notices the perfume.
"That scent. It's the same as Parker's," he says, pulling away from Kristen. He stares at her curiously, trying to figure out how he could have made such a mistake. But looking at her now, it's eas to tell. "Your hair. Your eyes. I didn't really notice the other day. They're like Parker's as well. What's going on here, Kristen?"
"I had one of those makeovers at the mall, Jarod. But when I did, I didn't expect my neighbor to almost rape me because of it," she yells defensively, forcing more fake tears down her face.
"You're right. I was out of line for what I did last night. I didn't realize it was you. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable," he apologizes. Her appearance is no excuse for how he treated her. He must have scared her to death last night with his actions. It's a wonder she isn't more traumatized, being basically attacked by him. None of this is her fault and he shouldn't treat her like it is. Instead, he offers to help. "Should I walk you home and help you explain to your husband why you were out all night?"
"Um, no. That's not necessary," she says quickly, scrambling from the bed. "Jimmy's out of town. He took Alexa to see his parents." She's glad she was able to make up a story on the spot like that. She never thought he'd ask the questions he's asking. But she knows she'd seem like a monster if he knew she left Alexa home alone all night.
"Really? Summer told me she had a play date with Alexa yesterday."
"They left last night, after Summer came over," she explains. "Listen, I'm kind of uncomfortable here. I'd like to leave now."
"Oh, of course," he nods. "I'll walk you out." He escorts her from the bedroom and barely notices her going to the back door instead of the front door. It makes sense, though. The neighbors would have much to say about seeing her leave his house in just her nightclothes.
"Sorry again about the confusion," he apologizes again. "If there's anything I can do to make it up to you, just let me know."
"Jarod, I told you I was here to help you. I know Parker's out of town. You just let me know if there's anything I can do for *you*. Maybe I can watch Summer for you while you go to work today," she offers.
"I had actually planned on taking her," he starts. "But it might not be a bad idea if she stayed with you. You really don't mind?"
"Of course not. With Alexa gone with her Daddy, it'll be so quiet around the house. I didn't plan on doing much today anyway. I just had a few errands to run. I'm sure she won't mind going with me."
"No. She loves going for rides," he smiles. "Okay, if you really don't mind, I'll get her dressed and drop her off on my way to work."
"That's perfect. See you later, Jarod," she says, surprising him with a kiss on his cheek.
"See you later, Kristen," he says, unable to hide his flinch and trying hard not to wipe his cheek off. She flashes him another smile before running across the yard to her own back door.
The woman is definitely strange. But she's never been anything but nice to him. Especially after this morning. He probably could have been facing criminal charges if she hadn't decided to forgive him for grabbing her the way she said he did. And now she's keeping Summer for him. She's doing him the favor of keeping the little girl occupied until he can deal with Parker's absence. He just can't face the little girl yet. Not until he's heard from Parker. Not until he knows when of if she's coming back.
"Daddy? Where's Parker?" a sleepy voice calls from behind him. He closes his eyes and lets out a deep sigh. This is the very question he's been trying to avoid. Guess it's time to face the music after all.
"She's not here, Honey. She had to handle some things with her old job," he explains.
"She'll be back soon?" Summer asks. He bites his lip. This little girl certainly seems to know which questions he doesn't want to answer. He answers it the only way he can without out and out lying to her.
"Parker would never leave you for any longer than she had to, Pumpkin. You know that. But while she's away, I have a surprise for you. You're going to spend some time next door with Alexa's mommy. She's going to babysit you while I go to work."
"Do I have to Daddy?" she asks quietly, her bottom lip starting to quiver. But the girl bravely holds back her tears. "I don't want to leave you."
The look on her face breaks his heart. First she wakes up to find Parker gone. And now she finds out she's being left with a practical stranger all day. No wonder she seems upset. He almosts changes his mind about leaving her next door for the day, but knows he'll never get any work with her around. And he really needs to get some work done. Instead, he comes up with another solution.
"How about we make a deal? You go with her for a little while and I'll try to get done early. Then we can spend the rest of the day together. How does that sound?"
"Okay," she nods. "But don't leave me for a long time."
"I promise," he smiles, lifting her up into his arms for a quick hug. "Now go wash up and get dressed. We got to get a move on. The sooner I leave for work, the sooner I can come back to pick you up."
"Okay, Daddy," she says, squirming out of his arms and taking off for the bathroom. He can only laugh at how she never seems to walk anywhere. Everytime he sees her, she's running around from room to room. He can now imagine how Miss Parker feels having to chase him everywhere. But it's a chase he always suspected she had enjoyed. But maybe he was wrong. Maybe she doesn't want anything to do with him. Only time will tell. She knows where to find him now. If she wants to be with him, she'll have to come to him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Miss Parker looks at the clock and notices that it's midmorning. Jarod would most likely be at work now. She needs to let him know that she's okay, but she'd rather avoid speaking to him right now. One word out of his mouth and she knows she'd pack up and go right back to him. But she can't right now. She has to find her father first.
She picks up her cell phone and walks out to the back patio of Broots' house. She gently closes the door behind her and places her call. The phone rings a few times and as she expected, the answering machine picks up. She waits for the tone and then leaves her message.
"Hey. It's me. I, uh, guess you're at work. So am I. But you probably already know that," she says with a nervous laugh. "Listen, I'm really, really sorry I left the way that I did. I had to come, though. It's a long story, but I'll explain it later. I promise. We never say good-bye, remember?"
She lets the phone rest against her ear for a few seconds, trying to push away the tears threatening to fall.
"Jarod, I . . . I miss you. And Summer. I want to come home. Please let me still have a home to come back to. That's the only way I'll be able to get through this. Knowing that you and Summer are safe and waiting for me."
The machine beeps, cutting off any other words she might say. It's probably for the best, though. She can't afford to let herself get back into that frame of mind. Because if she did, she'd realize how her heart is literally breaking from not being able to be with the two people she loves most in the world.
"Miss Parker, we found . . . are you okay?" Broots asks, concern clearing showing on his face when he sees how upset she is. It looks as if she may have been crying. "It's not the poison is it?"
"I fine," she says, with a forced smile. "Syd checked me out and I seem to have gotten it all out of my system." She cringes, remembering vividly the method she had to use to purge the poisonous substance. If she never sees the contents of her stomach again, it'll be too soon.
"Okay," Broots nods acceptingly. He still can see that something is bothering her, but knows she won't tell anyone what it is until she's good and ready. "You should come back inside. I think I found where your father is."
"Are you serious?" She stands and follows him back into the house. They walk over to a computer and she watches as he types in a series of commands to display a building on the screen. "What is that place, Broots?"
"From what I can tell, it's another Centre annex. Kind of like Donoterase, except smaller and older. Not many people know about it. Which is probably why Lyle's search for him came up empty."
"Assuming he searched at all for my father," she says. "I have a feeling Lyle was just happy that both of us were out of the way and was worried more about trying to take over than to actually find either of us."
"Anyway, as you can see, it's not far. We can be there in a few hours," Broots says.
"Let's go then. And see what kinds of freaky experiments my father has his hands into this time," she sighs. She tries to make light of it. But the fact of the matter is that her father is at some secret, long forgotten Centre facility. And that can only mean one thing. That when she gets there, she's not going to like what she finds.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kristen curses to herself as the zipper of the pants refuses to go up any further. She sucks in a breath and tries again, to no avail. This is as good as it gets.
In her many trips next door, she managed to take a few items from Parker's wardrobe. There was so much of it, that she's sure the woman didn't even notice anything missing. These butter soft, lambskin leather pants were too tempting to resist. She knows Jarod will love her in them. If she can get in them, that is. Apparently, she has a few more pounds of hips than Parker. The pants makes her look stout instead of sleek. Stumpy instead of sexy.
"Yet another reason to hate her," she mumbles before reluctantly stepping out of the pants. She goes into the bedroom, ignoring the still form of her dead husband, and finds something else to put on. A pounding at the door startles her before she realizes who it is. She walks to the door and slips outside, not allowing a view into the room.
"What do you two want," she snaps at the two small girls.
"Can you play with us? Summer says her mommy plays with her," Alexa pouts.
"Not today. You and Summer play with each other," Kristen says, cringing at the headache forming behind her eyes. She wonders why she ever told Jarod she'd babysit Summer. The girl is so clingy and dependent. It's always something with her. She wants something to eat. She needs someone to play with her. She has to use the bathroom. Wah wah wah, all day long. She's more trouble than she's worth. Both the kids are. She'll have to reevaluate their place in hers and Jarod's new life.
"But Mommy . . . " Alexa tries again.
"Get away from me!" Kristen yells, startling Summer to the point of tears. Alexa just sighs, used to the cruel outbursts from her mother.
"Let's go back to my room, Summer," she says to the smaller girl.
"No! I want to go home. I want my daddy," Summer screams.
"Well, you can't have him," Kristen growls. "He left you here with me. He doesn't want you. Neither did your mommy. She's gone too."
"No! I don't believe you." Summer stubbornly wipes her face dry and stomps out the house. She runs next door to her house and tries to open the door. It's locked.
"Told you," Kristen says, an evil grin on her face. She reaches for the little girl and is able to grab the sobbing child. She takes her to her car and tosses her in the back seat, motioning to Alexa to get in as well. She slams the door behind them and gets into the driver's seat. She's had it with these two little girls. It's time for them to go. It'll be another loss for Jarod to endure, but again, she'll be there to pick up the pieces. Killing kids is always risky, but it's a risk she has to take. There's no way Jarod would accept her with Summer hating her the way she does. She's an obstacle now. And like all obstacles, has to be removed.
Chapter 14
*****************
Jarod finishes his work at the school and rushes home, not quite early enough for lunch, but good enough to spend the rest of the day with Summer. She'd probably be napping, but when she wakes, he'll make sure to pick fun activities to keep the girl's mind off of Miss Parker's absence.
Jarod gets to the house and goes directly next door to get Summer. He rings the bell several times before realizing that no one is home. Kristen mentioned something about running errands, he reminds himself and goes on home. Hopefully Kristen will see his car in the driveway when she gets back and bring Summer home.
He makes his way into the house, dropping his stuff by the door. He'll put it all away later, he promises himself. The light on the machine is blinking, signalling a message waiting. Without even hearing it, he knows it's from her. He rushes over and presses the button, her voice suddenly filling the silence.
"Hey. It's me. I, uh, guess you're at work. So am I. But you probably already know that.
He laughs along with her at her nervous attempt at a joke, then turning the machine up to easier hear her voice.
"Listen, I'm really, really sorry I left the way that I did. I had to come, though. It's a long story, but I'll explain it later. I promise. We never say good-bye, remember?"
Sorry, he thinks with a smile. A word he never thought he'd hear out of her mouth. She's actually apologizing. And explaining where she is. He can hardly believe it. She seems to be calling just to let him know she's okay. And to let him know that she will do everything in her power to get back to them. His heart soars at this realization.
"Jarod, I . . . I miss you," she says quietly after a few silent moments. "And Summer. I want to come home. Please let me still have a home to come back to. That's the only way I'll be able to get through this. Knowing that you and Summer are safe and waiting for me."
The message stops after that and he realizes there are tears in his eyes. The anger and confusion he felt after finding her gone has dissipated, leaving only a heart full of love.
"We'll be here, Parker," he whispers. "We'll always be waiting for you."
He dries his tears and considers calling her back, but stops himself. As much as he wants to talk to her, he doesn't want to endanger her. Right now she needs to stay focused.
Not knowing what else to do to keep himself occupied, he looks around the room and spots his running shoes in the corner. A quick run might not be a bad idea, he decides. He changes quickly, coming back to into the living room in just his socks. He walks over to his shoes and slips into them, bending down to tie the laces. His eyes land on a hat. Her hat. He smiles at the memory of her tucking her hair into it. It's such a relaxed and carefree look for her. Almost playful. Childish even. She looks, dare he say, cute in the hat. Of course, he'd never say it to her. He places it on his own head, feeling somewhat closer to her in it.
He steps outside the house, stretching thoroughly before starting on his way. He doesn't know where he's going. But after about twenty minutes of mindless jogging, he's not surprised to find himself at her spot. At least, he likes to think of it that way. It's the small lake she discovered one day. He pauses for a moment, allowing himself to enjoy the serenity of the spot. He can see why she loves it so much. it's so calm and peaceful.
Taking a deep breath, he starts on his return trip home. He suddenly has the urge to talk to her. Danger or no danger, he plans on calling her. If only to hear her voice for a few moments. Maybe to let her know that he'll always be waiting for her. It just may be the very thing she needs to hear right now.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Miss Parker looks down at her cell phone to make sure it's turned on. She halfway expected a phone call from Jarod by now. Unfortunately the phone hasn't rung once.
"Miss Parker," Broots calls to her from the driver's seat. "We're here." He pulls the car to a stop in front of a large gray building, looming in the distance much like the Centre. Only older and smaller.
"Yes we are," she sighs. "Let's go see what my father is up to this time." She gets out of the car, buttoning her suit jacket and straightening her clothes. The suit felt restricted and binding to her. She hasn't worn anything like it the past two weeks she's been with Jarod and Summer. She feels almost like a stranger in her own clothes. In her own life.
Broots and Sydney get out of the car and follow her up to the front of the building. They easily open the door, surprised that it's unlocked. They expected security to be much tighter.
"Well, that's one less obstacle for us to go through," Broots says nervously. He had downloaded several different security access programs to his laptop, anticipating having to hack into the system at this facility.
"That was easy," she agrees cautiously. "A little too easy."
"Let's hope the rest of our little investigation here is just as easy," Sydney chimes in. He barely gets the words past his lips before five armed men appear from around the corner.
"Miss Parker. Mr. Broots. Dr. Green. Follow us please," one of them says. He presses his hand to the gun on his hip to let them know he expects their complete cooperation.
"We seem to be at a disadvantage here. You know who we are, but we don't know who you are," Miss Parker says.
"You don't need to know," the head man says sharply. "Your father is expecting you."
"My father?" she gasps.
"Right this way, ma'am," the guard says again. He grabs onto Miss Parker's arms and leads her back down the hallway they mysteriously appeared from. She silently goes along with him, paying attention to the route they take in case she needs to make a quick getaway.
After making a series of turns, they reach the end of a hall. The guard punches a code into a panel on the wall and the wall opens up right before their eyes.
"Your father's in there," the guard says, motioning her to go inside. "Your associates will be here waiting for you when you return."
She looks suspiciously between the man and the path he wants her to take alone. Then she takes a breath, knowing she doesn't really have a choice. She needs to get to her father and she can only hope that this man is being straight with her.
"Go on, Parker," Sydney says, sensing her reticence. "We'll be here waiting for you."
She nods her head at him and goes on her way, hearing the wall close up behind her. Her nervousness multiplies with each of her footsteps that echo throughout the silent hallway. She reaches the end of the hallway and looks both ways to see which way to go. She sees her father standing about halfway down the hallway to her left, so she takes that path.
"Angel," he says, looking up at her when she approaches him. "I have to say I was surprised to see you on the security monitor. What are you doing here?"
"What are I doing here? I'm here to find you. But the question is, what are *you* doing here, Daddy?" she asks him in return. He looks nervous for some reason. He must have something to hide, she decides.
"I had something to check on," he says quickly before changing the subject back to her. "I thought you were taking a little break. What are you doing back on Centre business?"
"Lyle has convinced the board that you've gone AWOL, Daddy. They're about to appoint him Chairman in your absence."
"That boy is a spirited one," he says with a chuckle. "He reminds me of myself with all that ambition."
"Anyway, I just thought you'd like to know," she says coldly, realizing she's wasted her time. "You might want to get back to Blue Cove right away. The board wants to see you at the next meeting." She rolls her eyes and starts to walk away, disgusted that she even bothered coming out here. If her father doesn't care about Lyle taking over, then why should she? Because so many other people's lives depend on it, her conscience answers. She's here trying to retrieve her father because of the innocents like Broots and Sydney and Angelo. Not that her father is any better, but he's the lesser of two evils. It's better with him in charge than it would be with Lyle.
She sighs heavily and turns around just in time to see her father going into a room. Her curiosity gets the better of her and she follows him into the room, freezing in shock at the sight before her.
"Angel," he gasps in surprise. "You weren't supposed to come in here."
"Daddy? What . . . what's going on here?" She walks over next to where he is, peers over the ledge of the crib and stares into a pair of bright blue eyes.
"You were never supposed to know about this, Angel."
"Why not, Daddy. Unless this baby is . . . where did she come from?" she asks hesitantly.
"Angel, don't . . ."
"No Daddy," she yells. "Don't 'Angel' me. Tell me the truth. Is she another one? Another one you made from me and Jarod?"
His face turns a ghastly white color and he has a hard time catching his breath.
"Y-you know about the other one?"
"Kind of short? Cute as a button? Looks a lot like me? How could I miss her, Daddy!" Her voice has gotten loud enough to disturb the baby and she starts to whimper. Miss Parker instinctively reaches into the crib and gently rubs the baby's tummy until she's calmed down again. When she looks up at her father again, she has tears in her eyes. "Why, Daddy? Why make these children? What purpose are they serving?"
"I suppose you're not going to leave here without getting the truth out of me," he says quietly.
"Even I know that's too much to ask," she says, shaking her head. "But I can hope. So just tell me."
"I don't know where to start," he says with a nervous chuckle. He runs his hands through his hair before gently reaching into the crib for the baby. He gives her to Miss Parker, knowing that by the end of his story she'll want to kill him. She'll be less likely to accomplish that goal if she were holding the baby. "I guess I could start by introducing you two. Angel, this is Abby. Your daughter."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It's started again. She was quiet for a little while, but the crying has started again. And it's driving Kristen closer and closer to the edge. She spins around, taking her eyes off the road for a second, to stare coldly at Summer.
"Shut that crying up. I can't think with all that noise," she screams to the girl.
"Don't cry, Summer," Alexa whispers to the smaller girl, grabbing her hand gently. "Please be quiet. You're only making things worse."
Summer looks at her friend and sees how frightened she is. Frightened of her own mother. That scares Summer even more. Mothers aren't supposed to be scary. Mothers are supposed to be nice and loving and give lots of hugs. She suddenly wanted her own mother, or the only woman she's ever known as a mother. She wanted Parker. And she wanted her more than she's ever wanted anything in her whole life.
"Help me, Mommy," she whimpers quietly as she forces her tears away.
"Your mommy can't help you," Kristen growls, hearing the girls plea. "I told you that. Your mommy's not . . . "
Something in the distance catches Kristen's eye, causing her to lose her train of thought. She blinks her eyes a few times, not believing what she's seeing. It's Parker. Running like she always does, wearing that stupid hat that she always wears. Kristen's face brightens with a chilling smile. How lucky can she be? Here's her chance to get them all out of the way. She can kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.
Without a second thought, her foot mashes the accelerator all the way and soon the scenery outside is rushing past, blurred by the increasing speed of the car. She goes faster and faster, concentrating only on keeping the car on her side of the road. She quickly approaches the unwitting jogger. Just a few more feet until . . .
She feels a body thump against the car and has to swerve to stay on the road. She slows down and looks into the rearview mirror at the unmoving body in the road. A smile grows on her face at how simple it was. She is really getting the hang of this killing thing. That's two down and two to go. Both spouses are now out of the way. She now just has to get rid of the two girls. With all the practice she's had, it should be a piece of cake.
Chapter 15
*****************
Miss Parker stares in awe at the tiny form wiggling in her arms. She looks at the girl and can see the same features on her little face as on Summer's.
"She's beautiful. She looks just like Summer," she lets slip out. She's not sure how much her father knows about Summer, and she doesn't intend on being the one to tell him about her. But when she looks up at him, he seems to know more about the girl than even she does.
"I'm not surprised. They *are* twins. Identical twins."
"Twins? How? Summer's three years old. This baby is barely three months old."
"They were incubated separately," he says by way of explanation, although it doesn't really explain much. She still as confused as when the conversation first started.
"I still don't understand the how," she confesses. "But why don't you tell me the why. Why make these children?"
"Angel, this all goes back to when you were a baby, not much older than Abby," he starts. "After you were born, you had the requisite tests performed by the Centre physicians. They discovered you had rare antibodies in your body that cured a rare genetic blood disorder. You were a medical miracle. Unfortunately, it didn't stop you from getting sick a few years later. It was a variation of the blood disorder and your own antibodies couldn't fight it. You needed some outside help. We luckily found a child with the necessary antibodies."
"Jarod," she guesses. He just nods.
"He was considered another medical miracle. He saved your life, Angel," he tells her. "Anyway, it was decided that this opportunity could not be passed up. The possibility of combining yours and Jarod's antibodies was too tempting to ignore. They weren't sure, but they suspected that the ever elusive cancer cure could be the result."
"So they decided to create our children with the hopes of discovering a cure for cancer," she says, confusion starting to show on her face. "But researchers have been searching for that cure for a while now. I don't understand why the Centre would wait so long to jump on the bandwagon. Summer's only three. Are you telling me they waited until three years ago to do anything?"
"No. They started testing as soon as viable material could be obtained from you and Jarod, right when you both hit puberty. You see, all the researchers needed to run their tests were stem cells," he says quietly. But seeing the confused look on her face, he realizes she doesn't understand the implications of that statement.
"Big deal. Don't they just have to draw a little blood after the baby is born?"
"It's not that simple, Angel," he tells her, his voice beginning to shake as he reluctantly explains. "It used to be a very delicate process. Up until recently, the only method available to obtain human embryonic stem cells had certain, um . . . consequences. Extracting the cells always resulted in the embryos being . . . destroyed." The last word comes out in practically a whisper.
"What?" she gasps, suddenly unable to catch her breath.
"Summer wasn't the first. She was just the first live birth. They were able to collect the necessary stem cell material from her umbilical cord."
"The first live . . . How many others were there? How man were de-destroyed?" she asks as she fights to keep her tears from falling.
"Seven," he admits, unable to face her.
"Seven," she repeats. "Seven of my children they made, used and then just . . . discarded? Thrown out like the trash?" She loses the battle with her tears and they begin to flow steadily down her face as she grieves for the poor, lost, innocent souls. Souls of children that she'll never know. Never get to hold. The very idea is almost too much for her to handle. But she has to. She has to hear the rest of this twisted story, no matter how perverse.
"What happened to Summer?" she asks a few minutes later after she's calmed herself. "How did she end up away from the Centre?"
"After she was born, I made the mistake of going to see her. I instantly fell in love," he smiles. "It was like going back in time to when you were a baby. Despite what you may think, Angel, I do love you and I did everything in my power to protect you as much as possible all throughout the years. I wanted to do the same for Summer. So I arranged for her to be sent away, so she wouldn't have to grow up at the Centre like you did."
Miss Parker looks down at the now sleeping baby in her arms, trying to give herself time to absorb all that her father has said. She doesn't know what to believe and what not to believe. It doesn't seem like he's lying about anything. Maybe everything he's saying is true after all.
"So Summer's safe," she says finally. "No one at the Centre knows about her."
"Except for me. But I don't know where she is or how to find her. Which brings me to why Abby was created."
"Why is that?"
"It again goes back to when you were so sick with that blood disorder. We were so worried about you that we didn't investigate where it came from. Turns out you got it from me. This diseased lied dormant in me until about a year ago when I got sick. The doctors would have been able to get a cure from Summer, but I couldn't find her. There weren't anymore stem cells from her umbilical cord, either. So I did the next best thing."
"You created another Summer."
"Not exactly another Summer. But another child, yes. You see, Summer was a twin. An identical twin. But she was the only one brought to term. The other twin was preserved somehow for later use."
"Lucky for you," she says sarcastically.
"As it turns out, yes. It was lucky for me. Abby was born and I was able to get the life saving cure from her. She's served her purpose well. Her short life will not have been in vain."
"Her short life? What do you mean, Daddy?"
"That's why Abby's here, Angel," he explains. "She's dying. She has aplastic anemia. And without a bone marrow transplant, she can't recover. She got sick a few weeks ago. I came out here so she won't spend her last days alone. I at least owe her that much."
"You didn't bother to try to find a match?" she practically screeches.
"I did have samples of blood from me, you, Lyle, and Jarod tested. No matches. They say they have a greater success rate finding matches with siblings. But even then, there's no guarantee."
"What about Summer. They're identical twins. Summer should be a match."
"She is a match. But we don't know how to find her."
"I know how to find her," Miss Parker says, biting her lip at what she's admitting to her father. "But I'm not bringing her here. I'm taking Abby with me. You can arrange for her to disappear just like how you arranged for Summer to disappear."
It's not a request. She doesn't give her father a chance to refuse. She stands up and walks to the crib, grabbing the thick blanket and wrapping the baby up with it.
"She'll need to get to a hospital as soon as possible. They'll want to confirm the diagnosis before doing the procedure on either of the girls."
She just nods her head and brings the baby closer to her chest.
"Daddy," she starts, pausing to figure out how to say what she wants to say. "This may sound strange, but thank you. I'm pretty much . . . disgusted with everything else you told me today. I'm angry and probably in shock. Right now, I can't deal with half of what you told me. But what I can deal with now is the fact that I have two beautiful girls out of this mess. And I want to thank you for them."
With that, she turns and walks out the door, leaving him standing in the room all by himself. She quickly makes her way back to where she left the others and has to search for a few moments before finding the button to open the wall. She finds Sydney and Broots waiting just where she left them.
"Took you long enough," Broots says, looking behind her and seeing the hallway empty. "Where's your father? Didn't we come here for him?" He looks down and sees a squirming bundle in her arms and looks at her questioningly.
"Don't ask," she says, shaking her head. "My father is still back there. I need you to stick around, Sydney, and make sure he makes it back to Blue Cove. I don't think he'll be a problem, though. He's finished with whatever he came here to do." She pulls the baby closer to her chest, giving her a brief squeeze. She looks at one of the guards, letting him know she's ready to go and he escorts them back to the front of the building.
"And what are we going to do, Miss Parker?" Broots asks when they get back to the car. He watches her carefully get into the back seat, still holding tightly to her bundle.
"Broots, we've got some baby shopping to do," she says, laughing at the look he gets on his face. "Let's get out of here. I'll explain everything to you on the way."
The baby lets out a yawn and settles into Miss Parker's embrace, already seeming to be used to being there. Miss Parker is certainly getting used to having her in her arms. She doesn't ever want to let her go. She leans back into the seat, watching the little girl's face and wondering how she's going to tell Jarod about her.
After about an hour of driving, Miss Parker spots a Wal-Mart off the interstate and has Broots pull in. They buy a few necessities for the baby, including some diapers and a car seat. While Broots installs the seat, she decides to call Jarod. The phone just rings and rings. She's even more surprised when the machine picks up. Jarod and Summer should be home at this hour.
She leaves a brief message telling Jarod that she really needs to talk to him. But leaving the message doesn't ease her worry. She calls back a few minutes later, hoping that maybe Jarod was too busy with something else to answer the phone. But the same thing happens. The phone just rings and rings before the machine picks up. Instead of leaving a message this time, she dials in the secret code to access the other messages on there. There's only one other message besides the one she just left. But this message almost makes her heart stop.
"Mrs. Hamilton," the voice on the machine starts. "This is Nurse Sarah Morton from Lakeview Memorial Hospital. I'm calling to let you know that there's been an accident involving your husband, Jarod. You need to get here as soon as possible. If you have any questions, you can call me at . . ."
She doesn't hear the rest, the phone slipping from her now boneless hand. It's a good thing she's sitting or else she doesn't know how she would have kept a hold on the baby.
"All done, Miss Parker," Broots says, walking up to her. He notices the look on her face and is instantly worried. "Miss Parker, what's the matter?"
She doesn't answer so he reaches down to take the baby from her arms. That snaps her out of her trance and she looks up at him, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.
"I need to get to take me somewhere, Broots," she says shakily. She allows him to help her rise and walks to the car, placing the baby in the car seat.
"Sure. Anywhere. Where do you have to go?" he asks after starting the car.
"Home," she whispers.
"To Blue Cove?"
"No. Not Blue Cove," she says quietly. She allows a small smile to cross her face when she sees the confused look on his. "Just get back on the interstate, Broots. I'll let you know where to go."
"Okay," he shrugs, still confused. "You're the boss." He puts the car and gear and starts driving. He looks over at her and sees her staring blankly out the window. He still has no idea where he's going, but wherever it is, it must be important to her. With that thought, he adds a bit more pressure to the gas pedal and speeds up the car. Wherever she's going, she seems to need to be there. The least he can do is try to get her there as quickly as possible.
Chapter 16
*****************
Miss Parker stretches and yawns, looking at the clock. It's almost midnight. She and Broots just drove five straight hours to get here, only stopping once for gas and food and once again to change drivers. Whoever wasn't driving at the time handled changing Abby's diaper and feeding her. Luckily for Miss Parker, the diaper changing duties happened during Broots' shift. She's never changed a diaper in her life. But now it appears that she'll have to learn.
She looks into the back seat and smiles at sweet face staring at her in return. Broots starts to stir in the seat next to her.
"We're here?" he asks groggily.
"I just pulled in," she says. "I need to get her inside."
"A hospital?" he asks, looking up at the building they're parked outside of. "Why?"
"She's sick, Broots. My father says she has aplastic anemia and that the only thing that'll make her better is a bone marrow transplant. I came here because I know of a possible donor," she explains, leaving out the big details of the baby being her daughter. And Jarod's.
"The donor's in there? Is that why we had to come to this hospital?" Broots asks.
"Let's just go in," she says quietly, opening her car door and stepping out. She opens the back door and takes the baby from her car seat, rocking her gently to keep her calm.
"You're good at that," Broots says with a gentle smile. "You'll be a good mother to her, Miss Parker."
She freezes, looking up at him suspiciously. But she sees no malice in his eyes. Just understanding. Her look of suspicion changes to one of questioning.
"The way you look at her. It's the look that only a mother can have for her child," he explains, answering her unspoken question. "I can tell even without seeing her big blue eyes that she's yours."
"Broots, I . . . "
"No, Miss Parker. You don't owe me any explanations."
"But I do, Broots," she says. "And I'll explain everything to you. There's more going on here than you could imagine."
"With the Centre involved? I'm sure you're right," he laughs. "But don't worry about that now. Right now, let's get this little lady into the hospital so that she can hurry up and get better. Okay?"
She just nods, and with a smile, allows him to lead her inside.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kristen pulls into her driveway, checking in her rear view mirror for anyone following her. The streets have been crawling with police. Road blocks have been set up. They must be looking for Parker's killer, she assumes. She didn't anticipate all this police activity so soon. Which is why she still has her two little inconveniences.
She peeks over her shoulder at them and frowns at their sleeping forms. She can't kill them now and risk getting caught. But she can't put up with them for a minute longer. She just needs some place to stash them for a little while, until things calm down. Just like you do with dirty laundry you don't feel like washing, she thinks to herself as a wicked grin spreads across her face. Dirty laundry. She suddenly knows exactly where to put the girls.
She gets out of the car, leaving the sleeping girls inside while she goes inside and prepares for them. She doesn't realize until she comes back out for the kids that a car is parked in the driveway next door. Jarod's car. He's finally home.
"I'll be there soon, my love," she says out loud, another smile growing on her face. She's so excited she can hardly contain herself. But she still has work to do. And she can't go to him until it's done. So she hurries, dragging the girls inside and tossing them into her make shift prison down in the basement laundry room. Nobody should find them down there.
She goes back upstairs and checks out her appearance in the mirror before going next door.
"Jarod," she calls into the house. "Honey, I'm here."
There's no answer. She decides to go inside. She's able to easily push the door open, finding it unlocked.
"Jarod," she calls again. Still no answer. She sits on the sofa in the darkness, confused at the empty house. The car's outside. It's late. But he's not home. Where could he be, she wonders to herself. Where ever he is, he can't be far. She'll just sit and wait for him. He has to come home eventually.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Broots watches Miss Parker pace nervously across the waiting room. She holds a cup of coffee in her hand that he suspects has long ago gone cold.
"Why don't you sit down," he suggests. "I'm sure the doctor will let us know when they're done."
"What if I'm too late?" she asks. "What if she's too sick for even the bone marrow transplant to work? She's so little. Would she even be able to survive the surgery?"
"All good questions," another voice says. She spins around and sees the doctor approaching. "Are you Abby's parents? Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton, right?" the doctor asks, verifying the information in the chart in his hands.
"I'm her mother," she nods. "This is my brother," she says, pointing to Broots.
Brother. Broots frowns slightly, wondering why she even corrected the doctor. What would have been so wrong with him thinking they were married, he thinks to himself.
"Oh, sorry about the confusion," the doctor says with a kind smile. "I'm Dr. Cabot. I'll be taking care of Abby."
"How is she, Doctor?" Miss Parker asks.
"Stable. She seems to have been getting good care. I understand you know of a bone marrow donor in the area."
"Yes, I'll bring her in for the test as soon as possible," Miss Parker tells him.
"No hurry. I don't recommend Abby immediately getting surgery. Like you said before, she's so young. I'd like to keep her here for a few days to get her prepped for an operation. We're going to move her to her own room, so you'll be able to stay with her for as long as you like."
"Thank you, Doctor," she sighs. "I'd like that."
"Okay. The orderlies are about to move her now. She'll be in the pediatrics wing, room 405. You two can follow them if you don't know the way. I'll be in first thing in the morning to check on her. See you then." He smiles one last time before turning to leave. The door to the exam room opens and they see a small crib being wheeled out.
"Broots, I need a huge favor," she says quietly. "Could you go with her and help her get settled? I need to go check on something else."
"Are you sure? I'm sure she'd rather see you there than me. Why don't you let me check on this other thing for you?"
"No, it's something I really need to do. Just stay with her, please. I don't want her to be alone. I'll be there as soon as I can."
"Okay, Miss Parker."
"Thank you," she sighs, feeling relieved that Abby will be in good hands. She watches them disappear into the elevator before turning to the Nurse on duty at the admissions desk. "Nurse. My name is Parker Hamilton. I got a message that my husband Jarod was involved in some kind of accident. Can you tell me where I could find him?"
"Just a minute," the nurse says with a sympathetic smile, noting the fatigue on Miss Parker's face. She saw this woman come in with the sick baby and feels sorry that she has to deal with an injured husband as well. She types the name into the computer and has the requested information a few minutes later. "He's in room 718, ma'am. Take those elevators there up to the seventh floor and turn left."
"Thank you, Nurse." Miss Parker follows her directions and easily finds the room. She pushes the door open and gasps at Jarod's still, pale form lying on the bed.
"Jarod," she cries, shakily lifting his hand to her lips. "What happened to you?" More tears fall and she lays her head on his chest, feeling the rise and fall with each breath he takes.
"Mmmm," he groans.
"Jarod?" She sits up and looks at him. He appears to be struggling to wake up. "Come on, Baby. Wake up now. I'm here for you."
"Parker?" he whispers, slowly opening his eyes. He grins a huge, sleepy grin when he realizes he's not dreaming. "You're really here. You came back."
"Yes," she smiles. "I'm here. I came back. Jarod, do you know what happened?"
"I was . . . " he pauses to think for a while, trying to remember what happened. "I was running. I woke up here. Feels like I got hit by a truck."
"It looks like it, too," she teases with a teary laugh. She leaves him for a day and look at what happens. She almost lost him. She can't resist touching him now, assuring herself that he's okay. She strokes his hair out of his face, taking care not to disturb the big, white bandage circling his head. She touches him anywhere she can, just because she can.
"Missed you," he rasps.
"I missed you, too," she tells him as she wipes away the tears that just won't stop falling. "I missed you and Summer. Where is she?"
"Neighbor," he says, coughing a little at all the talking he's been doing. She turns to get him a cup of water from the bedside table, so he misses the look of panic on her face.
"She's with Kristen?" she asks him to clarify. He nods, starting to wonder about her question.
"What's wrong?" he asks when he sees the look on her face.
"Nothing," she lies, trying to paste on a smile. "I just need to see Summer right now. I missed her so much."
"That's not it," he says with another cough. "What's the problem? You're scaring me."
"It's Kristen," she says reluctantly. "I think she's a little . . . unstable. Some of her actions worry me."
"Like what?"
"Like . . . nothing," she sighs, deciding not to tell him about the poison coffee incident. It wouldn't do him any good to worry. There's nothing he can do from a hospital bed. "I'll just be happier once I get Summer. You get some rest." She leans over and kisses him, gently at first, but she soon finds herself moaning as he deepens it.
"Well, looks like at least part of you didn't get broken," a voice says from the door. A young woman with short hair smiles at them and walks into the room. "My exam wasn't *that* thorough, but thanks to this lady here, I can see your tongue is in proper working order."
"Just needed the right person to play doctor with, Doctor," Jarod says, causing a blush to grow on Miss Parker's cheeks.
"I'm Dr. Edwards," the woman says, offering Miss Parker her hand. "You must be Jarod's wife, Parker. He was asking for you earlier."
"Nice to meet you, Doctor," Miss Parker says with an embarrassed smile. It's been a while since she's been caught *making out*. And never with someone incapacitated and confined to a hospital bed. "Sorry about . . . what you just walked in on."
"Oh, don't be," the woman laughs. "I may be a doctor, but I firmly believe in the power of love to heal all wounds. Even his. Jarod was very lucky. The car that hit him was traveling at a great speed. He dislocated his shoulder and sprained an ankle, but we were more concerned about his head injury. There was a subdural hematoma, and we had to go in and drain the blood."
"Is he going to be okay?" Miss Parker asks, suddenly very worried about him again.
"He'll have to stay in the hospital for at least another day to make sure the bleeding in his head doesn't start again. But I'm predicting a full recovery. Just don't get his pressure up too high, if you know what I mean," she says, giving Miss Parker a knowing wink. "Don't get him too worked up."
"I won't, Doctor," she laughs. "I'll make sure he's a very good boy."
"Okay, then I'm leaving him in your hands. Jarod, I'll be back to check on you tomorrow. Let the nurses know immediately if you need anything."
"Good night, Doctor," they both say, watching the woman leave the room.
"So, I've been left in your hands," Jarod says. He reaches his hand out and places it on her leg, gently stroking it up to her thigh.
"But it look like it's *your* hands I need to watch out for," she grins. "I'm supposed to make sure you behave, Jarod. No getting you all worked up." She shivers when his hand travels a little higher. Forget about him getting all worked up. She's the one about to turn to mush.
"Too late for that," he says, wagging his eyebrows at her. He brings his other hand into play, reaching for her with it when he suddenly winces in pain.
"Jarod. Are you okay?" she asks, jumping away from him. She reaches for the nurse's call button, about to press it when he stops her.
"I'm fine," he says through gritted teeth. "Just forgot about the shoulder."
"You're not okay," she says, pressing the call button despite his protests. "Let them give you something for the pain." A nurse comes in immediately and she explains the situation to her. The nurse puts some pain killers in the IV, the results immediate.
"That should help. He'll be asleep soon," she says before leaving.
"I wish you hadn't done that," he says groggily, the medicine already starting to take effect. "I hate being under the influence of anything."
"It's okay," she whispers to him, kissing his forehead. "I'm right here. I won't let anything happen to you. Just rest."
He mumbles something incoherent as he falls asleep, his hand tightly grasping hers. She lays her head on the pillow next to his, watching him sleep. Until eventually, she joins him in slumber.
Chapter 17
*****************
Broots steps into the elevator and presses the button for the seventh floor. The nurse at the admissions desk said that she last saw Miss Parker when she asked for directions to a patient's room on this floor. That was over an hour ago. Something must have happened for her to stay gone from the baby for this long.
He easily finds room 718 and steps inside, surprised at the scene that greets him. His mouth falls open in shock at the sight of Miss Parker curled up on a bed, lying quite contently in the missing Pretender's arms.
"Miss Parker," he says quietly, reluctantly waking her. He can see that she's tired and needs some rest. But right now, he's more interested in her explanation for her current position.
"Miss Parker," he says again, this time a bit louder. He steps to the bed and taps her on the shoulder. That wakes her up. She sleepily blinks her eyes a few times before they pop wide open in the realization of where she is and who she's with.
"Broots, this . . . " She gestures her hand between her and Jarod, trying to come up with the words to explain. But her words fail her and she just shrugs.
"Isn't what it seems?" he offers as an explanation.
"No, it's exactly what it seems," she says sheepishly. "But it isn't the way I wanted you to find out."
Jarod picks that moment to pull her tightly against himself, nuzzling into her chest with his cheek. She turns bright red and rolls her eyes at the chuckle Broots lets out. After Jarod settles back down, she gently eases from his arms and tips out the room, motioning for Broots to follow.
"Remember when I said there was a lot more going on? Well, Jarod's part of it," she says.
"I kind of guessed that," he smiles. "I must say, I was surprised to see the two of you . . . like that. Any other surprises I should know about?"
"Yeah. This," she says, pulling a ring from her pocket and placing it on her left hand. She holds her hand up and shows it to him.
"You two are married?" He says, not realizing how loud his voice has gotten.
"Shhh! Keep it down." She pulls on his arm until they reach the elevator. They go inside and travel down to the fourth floor to go check on the baby. Once they get inside the room, she takes a seat next to the baby and reaches into the crib, grabbing the girl's tiny hand.
"Jarod and I are not really married," she explains, smiling at the way the baby's hand grips her finger. "This is all just one big pretend."
"So what I saw earlier, you two wrapped up together in bed, was just a pretend?"
"Yes. I mean no. I mean technically, yes. We're only pretending to be married. But things have recently gone beyond the quote unquote technical."
"Oh, so you two are really together?"
"Yes. No. I mean, not entirely in that way, if you know what I mean. We've just kissed a few times and . . . I can't believe I'm telling you this," she groans, covering her face with her hands to hide her embarrassment.
"Ah, the making out stage. No touching below the clothes, I assume." He tries to hold in his laughter, but doesn't succeed.
"Shut up, Broots," she says, but the warning lacks her normal bite.
"Okay, okay," he says, gasping for breath through his chuckles. "We don't have to talk about your sex life . . . or lack there of, as it turns out." Her face turns even redder and he can't help but laugh even harder at her. Normally he would be worried about his life at this point. But she seems different somehow. Changed. A kinder and gentler version of his friend. She's sitting there holding a baby's hand, for goodness sake. Definitely not the Miss Parker he's used to.
"I'm glad this is amusing you," she says, rolling her eyes. But she's not really upset. The situation actually is kind of funny once she thinks about it. And she's actually surprised that Broots has a sense of humor. She realizes that she's never really had a friendly conversation with him.
"I'm sorry," he says, trying to hold in his laughter again. "Continue. You were telling me about this so called pretend marriage to Jarod."
"Right. So anyway, Jarod came to me a few weeks ago asking for help with this particular pretend. We did it because we were trying to get custody of what turns out to be our daughter."
"This baby?" he asks.
"Actually, she's our daughter as well. But I was talking about another little girl. Her name is Summer," Miss Parker says with a proud smile. "Summer Joy."
"She's the donor," Broots realizes. "That's why we brought the baby to this hospital. Because this is where Summer is."
"Yes, except unfortunately, she's with the woman who poisoned me. This woman is insane. I don't know what her problem is, but apparently she doesn't like me. I just hope that she doesn't take it out on my daughter. I'm worried about her, Broots. She's just a little girl."
"Then let's go get her," he suggests.
"No," she says, shaking her head. "I can't ask you to do that. It's too dangerous. I don't know what's going to set this woman off. Could you just stay here with Abby and Jarod? Keep an eye on them?"
"This is a hospital, Miss Parker. They'll be fine. I think you're the one who needs back up."
Miss Parker looks at him and sees how serious he is. He would really do this for her. She always thought his loyalty was due to obedience. They worked together and he therefore had to follow her orders. But this is above and beyond duty. This is friendship.
"You're right," she relents. "I'd appreciate the help. You're a good friend, Broots. I don't thank you enough. But the truth is that I honestly don't know where I would have been all these years without you and Sydney. And here you are, helping me with my daughters, when you have one of your own to worry about."
"Debbie's fine. She adores you, Miss Parker. She'd have my head if I let anything happen to you. She understands me having to work a lot."
"But she shouldn't have to. Broots, this has to end. Jarod and I didn't have normal childhoods growing up. I don't want the same kind of life for our daughters or for Debbie. For the first time since my mother died, I feel like I'm part of a family. And I don't want to give that up. I'm not going to give it up," she says quietly, bringing Abby's hand to her lips for a gentle kiss.
"It's going to be a tough fight," he tells her.
"I know. But it's one I'm going to win. I *have* to win it."
"Of course you will," he says. "You're on the right side now. You and Jarod are an unbeatable team. You've been playing *Their* game for too long. Now that you and Jarod are together, there's no way they can stop you."
"I hope you're right," she says quietly.
"I know I am," he assures her. "Now, let's get out of here. I think you have another daughter I need to meet."
She smiles at him and rises from her seat. After pressing a gentle kiss on the baby's cheek, she quietly leaves the room with him. It's so late that she'll probably just take Broots back to the house and wait until morning to go get Summer from Kristen's place. She should be fine until then. Kristen has a child of her own. She wouldn't hurt either of the girls. Miss Parker has to keep telling herself that. She has to believe it. Because the alternative it too horrifying to imagine.
Chapter 18
*****************
Kristen wakes up when she hears a car door slam outside the house. She looks around groggily, wondering where she is when she suddenly remembers. She must have fallen asleep waiting for Jarod. That must be him outside. And here she is looking like a mess. She runs to the bedroom and digs through Miss Parker's drawer until she finds a nightgown to slip on. She looks into the mirror on the wall and smiles at the reflection. Like this in the dark, she looks just like Parker. It was enough to fool him last night into cuddling with her. But tonight she wants action.
She hears the front door open and immediately her heart races. This is it. The moment she's been waiting for. She stretches across the bed and calls out to him.
"Jarod, my love. I'm here. I'm waiting for you. Come to me. Come and love me."
No man can refuse an invitation like that, she thinks with a smile. He's so close she can feel it. Any minute now. She hears the footsteps get closer. She hears the knob turning. She hears the door creak open. She looks up, expecting to see the adoring gaze of the man she loves. But instead finds the barrel of a gun pointed at her, moonlight reflecting from the cool steel surface.
"Get out of my bed," a voice growls. The lights are switched on, temporarily blinding Kristen. She squints until her eyes adjust to the sudden light. When her sight returns, she gasps in surprise.
"Parker? What are you . . . you can't be . . . I killed you," she stutters.
"It takes more than a little poison to get me down," Miss Parker says. She storms across the room and grabs Kristen by the hair, dragging her off the bed. "And I said to get out of my bed!"
"Calm down, Miss Parker," Broots says, trying to calm her down. If this is the woman who has Summer, she wouldn't be any use to them if she were dead. And if looks could kill, this woman would be dead already.
"Stay out of this, Broots," she warns. "She tried to kill me earlier. She spiked my coffee with something."
"No, that was just for practice," Kristen says coldly. "Just for fun. Your real death was a lot more painful. I ran you down myself. I saw your dead body in the street. So you see, you're not really here. You're just a ghost. You can't hurt me."
"Really? Does this hurt?" She takes the hand holding the gun and smacks the woman across the face. She sees the look of surprise in Kristen's eyes when warm blood from her newly split lip drips into her mouth.
"You can't be real. You're dead," Kristen screams, suddenly very angry. "I killed you. I saw you out jogging and ran you over with my car. It was you. I know it was. I saw the stupid hat. So why aren't you dead?"
"What are you talking about?" Miss Parker screams back at her. "I haven't gone jogging in days. Unless . . . "
"Unless what, Miss Parker?" Broots asks nervously, his eyes widening even more when he sees a rage like he's never seen take over his friend.
"You psychotic nutcase," she screams, pressing the gun to Kristen's head. "You're the one who hit Jarod. You almost killed him. That wasn't me you saw jogging. It was him."
"No, I wouldn't kill him," Kristen swears. "I love him. We're supposed to be together. That's why I had to kill you and Jimmy and the girls. I had to get rid of the dirty laundry."
"Girls? What girls?" Miss Parker asks, feeling a sudden coldness run through her. "Kristen, where are Summer and Alexa?"
"You all were in the way of our happiness," Kristen continues to babble. "I had to get you all out of the way."
"Kristen, where is she?" she asks again, frustrated at not getting through to the woman. "Where is Summer?"
"Summer. Summer. What an odd name. What an odd child. She's so needy. So annoying," she says. She suddenly stops, closing her eyes for a few moments. When she opens them again, her entire countenance has changed. She looks almost childish.
"I'm hungry. I gotta go potty. I want to go home. I want my Daddy. Help me Mommy," she whimpers in a babyish voice. Just as sudden as the initial change, she changes back, face becoming cold and angry again. She stares into Miss Parker's teary eyes, a chilling smirk on her face.
"You won't find Summer. She's gone. Just like you're gone. It's just me and Jarod now. No distractions. And we're going to be together forever. And ever. And ever. And ever . . . " she repeats over and over, sounding like a broken record. She draws her knees up to her chest and starts pulling at her hair, yanking out small chunks without even flinching. Now in some sort of stupor, she rocks back and forth, still repeating her words.
"Kristen," Miss Parker yells over the babbling, but the other woman doesn't miss a beat with the rocking and chanting. It's like she's not even in her body anymore. Miss Parker grabs the woman's shoulders and shakes her. "Where's my daughter, Kristen? Answer me!"
"Miss Parker," Broots says, pulling her away from the woman. "I don't think she's going to answer you."
"Broots, she did something to my little girl. I have to find out what that is," she sobs, unable to hold in her tears anymore. "I have to find Summer."
"Look at her, Miss Parker," he says, pointing to the now drooling woman curled up on the floor. "She's snapped. She's not going to help us find Summer. *You* have to find Summer. You're a huntress. Do what you do best and find your daughter."
"You're right. I have to find Summer," she sniffs, wiping away her tears. She takes a breath, trying hard to get into huntress mode. "We first should check out Kristen's house. It's the only place I can think to start."
She walks to her dresser and pulls out a long scarf, tossing it to Broots.
"Use this and tie her to the bed. I doubt she's going anywhere, but we can't take any chances."
While Broots ties her, she searches the woman's discarded clothes for any clues. She doesn't find anything. Just keys. She sticks them in her pocket and waits for Broots to finish.
"Let's go to her house," she says. "Maybe we'll find something there."
We have to find her, she thinks to herself. She can't think about what will happen if they don't.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jarod sleepily blinks his eyes and looks around the room. The hospital. He remembers now. He had some kind of accident and was being kept overnight for a head injury.
"Parker," he calls searching the room for her. But the room is empty. He could have sworn she was there earlier. Maybe it was just a dream.
He sits up in the bed, trying to get used to being vertical again. They've kept him so drugged that he's barely been conscious. He's not even sure what's wrong with him. He finds his chart and starts skimming through it.
"Mr. Hamilton. What are you doing up?" a nurse asks when she pushes the door open. "You're supposed to be resting."
"Actually, my chart says I'm fine," he says, showing her the doctor's notes. "And I'm feeling much better. I just don't like all of the drugs."
"You still don't need to be up and around too much by yourself. Why don't you wait until your wife gets back," she suggests.
"My wife was here?" he asks. His face lights up with a smile and the nurse can't help notice how happy he is.
"She was until a few hours ago. Then she went downstairs to pediatrics to sit with your daughter."
"My daughter? Summer's here too?" His joy now turns to confusion and worry. What's Summer doing at the hospital, he wonders. He doesn't remember her being hurt.
"No, not Summer. It's the baby. I think your wife said her name is Abby." The nurse gets concerned when Jarod's face turns an ashy white. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," he says, covering his shock. "But I'll feel better if I can go down and check on my, um . . . daughter."
"I think that can be arranged. I'm sure she'll want to see a familiar face," the nurse smiles. "Let me go get a wheelchair."
Jarod pastes a fake smile on his face until the nurse leaves the room. After she's gone, he lets out the breath he was holding. He needs to find out what's going on. He needs to find out who Abby is and why the staff here think she's his daughter. Miss Parker gave them that impression for some reason.
"You ready to go?" the nurse asks when she steps back inside the room. She holds the door open for an orderly with a wheelchair.
"Yes," he nods, suddenly very nervous about what he's about to encounter. Who is this child? Where did she come from?
The trip down is short. He finds himself being wheeled into a room before he knows it.
"You shouldn't be up for too long, Mr. Hamilton, but I think both you and Abby would benefit from a little time together. I'll come check on you in a little while," the nurse says, smiling gently at him. He thanks her and waits for her to leave before getting up out of the wheelchair, hobbling on his tender ankle. He looks into the crib in the center of the room and peers inside. A small baby looks back at him, with eyes belonging undeniably to Miss Parker and a nose that looks very much like his own.
"She looks just like Summer," he gasps. He just stares at the baby for a few moments, contemplating her existence. Wondering why she's in the hospital. That question is easy enough to answer. He picks up the chart bearing the name 'Abby Hamilton' and flips through the pages.
"Three month old female . . . admitted last night," he mumbles. "Stats are normal . . . previous diagnosis of aplastic anemia confirmed . . . awaiting bone marrow donor."
He replaces the chart and goes to sit in the chair next to the crib. He assumes they brought it in for Miss Parker while she sits with the baby. A baby, he thinks to himself, shaking his head at the very thought. Another baby stolen from them. When will it ever stop?
As if sensing his mood, the baby starts to fuss, kicking her legs and waving her arms madly. She starts to whine and reaching her arms out to him.
"What's the matter?" he asks, surprised at her outburst, seeming to suddenly realize she's a living, breathing person who just might want some attention. "You want me to pick you up? I think I can do that."
He reaches into the crib and lifts the baby out, cuddling her into the crook of his good arm. She snuggles into his chest and sighs contently, pulling a fist to her mouth to chew on.
"That's my girl," he coos, not realizing his words until after he says them. But truer words have never been spoken. By all appearances, he and Miss Parker have another child.
"You're my baby girl," he says, smiling down at the child. She gives him a slobbery grin in return, offering her chubby little hand to him. He takes the small hand in his own, watching in wonder as the tiny fist grasps onto his thumb and holds on tightly. But it may as well be holding his heart. Because in that one instant, he finds himself so in love with the little girl in his arms he can hardly believe it. And he realizes there's nothing he wouldn't do for her.
"You're mine, Abby. And I'm not going to let anything happen to you. That's a promise." It makes him sick to think of her having spent even one minute inside Centre walls. He vows to himself right then and there that she won't spend another, not as long as he can help it.
Chapter 19
*****************
Miss Parker takes the set of keys from her pocket and opens the front door of Kristen's house. A ominous, cold feeling assaults her just as something foul reaches her nostrils.
"Ewww," Broots groans, practically gagging. "It smells like . . something died in here."
"Summer," she gasps, running throughout the house trying to find the source of the smell. She prays with each step she takes that she doesn't find . . . she doesn't even want to think of the possibility. Summer has to be all right, she tells herself. She has to be. She stumbles upon Kristen's bedroom and realizes this is where the odor is originating from. She just stands outside, her shaky hand hovering over the doorknob.
"I'll go in and check it out," Broots offers.
"No. I'll do it," she whispers.
She pushes the door open and a knot forms in the pit of her stomach as her eyes fall on a lump on the bed. She walks over and flips the cover back to reveal Jimmy's body
"It's not her," she sighs, feeling a mixed sense of relief. Happy it's not Summer, but she feels bad that someone is dead.
"We have to call the police and report this," Broots says.
"I have to find Summer first," she insists.
"Miss Parker, we ca- "
"No! I'm finding my . . . " She stops in the middle of her ranting, shushing Broots when he tries to say something else to her. She closes her eyes in concentration, trying to focus on something. "Did you hear that?"
"Hear what? My ears are ringing from you yelling at me," he says sarcastically.
"Shut up, Broots," she says through gritted teeth. She tilts her head, as if trying to hear something in the distance. Her eyes widen in shock when she hears it again. "Summer? Is that you? Baby, I'm here. I'm coming."
She takes off running down the hall, opening door after door until she's exhausted all the rooms in the house. But, she comes up empty. She leans against a wall, out of breath and out of hope.
"Where is it coming from?" she pants. She wipes away one hot tear of desperation that breaks free. "I can hear her so clearly, but I don't know where it's coming from."
"Miss Parker, I don't hear anything," Broots says gently, touching her shoulder to offer some support. "Why don't we call the police now. They can help us search the place. Maybe question Kristen and see what she did with the girls' bodies."
"No!" she yells, jerking away from him. "She's not dead. My daughter is NOT dead. I can feel her, Broots. I feel her little heart beating just like I feel my own. I hear her voice in my head calling out to me. Begging me to help her. She's saying 'Help me, Mommy. Please help me.' She's calling for me to help her and I can't even find her." The tears burst free again and she can't help but start crying.
"Shh," he says, pulling the now sobbing woman into his arms. "I'm sorry I said what I did. I'm so sorry. You'll find her, Miss Parker. You have to believe that."
"I want to believe it, but . . . "
"No buts. You will find her," he says. "Now, take a deep breath and focus on Summer. On her voice. Can you picture anything else? Maybe see her or where she is."
"I can't do this, Broots."
"Yes you can," he insists. "You have to. Try this. Think about Kristen. Think about what she said. Maybe she gave us a clue about where she left the girls."
"Okay," she says, taking a deep breath. "She was talking crazy out of her head. Something about us being obstacles and how she had to get us out of the way. First me and her husband. Then the kids. Called us dirty laundry. No, she said she had to . . . get rid of the dirty laundry." Her eyes light up with realization. "I think I know where they are."
"Where?"
"I'm not exactly sure where. But tell me something. We've been throughout this entire house. Have you seen a laundry room anywhere? There's got to be one in the house, hidden away somewhere. The perfect place to stick things and keep them out of the way until you can get back to them."
"Like dirty laundry," he realizes.
"Exactly," she smiles. "It must be where she stashed the girls."
Her determination renewed, she searches the house again, but still not finding it.
"Where is it?" she yells impatiently, slapping her hand against the wall. "We've checked the whole house."
"Maybe it's not in the house," Broots offers. He points to a door leading from the kitchen. "What's through that door?"
"It goes out to the garage. There's nothing out there. I checked," she says, starting to pace.
"Well in my house, the entrance to my basement is in the garage," he tells her.
"You think there's a basement?" she asks, surprised at the suggestion. "Let's check."
She goes through the kitchen and opens the garage door. She looks around and sees that the room is more a workshop than a place for the car. The room is cluttered with tools and paints, as if Kristen's husband was in the middle of some kind of project. But she sees no other doors.
"Like I said, nothing," she sighs.
"What's over there?"
She follows with her eyes to where Broots is pointing and spots some metal tubing coming from a hole in the ground and going out another hole in the back wall of the garage.
"I think that comes from a dryer vent," Broots tells her. "I just had to replace mine in my house."
"Which means there has to be a dryer down there," she realizes. "Check the floor for some kind of door or opening, Broots."
They both anxiously check around their feet for a way downstairs.
"Check this out," he says, walking over to a mat with a suspicious bump in the middle of it. Broots kicks the mat over to reveal a square wooden panel with a small golden handle.
"Open it, Broots," she says, running over to where he is and peeking over his shoulder as he follows her orders.
"A stairway to the basement?" he asks, not able to see down to the dark sublevel.
"Only one way to find out." She grabs a flashlight off of a nearby workbench and flips it on, stepping down the stairs. She reaches the bottom and feels around the wall until she finds a light switch to turn on. The room is now filled with the artificial light and she's able to see that this is the place they're looking for. Broots submerges seconds later and starts to look around.
"Do you think they're down here?" he asks.
"They have to be here. We've looked every place else in the house."
They continue to look around, opening cabinets and searching under piles of clothes waiting to be washed. Broots had just finished checking the small closet holding the hot water heater when he hears a cry from across the room.
"Dear God. No!" Miss Parker screams.
"Miss Parker, what is it?" he asks, running to her side.
"The dryer," she cries. "They're in there."
He looks down starts to feel faint at what he sees. A small hand hangs limply from the appliance.
"Stay with me, Broots," she yells, snapping him out of his trance. Before he knows what's happening, she's shoving a tiny, lifeless body into his arms.
"That's Kristen's daughter, Alexa. I don't think she's breathing," she says. He lays the girl on the floor and looks up in time to see her pulling another child from the dryer, her face turning white as all blood drains from it. "Summer's not breathing either!"
"I'll call 9-1-1," he says, reaching into his pocket with a shaky hand.
"Come on Summer," he hears her say as she starts CPR. "Wake up. Wake up for Mommy. Please, baby. Wake up for me."
"What's the address here?" he asks her when the dispatcher requests it.
"1411 Cloverdale Drive," she responds, not missing a beat with the resuscitation efforts. Her diligence is rewarded a few breaths later when Summer's eyes fly open and she starts coughing. She pulls the girl into her arms and hugs her tightly. "Calm down, baby. I'm right here. Mommy's here. Just breathe."
She continues to rock Summer, crying grateful tears as she feels the girl's tiny heart pounding in time with her own. She doesn't want to ever let her go again. Not even when she hears Alexa's gasps for air after Broots' successful CPR on her. Or when she hears the sirens in the distance coming to handle the scene. All she knows is that her baby is alive and safe and in her arms. And if she can help it, things will never be any different. Forget the Centre. Her life now is with her family. Her daughters and Jarod. She's never taking them for granted again.
Chapter 20
*****************
Jarod wakes up when he feels a hand stroking his cheek. He opens his eyes to the sight of Miss Parker hovering over him.
"Hi," he smiles, pulling her down for a gentle kiss. "Where were you? You look exhausted."
"I am exhausted," she sighs. She carefully moves his hurt shoulder out of the way and slides into his lap, snuggling into his chest much like the baby did earlier.
"Are you okay?" he asks, confused slightly at her actions. They've become more affectionate over the past few days, but even this seems strange for her.
"I am now," she says after a few moments. "Now that I'm with you. And our girls." She reaches her hand into the crib and caresses the baby's cheek. Not wanting to wake her up. Just wanting to feel her. He feels her smile against his chest before she says, "I see you met Abby."
"Yes. I did," he says with a chuckle. "I was beginning to wonder if I slept through a lot more than one day. I assume she's the reason you had to go back to the Centre."
"Actually, she wasn't at the Centre. And neither was my father. He's the real reason I had to go back. Sydney and Broots were worried about Lyle trying to take over in my father's absence. I had to go track him down. And when I did finally find him, imagine my surprise at also finding another daughter."
She takes a few minutes to explain as best she could the circumstances surrounding Summer and Abby's creation. She tells him about the others and about how they were just used for experimentation. She tells him about Abby's sickness and how Summer should be able to donate life saving bone marrow to her.
"Are there any more? Any more of our children we should know about?" he asks with a shaky voice. She can understand how he's feeling. She felt that way herself when her father told her the story.
"I didn't ask," she says. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking of questions to ask Daddy. I was still reeling from the fact that I was holding my infant daughter in my arms. All I could think about was getting her here so that Summer could help her. And when I get here, I have to worry about rescuing Summer from . . . " she trails off, mentally berating herself from letting that bit of information slip out.
"Rescuing Summer?" he asks, panic in his voice. "What happened to her? Where is she?"
"Calm down, Jarod. You remember what your doctor said."
"Parker," he says, warning creeping into his voice.
"No, Jarod," she says sternly. She jumps out of his lap and stands over him, crossing her arms in defiance. "Not until you calm down. I'm going to need you, Jarod. I need you to get better. I can't have you collapsing on me."
"You're right," he says penitently. "I'm sorry. But I need to know what happened."
"Kristen happened. She became obsessed with you. And she was trying to get rid of all the obstacles between the two of you. That included, me, her husband, and the girls."
"What do you mean by getting rid of you?"
She pauses, thinking carefully about what she's going to tell him. She knows she can't avoid telling him what happened. But she doesn't know how she'll be able to tell him everything that happened. Or even *if* she'll be able to tell him. She doesn't want him to have the nightmares she knows she'll be having just thinking of her child stuffed helplessly into a clothes dryer by a mad woman. It's bad enough for her to be stuck with that memory for the rest of her life. His guilt doesn't need that sort of image.
"Killing us, Jarod," she whispers, trying desperately to hold in her tears. "She killed her husband. Or at least I'm assuming she did. She never quite confessed to it. She tried to kill me. Twice. Once the other morning when she poisoned me. And then yesterday when she tried to run me over with her car . . . and hit you instead."
"Poison? Are you okay?" he asks, concerned about her. He reaches his hand out and pulls her closer to him, wrapping his arm around her waist. "You could be dead right now. I can't believe I came so close to losing you."
"Losing me?" she asks incredulously. "Jarod, you're the one in the hospital. She was trying to kill me and got you instead."
"Yeah, but she was trying to kill you because she wanted to be with me," he counters.
She sighs. Then laughs. He looks at her in confusion.
"What?" he asks.
"We're both so quick to take the blame," she smiles. "But neither of us are to blame for this. A crazy woman fixated on you and tried to kill me and our daughter to get to you. I mean, you can't help it if you're irresistibly adorable." She plants a kiss on his cheek. "And charming." She gives him another kiss on his other cheek. "And so downright sexy you make my toes curl just looking at you."
With a growl, he captures her lips in a hungry kiss, not allowing her to tease him any more. His hand takes a hold of her neck and pulls her face even closer, angling her head to allow him the deepest access. He can't seem to get enough of her. He wants it all and realizes that she's offering it all to him. She's completely open to him, and he can't resist immersing himself in her. Feasting on each moan and sigh she releases.
She whimpers helplessly at his relentless assault. She's amazed to find that he's literally taking her breath away. In her desperate attempt to get closer, she manages to shift around until her knees are on either side of his hips, straddling him in the chair. Their combined weights tips the chair into it's reclined position and she's able to stretch out fully on top of him. She feels his hand slide under her shirt and stroke the soft skin of her back as his lips tug urgently on her own, their tongues dueling frantically.
"Ahem," they hear from the doorway and reluctantly separate. They see a red-faced Broots standing there, trying to avoid looking at them.
"Come in Broots," Jarod says with a grin. "I didn't realize you were here as well."
"Sorry to barge in, but Summer's doctor is looking for you, Miss Parker." He keeps his head turned, still avoiding eye contact.
"Thanks, Broots," she says with a smile, amused at Broots' embarrassment. "I'll go talk to him now." She gets up from the chair, giving Jarod one more kiss before she goes. They watch her leave, almost skipping in her gait.
"I never thought I'd see the day," Broots says. "But she's happy. She's really happy here with you, Jarod."
"Good. Because I honestly don't see how I ever lived without her, Broots. I love her. I haven't told her yet, but I do. And I want her to be as happy as I am."
"Don't hurt her," Broots warns. "That lady means more to me than anyone knows. She's one of the best friends I've ever had. My threats may not scare you much, but if you hurt her, I won't rest until I make you very sorry that you did."
Just then, Miss Parker comes back into the room and sees the serious looks on their faces.
"What's going on in here, boys? You playing nice?" She looks suspiciously back and forth between the two of them, eyebrow lifted in question.
"We're fine," Jarod says. "What did the doctor say about Summer?"
"She's fine physically. They both are. But the doctor ended up sedating both her and Alexa to help them get over the shock from today. And while Summer's sedated, they're going to go ahead and extract the bone marrow to prepare it for Abby. It shouldn't be a painful procedure, but the doctor says she probably won't want to be awake for it," Miss Parker explains.
"It's good they're doing it now so she won't have to be sedated again later," Jarod nods, agreeing with the doctor's decision.
"You said they're physically fine. What about mentally?" Broots asks. "Summer has you and Jarod and now a new baby sister to help her get over the events of today. But what about Alexa? Her father's dead. And her mother is probably going to spend the rest of her life locked away."
"Actually she won't. Kristen's dead too," Miss Parker says, looking down at her feet. "When the police untied her, she attacked one of the officers. They had to shoot her and she died on the way to the hospital."
"So she can't hurt any of us again," Jarod says, not at all sad that the woman is gone. "She tried to tear us apart, but you saved us, Miss Parker. You saved us all. You're a hero. You're *my* hero." He takes her hand in his own and presses a kiss on the back.
"No one will ever accuse you two of being a traditional couple," Broots laughs. "But he's right, Miss Parker. You *are* hero. I had given the girls up for dead. But you found them. You heard Summer calling for you and you found her. It was weird, Jarod. I didn't hear anything, but she swore she heard Summer calling for her."
"It was like that dream I had that time. I felt more than heard her, I guess," she shrugs.
"I guess you two really are linked in some way," Jarod says, giving her hand an encouraging squeeze. "And it worked out for the best. You were able to find our daughter and bring her back to us. Both of them." They look into the crib at the sleeping baby and smile.
"A baby, Jarod," she says shaking her head with a little laugh. "Think we can handle it?"
"We can handle anything, Miss Parker. As long as we're together."
"You don't have to worry about that," she smiles. "I love you. I'm not going anywhere ever again." She leans down and gives him a kiss to seal her promise to him. The real vows could come later along with a real wedding ceremony to legally marry them. But for right now, she's married to him in her heart. And that's all she needs.
Broots stares at them, almost blinded by the love shining from them. He has a feeling his threats to Jarod won't be necessary. It's obvious he loves Miss Parker very much. He won't hurt her. He takes one last glance and slips from the room, giving them the privacy they deserve.
He goes down the hall into Summer and Alexa's room. The two girls sleep the peaceful sleep of the innocent. He quietly takes a seat between them, watching protectively over them. Alexa starts to stir and he moves closer to her bed.
"Who are you?" she asks, staring intently at him when she wakes up.
"My name is Broots," he says gently. "I'm a friend of Summer and her mommy. We helped the two of you today."
"Where's my mommy?"
"She's not here, Sweetheart," he tells her. "Neither is your daddy."
"They were bad people. They hurt me a lot. And mommy hurt Summer. I don't want to see them anymore."
"Then you won't have to," he promises. "You won't have to see them ever again."
She slips her hand into his and drifts back to sleep, seemingly relieved that her nightmare is truly over. The poor little thing has been hurt her whole life. Hurt so badly that she would even trust a total stranger like him.
"I'll take care of you," he whispers to the sleeping girl, a peaceful calm settling over him at his decision. It's the right thing to do. He saved her life. He feels responsible for her. And she has no one else.
"Broots?" Miss Parker calls to him from the doorway. She pushes Jarod in his wheelchair into the room, parking him next to Summer's bed.
"Just checking on the girls," he says sheepishly. "Alexa woke up asking about her parents."
"Poor thing," Jarod says, shaking his head. "She's all alone now."
"No, she's not," Broots says with a cryptic smile. "She won't have to be alone ever again."
Miss Parker looks over at him and returns his smile. She notices a light in his eyes. One that he only gets when he's with Debbie.
"You'll be a good father to her, Broots," she says as realization dawns, repeating his sentiments from earlier. "Because you already look at her the way that only a father can look at his daughter. The way Jarod looks at Summer and Abby."
"Looks like we're all getting our happy ending," Jarod says, pressing a kiss on Summer's cheek.
"Happy ending at the Centre? Didn't think it was possible," Broots frowns.
"We don't have to worry about the Centre," Jarod says. "I've been holding onto some information that will bring an end to the Centre as we know it. Unfortunately once the Centre goes, all of our answers will go along with it. Can you live with that, Parker?"
"What I can't live with is being without you or Summer or Abby. Jarod, we've lived in the past for too long. You and the girls are my present and my future. You're all that matter to me. Like you said, we can handle anything as long as we're together."
"That sounds like a yes to me," he smiles. "I love you, you know."
"You better," she warns, causing them all to laugh. Some things will probably never change. Miss Parker being one of those things. Jarod smiles and sighs. He wouldn't have it any other way.
The end.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
By Nicky
Chapter 13
*****************
The sunlight streams through the curtains, waking Jarod. He pulls the warm body closer to him, burying his nose at the back of her neck.
"Mmm. Morning Sunshine," he teases, knowing that she always responds to this greeting with a playful elbow jab to his ribs.
"Good morning, my love."
Jarod stiffens upon hearing the voice. It's not Miss Parker's voice. He looks down and sees a woman with Miss Parker's hair wearing Miss Parker's nightgown and is confused. He pulls away slowly and gets out of the bed, throwing his rarely used robe on over his boxers. The body in his bed rolls over and he allows a shocking gasp to leave his lungs.
"Kristen? Wh-what are you doing here?" he stutters, tying his robe tighter.
"I heard screaming," she claims. "When it didn't stop, I came over to check on you and Summer. I'm sorry if I startled you."
"How did you get in the bed with me?" he asks, still confused at this strange woman's actions.
"Like I said, I was checking on you. When you felt me hovering over you, you pu-pulled me down into the bed. You wouldn't let me up." She squeezes out a few tears and lowers her head into her hands, her shoulders shaking as if she were crying. "I should have woken you, but I just froze. I was too afraid to move."
"Oh, Kristen," he sighs, closing his eyes in horror. "I'm so sorry. I dreamt about Parker coming to bed and I guess I mistook you for her." He sits on the bed and tries to comfort the sobbing woman. She goes willingly into his arms. He takes a deep breath, about to say something to her, when he notices the perfume.
"That scent. It's the same as Parker's," he says, pulling away from Kristen. He stares at her curiously, trying to figure out how he could have made such a mistake. But looking at her now, it's eas to tell. "Your hair. Your eyes. I didn't really notice the other day. They're like Parker's as well. What's going on here, Kristen?"
"I had one of those makeovers at the mall, Jarod. But when I did, I didn't expect my neighbor to almost rape me because of it," she yells defensively, forcing more fake tears down her face.
"You're right. I was out of line for what I did last night. I didn't realize it was you. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable," he apologizes. Her appearance is no excuse for how he treated her. He must have scared her to death last night with his actions. It's a wonder she isn't more traumatized, being basically attacked by him. None of this is her fault and he shouldn't treat her like it is. Instead, he offers to help. "Should I walk you home and help you explain to your husband why you were out all night?"
"Um, no. That's not necessary," she says quickly, scrambling from the bed. "Jimmy's out of town. He took Alexa to see his parents." She's glad she was able to make up a story on the spot like that. She never thought he'd ask the questions he's asking. But she knows she'd seem like a monster if he knew she left Alexa home alone all night.
"Really? Summer told me she had a play date with Alexa yesterday."
"They left last night, after Summer came over," she explains. "Listen, I'm kind of uncomfortable here. I'd like to leave now."
"Oh, of course," he nods. "I'll walk you out." He escorts her from the bedroom and barely notices her going to the back door instead of the front door. It makes sense, though. The neighbors would have much to say about seeing her leave his house in just her nightclothes.
"Sorry again about the confusion," he apologizes again. "If there's anything I can do to make it up to you, just let me know."
"Jarod, I told you I was here to help you. I know Parker's out of town. You just let me know if there's anything I can do for *you*. Maybe I can watch Summer for you while you go to work today," she offers.
"I had actually planned on taking her," he starts. "But it might not be a bad idea if she stayed with you. You really don't mind?"
"Of course not. With Alexa gone with her Daddy, it'll be so quiet around the house. I didn't plan on doing much today anyway. I just had a few errands to run. I'm sure she won't mind going with me."
"No. She loves going for rides," he smiles. "Okay, if you really don't mind, I'll get her dressed and drop her off on my way to work."
"That's perfect. See you later, Jarod," she says, surprising him with a kiss on his cheek.
"See you later, Kristen," he says, unable to hide his flinch and trying hard not to wipe his cheek off. She flashes him another smile before running across the yard to her own back door.
The woman is definitely strange. But she's never been anything but nice to him. Especially after this morning. He probably could have been facing criminal charges if she hadn't decided to forgive him for grabbing her the way she said he did. And now she's keeping Summer for him. She's doing him the favor of keeping the little girl occupied until he can deal with Parker's absence. He just can't face the little girl yet. Not until he's heard from Parker. Not until he knows when of if she's coming back.
"Daddy? Where's Parker?" a sleepy voice calls from behind him. He closes his eyes and lets out a deep sigh. This is the very question he's been trying to avoid. Guess it's time to face the music after all.
"She's not here, Honey. She had to handle some things with her old job," he explains.
"She'll be back soon?" Summer asks. He bites his lip. This little girl certainly seems to know which questions he doesn't want to answer. He answers it the only way he can without out and out lying to her.
"Parker would never leave you for any longer than she had to, Pumpkin. You know that. But while she's away, I have a surprise for you. You're going to spend some time next door with Alexa's mommy. She's going to babysit you while I go to work."
"Do I have to Daddy?" she asks quietly, her bottom lip starting to quiver. But the girl bravely holds back her tears. "I don't want to leave you."
The look on her face breaks his heart. First she wakes up to find Parker gone. And now she finds out she's being left with a practical stranger all day. No wonder she seems upset. He almosts changes his mind about leaving her next door for the day, but knows he'll never get any work with her around. And he really needs to get some work done. Instead, he comes up with another solution.
"How about we make a deal? You go with her for a little while and I'll try to get done early. Then we can spend the rest of the day together. How does that sound?"
"Okay," she nods. "But don't leave me for a long time."
"I promise," he smiles, lifting her up into his arms for a quick hug. "Now go wash up and get dressed. We got to get a move on. The sooner I leave for work, the sooner I can come back to pick you up."
"Okay, Daddy," she says, squirming out of his arms and taking off for the bathroom. He can only laugh at how she never seems to walk anywhere. Everytime he sees her, she's running around from room to room. He can now imagine how Miss Parker feels having to chase him everywhere. But it's a chase he always suspected she had enjoyed. But maybe he was wrong. Maybe she doesn't want anything to do with him. Only time will tell. She knows where to find him now. If she wants to be with him, she'll have to come to him.
Miss Parker looks at the clock and notices that it's midmorning. Jarod would most likely be at work now. She needs to let him know that she's okay, but she'd rather avoid speaking to him right now. One word out of his mouth and she knows she'd pack up and go right back to him. But she can't right now. She has to find her father first.
She picks up her cell phone and walks out to the back patio of Broots' house. She gently closes the door behind her and places her call. The phone rings a few times and as she expected, the answering machine picks up. She waits for the tone and then leaves her message.
"Hey. It's me. I, uh, guess you're at work. So am I. But you probably already know that," she says with a nervous laugh. "Listen, I'm really, really sorry I left the way that I did. I had to come, though. It's a long story, but I'll explain it later. I promise. We never say good-bye, remember?"
She lets the phone rest against her ear for a few seconds, trying to push away the tears threatening to fall.
"Jarod, I . . . I miss you. And Summer. I want to come home. Please let me still have a home to come back to. That's the only way I'll be able to get through this. Knowing that you and Summer are safe and waiting for me."
The machine beeps, cutting off any other words she might say. It's probably for the best, though. She can't afford to let herself get back into that frame of mind. Because if she did, she'd realize how her heart is literally breaking from not being able to be with the two people she loves most in the world.
"Miss Parker, we found . . . are you okay?" Broots asks, concern clearing showing on his face when he sees how upset she is. It looks as if she may have been crying. "It's not the poison is it?"
"I fine," she says, with a forced smile. "Syd checked me out and I seem to have gotten it all out of my system." She cringes, remembering vividly the method she had to use to purge the poisonous substance. If she never sees the contents of her stomach again, it'll be too soon.
"Okay," Broots nods acceptingly. He still can see that something is bothering her, but knows she won't tell anyone what it is until she's good and ready. "You should come back inside. I think I found where your father is."
"Are you serious?" She stands and follows him back into the house. They walk over to a computer and she watches as he types in a series of commands to display a building on the screen. "What is that place, Broots?"
"From what I can tell, it's another Centre annex. Kind of like Donoterase, except smaller and older. Not many people know about it. Which is probably why Lyle's search for him came up empty."
"Assuming he searched at all for my father," she says. "I have a feeling Lyle was just happy that both of us were out of the way and was worried more about trying to take over than to actually find either of us."
"Anyway, as you can see, it's not far. We can be there in a few hours," Broots says.
"Let's go then. And see what kinds of freaky experiments my father has his hands into this time," she sighs. She tries to make light of it. But the fact of the matter is that her father is at some secret, long forgotten Centre facility. And that can only mean one thing. That when she gets there, she's not going to like what she finds.
Kristen curses to herself as the zipper of the pants refuses to go up any further. She sucks in a breath and tries again, to no avail. This is as good as it gets.
In her many trips next door, she managed to take a few items from Parker's wardrobe. There was so much of it, that she's sure the woman didn't even notice anything missing. These butter soft, lambskin leather pants were too tempting to resist. She knows Jarod will love her in them. If she can get in them, that is. Apparently, she has a few more pounds of hips than Parker. The pants makes her look stout instead of sleek. Stumpy instead of sexy.
"Yet another reason to hate her," she mumbles before reluctantly stepping out of the pants. She goes into the bedroom, ignoring the still form of her dead husband, and finds something else to put on. A pounding at the door startles her before she realizes who it is. She walks to the door and slips outside, not allowing a view into the room.
"What do you two want," she snaps at the two small girls.
"Can you play with us? Summer says her mommy plays with her," Alexa pouts.
"Not today. You and Summer play with each other," Kristen says, cringing at the headache forming behind her eyes. She wonders why she ever told Jarod she'd babysit Summer. The girl is so clingy and dependent. It's always something with her. She wants something to eat. She needs someone to play with her. She has to use the bathroom. Wah wah wah, all day long. She's more trouble than she's worth. Both the kids are. She'll have to reevaluate their place in hers and Jarod's new life.
"But Mommy . . . " Alexa tries again.
"Get away from me!" Kristen yells, startling Summer to the point of tears. Alexa just sighs, used to the cruel outbursts from her mother.
"Let's go back to my room, Summer," she says to the smaller girl.
"No! I want to go home. I want my daddy," Summer screams.
"Well, you can't have him," Kristen growls. "He left you here with me. He doesn't want you. Neither did your mommy. She's gone too."
"No! I don't believe you." Summer stubbornly wipes her face dry and stomps out the house. She runs next door to her house and tries to open the door. It's locked.
"Told you," Kristen says, an evil grin on her face. She reaches for the little girl and is able to grab the sobbing child. She takes her to her car and tosses her in the back seat, motioning to Alexa to get in as well. She slams the door behind them and gets into the driver's seat. She's had it with these two little girls. It's time for them to go. It'll be another loss for Jarod to endure, but again, she'll be there to pick up the pieces. Killing kids is always risky, but it's a risk she has to take. There's no way Jarod would accept her with Summer hating her the way she does. She's an obstacle now. And like all obstacles, has to be removed.
Chapter 14
*****************
Jarod finishes his work at the school and rushes home, not quite early enough for lunch, but good enough to spend the rest of the day with Summer. She'd probably be napping, but when she wakes, he'll make sure to pick fun activities to keep the girl's mind off of Miss Parker's absence.
Jarod gets to the house and goes directly next door to get Summer. He rings the bell several times before realizing that no one is home. Kristen mentioned something about running errands, he reminds himself and goes on home. Hopefully Kristen will see his car in the driveway when she gets back and bring Summer home.
He makes his way into the house, dropping his stuff by the door. He'll put it all away later, he promises himself. The light on the machine is blinking, signalling a message waiting. Without even hearing it, he knows it's from her. He rushes over and presses the button, her voice suddenly filling the silence.
"Hey. It's me. I, uh, guess you're at work. So am I. But you probably already know that.
He laughs along with her at her nervous attempt at a joke, then turning the machine up to easier hear her voice.
"Listen, I'm really, really sorry I left the way that I did. I had to come, though. It's a long story, but I'll explain it later. I promise. We never say good-bye, remember?"
Sorry, he thinks with a smile. A word he never thought he'd hear out of her mouth. She's actually apologizing. And explaining where she is. He can hardly believe it. She seems to be calling just to let him know she's okay. And to let him know that she will do everything in her power to get back to them. His heart soars at this realization.
"Jarod, I . . . I miss you," she says quietly after a few silent moments. "And Summer. I want to come home. Please let me still have a home to come back to. That's the only way I'll be able to get through this. Knowing that you and Summer are safe and waiting for me."
The message stops after that and he realizes there are tears in his eyes. The anger and confusion he felt after finding her gone has dissipated, leaving only a heart full of love.
"We'll be here, Parker," he whispers. "We'll always be waiting for you."
He dries his tears and considers calling her back, but stops himself. As much as he wants to talk to her, he doesn't want to endanger her. Right now she needs to stay focused.
Not knowing what else to do to keep himself occupied, he looks around the room and spots his running shoes in the corner. A quick run might not be a bad idea, he decides. He changes quickly, coming back to into the living room in just his socks. He walks over to his shoes and slips into them, bending down to tie the laces. His eyes land on a hat. Her hat. He smiles at the memory of her tucking her hair into it. It's such a relaxed and carefree look for her. Almost playful. Childish even. She looks, dare he say, cute in the hat. Of course, he'd never say it to her. He places it on his own head, feeling somewhat closer to her in it.
He steps outside the house, stretching thoroughly before starting on his way. He doesn't know where he's going. But after about twenty minutes of mindless jogging, he's not surprised to find himself at her spot. At least, he likes to think of it that way. It's the small lake she discovered one day. He pauses for a moment, allowing himself to enjoy the serenity of the spot. He can see why she loves it so much. it's so calm and peaceful.
Taking a deep breath, he starts on his return trip home. He suddenly has the urge to talk to her. Danger or no danger, he plans on calling her. If only to hear her voice for a few moments. Maybe to let her know that he'll always be waiting for her. It just may be the very thing she needs to hear right now.
Miss Parker looks down at her cell phone to make sure it's turned on. She halfway expected a phone call from Jarod by now. Unfortunately the phone hasn't rung once.
"Miss Parker," Broots calls to her from the driver's seat. "We're here." He pulls the car to a stop in front of a large gray building, looming in the distance much like the Centre. Only older and smaller.
"Yes we are," she sighs. "Let's go see what my father is up to this time." She gets out of the car, buttoning her suit jacket and straightening her clothes. The suit felt restricted and binding to her. She hasn't worn anything like it the past two weeks she's been with Jarod and Summer. She feels almost like a stranger in her own clothes. In her own life.
Broots and Sydney get out of the car and follow her up to the front of the building. They easily open the door, surprised that it's unlocked. They expected security to be much tighter.
"Well, that's one less obstacle for us to go through," Broots says nervously. He had downloaded several different security access programs to his laptop, anticipating having to hack into the system at this facility.
"That was easy," she agrees cautiously. "A little too easy."
"Let's hope the rest of our little investigation here is just as easy," Sydney chimes in. He barely gets the words past his lips before five armed men appear from around the corner.
"Miss Parker. Mr. Broots. Dr. Green. Follow us please," one of them says. He presses his hand to the gun on his hip to let them know he expects their complete cooperation.
"We seem to be at a disadvantage here. You know who we are, but we don't know who you are," Miss Parker says.
"You don't need to know," the head man says sharply. "Your father is expecting you."
"My father?" she gasps.
"Right this way, ma'am," the guard says again. He grabs onto Miss Parker's arms and leads her back down the hallway they mysteriously appeared from. She silently goes along with him, paying attention to the route they take in case she needs to make a quick getaway.
After making a series of turns, they reach the end of a hall. The guard punches a code into a panel on the wall and the wall opens up right before their eyes.
"Your father's in there," the guard says, motioning her to go inside. "Your associates will be here waiting for you when you return."
She looks suspiciously between the man and the path he wants her to take alone. Then she takes a breath, knowing she doesn't really have a choice. She needs to get to her father and she can only hope that this man is being straight with her.
"Go on, Parker," Sydney says, sensing her reticence. "We'll be here waiting for you."
She nods her head at him and goes on her way, hearing the wall close up behind her. Her nervousness multiplies with each of her footsteps that echo throughout the silent hallway. She reaches the end of the hallway and looks both ways to see which way to go. She sees her father standing about halfway down the hallway to her left, so she takes that path.
"Angel," he says, looking up at her when she approaches him. "I have to say I was surprised to see you on the security monitor. What are you doing here?"
"What are I doing here? I'm here to find you. But the question is, what are *you* doing here, Daddy?" she asks him in return. He looks nervous for some reason. He must have something to hide, she decides.
"I had something to check on," he says quickly before changing the subject back to her. "I thought you were taking a little break. What are you doing back on Centre business?"
"Lyle has convinced the board that you've gone AWOL, Daddy. They're about to appoint him Chairman in your absence."
"That boy is a spirited one," he says with a chuckle. "He reminds me of myself with all that ambition."
"Anyway, I just thought you'd like to know," she says coldly, realizing she's wasted her time. "You might want to get back to Blue Cove right away. The board wants to see you at the next meeting." She rolls her eyes and starts to walk away, disgusted that she even bothered coming out here. If her father doesn't care about Lyle taking over, then why should she? Because so many other people's lives depend on it, her conscience answers. She's here trying to retrieve her father because of the innocents like Broots and Sydney and Angelo. Not that her father is any better, but he's the lesser of two evils. It's better with him in charge than it would be with Lyle.
She sighs heavily and turns around just in time to see her father going into a room. Her curiosity gets the better of her and she follows him into the room, freezing in shock at the sight before her.
"Angel," he gasps in surprise. "You weren't supposed to come in here."
"Daddy? What . . . what's going on here?" She walks over next to where he is, peers over the ledge of the crib and stares into a pair of bright blue eyes.
"You were never supposed to know about this, Angel."
"Why not, Daddy. Unless this baby is . . . where did she come from?" she asks hesitantly.
"Angel, don't . . ."
"No Daddy," she yells. "Don't 'Angel' me. Tell me the truth. Is she another one? Another one you made from me and Jarod?"
His face turns a ghastly white color and he has a hard time catching his breath.
"Y-you know about the other one?"
"Kind of short? Cute as a button? Looks a lot like me? How could I miss her, Daddy!" Her voice has gotten loud enough to disturb the baby and she starts to whimper. Miss Parker instinctively reaches into the crib and gently rubs the baby's tummy until she's calmed down again. When she looks up at her father again, she has tears in her eyes. "Why, Daddy? Why make these children? What purpose are they serving?"
"I suppose you're not going to leave here without getting the truth out of me," he says quietly.
"Even I know that's too much to ask," she says, shaking her head. "But I can hope. So just tell me."
"I don't know where to start," he says with a nervous chuckle. He runs his hands through his hair before gently reaching into the crib for the baby. He gives her to Miss Parker, knowing that by the end of his story she'll want to kill him. She'll be less likely to accomplish that goal if she were holding the baby. "I guess I could start by introducing you two. Angel, this is Abby. Your daughter."
It's started again. She was quiet for a little while, but the crying has started again. And it's driving Kristen closer and closer to the edge. She spins around, taking her eyes off the road for a second, to stare coldly at Summer.
"Shut that crying up. I can't think with all that noise," she screams to the girl.
"Don't cry, Summer," Alexa whispers to the smaller girl, grabbing her hand gently. "Please be quiet. You're only making things worse."
Summer looks at her friend and sees how frightened she is. Frightened of her own mother. That scares Summer even more. Mothers aren't supposed to be scary. Mothers are supposed to be nice and loving and give lots of hugs. She suddenly wanted her own mother, or the only woman she's ever known as a mother. She wanted Parker. And she wanted her more than she's ever wanted anything in her whole life.
"Help me, Mommy," she whimpers quietly as she forces her tears away.
"Your mommy can't help you," Kristen growls, hearing the girls plea. "I told you that. Your mommy's not . . . "
Something in the distance catches Kristen's eye, causing her to lose her train of thought. She blinks her eyes a few times, not believing what she's seeing. It's Parker. Running like she always does, wearing that stupid hat that she always wears. Kristen's face brightens with a chilling smile. How lucky can she be? Here's her chance to get them all out of the way. She can kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.
Without a second thought, her foot mashes the accelerator all the way and soon the scenery outside is rushing past, blurred by the increasing speed of the car. She goes faster and faster, concentrating only on keeping the car on her side of the road. She quickly approaches the unwitting jogger. Just a few more feet until . . .
She feels a body thump against the car and has to swerve to stay on the road. She slows down and looks into the rearview mirror at the unmoving body in the road. A smile grows on her face at how simple it was. She is really getting the hang of this killing thing. That's two down and two to go. Both spouses are now out of the way. She now just has to get rid of the two girls. With all the practice she's had, it should be a piece of cake.
Chapter 15
*****************
Miss Parker stares in awe at the tiny form wiggling in her arms. She looks at the girl and can see the same features on her little face as on Summer's.
"She's beautiful. She looks just like Summer," she lets slip out. She's not sure how much her father knows about Summer, and she doesn't intend on being the one to tell him about her. But when she looks up at him, he seems to know more about the girl than even she does.
"I'm not surprised. They *are* twins. Identical twins."
"Twins? How? Summer's three years old. This baby is barely three months old."
"They were incubated separately," he says by way of explanation, although it doesn't really explain much. She still as confused as when the conversation first started.
"I still don't understand the how," she confesses. "But why don't you tell me the why. Why make these children?"
"Angel, this all goes back to when you were a baby, not much older than Abby," he starts. "After you were born, you had the requisite tests performed by the Centre physicians. They discovered you had rare antibodies in your body that cured a rare genetic blood disorder. You were a medical miracle. Unfortunately, it didn't stop you from getting sick a few years later. It was a variation of the blood disorder and your own antibodies couldn't fight it. You needed some outside help. We luckily found a child with the necessary antibodies."
"Jarod," she guesses. He just nods.
"He was considered another medical miracle. He saved your life, Angel," he tells her. "Anyway, it was decided that this opportunity could not be passed up. The possibility of combining yours and Jarod's antibodies was too tempting to ignore. They weren't sure, but they suspected that the ever elusive cancer cure could be the result."
"So they decided to create our children with the hopes of discovering a cure for cancer," she says, confusion starting to show on her face. "But researchers have been searching for that cure for a while now. I don't understand why the Centre would wait so long to jump on the bandwagon. Summer's only three. Are you telling me they waited until three years ago to do anything?"
"No. They started testing as soon as viable material could be obtained from you and Jarod, right when you both hit puberty. You see, all the researchers needed to run their tests were stem cells," he says quietly. But seeing the confused look on her face, he realizes she doesn't understand the implications of that statement.
"Big deal. Don't they just have to draw a little blood after the baby is born?"
"It's not that simple, Angel," he tells her, his voice beginning to shake as he reluctantly explains. "It used to be a very delicate process. Up until recently, the only method available to obtain human embryonic stem cells had certain, um . . . consequences. Extracting the cells always resulted in the embryos being . . . destroyed." The last word comes out in practically a whisper.
"What?" she gasps, suddenly unable to catch her breath.
"Summer wasn't the first. She was just the first live birth. They were able to collect the necessary stem cell material from her umbilical cord."
"The first live . . . How many others were there? How man were de-destroyed?" she asks as she fights to keep her tears from falling.
"Seven," he admits, unable to face her.
"Seven," she repeats. "Seven of my children they made, used and then just . . . discarded? Thrown out like the trash?" She loses the battle with her tears and they begin to flow steadily down her face as she grieves for the poor, lost, innocent souls. Souls of children that she'll never know. Never get to hold. The very idea is almost too much for her to handle. But she has to. She has to hear the rest of this twisted story, no matter how perverse.
"What happened to Summer?" she asks a few minutes later after she's calmed herself. "How did she end up away from the Centre?"
"After she was born, I made the mistake of going to see her. I instantly fell in love," he smiles. "It was like going back in time to when you were a baby. Despite what you may think, Angel, I do love you and I did everything in my power to protect you as much as possible all throughout the years. I wanted to do the same for Summer. So I arranged for her to be sent away, so she wouldn't have to grow up at the Centre like you did."
Miss Parker looks down at the now sleeping baby in her arms, trying to give herself time to absorb all that her father has said. She doesn't know what to believe and what not to believe. It doesn't seem like he's lying about anything. Maybe everything he's saying is true after all.
"So Summer's safe," she says finally. "No one at the Centre knows about her."
"Except for me. But I don't know where she is or how to find her. Which brings me to why Abby was created."
"Why is that?"
"It again goes back to when you were so sick with that blood disorder. We were so worried about you that we didn't investigate where it came from. Turns out you got it from me. This diseased lied dormant in me until about a year ago when I got sick. The doctors would have been able to get a cure from Summer, but I couldn't find her. There weren't anymore stem cells from her umbilical cord, either. So I did the next best thing."
"You created another Summer."
"Not exactly another Summer. But another child, yes. You see, Summer was a twin. An identical twin. But she was the only one brought to term. The other twin was preserved somehow for later use."
"Lucky for you," she says sarcastically.
"As it turns out, yes. It was lucky for me. Abby was born and I was able to get the life saving cure from her. She's served her purpose well. Her short life will not have been in vain."
"Her short life? What do you mean, Daddy?"
"That's why Abby's here, Angel," he explains. "She's dying. She has aplastic anemia. And without a bone marrow transplant, she can't recover. She got sick a few weeks ago. I came out here so she won't spend her last days alone. I at least owe her that much."
"You didn't bother to try to find a match?" she practically screeches.
"I did have samples of blood from me, you, Lyle, and Jarod tested. No matches. They say they have a greater success rate finding matches with siblings. But even then, there's no guarantee."
"What about Summer. They're identical twins. Summer should be a match."
"She is a match. But we don't know how to find her."
"I know how to find her," Miss Parker says, biting her lip at what she's admitting to her father. "But I'm not bringing her here. I'm taking Abby with me. You can arrange for her to disappear just like how you arranged for Summer to disappear."
It's not a request. She doesn't give her father a chance to refuse. She stands up and walks to the crib, grabbing the thick blanket and wrapping the baby up with it.
"She'll need to get to a hospital as soon as possible. They'll want to confirm the diagnosis before doing the procedure on either of the girls."
She just nods her head and brings the baby closer to her chest.
"Daddy," she starts, pausing to figure out how to say what she wants to say. "This may sound strange, but thank you. I'm pretty much . . . disgusted with everything else you told me today. I'm angry and probably in shock. Right now, I can't deal with half of what you told me. But what I can deal with now is the fact that I have two beautiful girls out of this mess. And I want to thank you for them."
With that, she turns and walks out the door, leaving him standing in the room all by himself. She quickly makes her way back to where she left the others and has to search for a few moments before finding the button to open the wall. She finds Sydney and Broots waiting just where she left them.
"Took you long enough," Broots says, looking behind her and seeing the hallway empty. "Where's your father? Didn't we come here for him?" He looks down and sees a squirming bundle in her arms and looks at her questioningly.
"Don't ask," she says, shaking her head. "My father is still back there. I need you to stick around, Sydney, and make sure he makes it back to Blue Cove. I don't think he'll be a problem, though. He's finished with whatever he came here to do." She pulls the baby closer to her chest, giving her a brief squeeze. She looks at one of the guards, letting him know she's ready to go and he escorts them back to the front of the building.
"And what are we going to do, Miss Parker?" Broots asks when they get back to the car. He watches her carefully get into the back seat, still holding tightly to her bundle.
"Broots, we've got some baby shopping to do," she says, laughing at the look he gets on his face. "Let's get out of here. I'll explain everything to you on the way."
The baby lets out a yawn and settles into Miss Parker's embrace, already seeming to be used to being there. Miss Parker is certainly getting used to having her in her arms. She doesn't ever want to let her go. She leans back into the seat, watching the little girl's face and wondering how she's going to tell Jarod about her.
After about an hour of driving, Miss Parker spots a Wal-Mart off the interstate and has Broots pull in. They buy a few necessities for the baby, including some diapers and a car seat. While Broots installs the seat, she decides to call Jarod. The phone just rings and rings. She's even more surprised when the machine picks up. Jarod and Summer should be home at this hour.
She leaves a brief message telling Jarod that she really needs to talk to him. But leaving the message doesn't ease her worry. She calls back a few minutes later, hoping that maybe Jarod was too busy with something else to answer the phone. But the same thing happens. The phone just rings and rings before the machine picks up. Instead of leaving a message this time, she dials in the secret code to access the other messages on there. There's only one other message besides the one she just left. But this message almost makes her heart stop.
"Mrs. Hamilton," the voice on the machine starts. "This is Nurse Sarah Morton from Lakeview Memorial Hospital. I'm calling to let you know that there's been an accident involving your husband, Jarod. You need to get here as soon as possible. If you have any questions, you can call me at . . ."
She doesn't hear the rest, the phone slipping from her now boneless hand. It's a good thing she's sitting or else she doesn't know how she would have kept a hold on the baby.
"All done, Miss Parker," Broots says, walking up to her. He notices the look on her face and is instantly worried. "Miss Parker, what's the matter?"
She doesn't answer so he reaches down to take the baby from her arms. That snaps her out of her trance and she looks up at him, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.
"I need to get to take me somewhere, Broots," she says shakily. She allows him to help her rise and walks to the car, placing the baby in the car seat.
"Sure. Anywhere. Where do you have to go?" he asks after starting the car.
"Home," she whispers.
"To Blue Cove?"
"No. Not Blue Cove," she says quietly. She allows a small smile to cross her face when she sees the confused look on his. "Just get back on the interstate, Broots. I'll let you know where to go."
"Okay," he shrugs, still confused. "You're the boss." He puts the car and gear and starts driving. He looks over at her and sees her staring blankly out the window. He still has no idea where he's going, but wherever it is, it must be important to her. With that thought, he adds a bit more pressure to the gas pedal and speeds up the car. Wherever she's going, she seems to need to be there. The least he can do is try to get her there as quickly as possible.
Chapter 16
*****************
Miss Parker stretches and yawns, looking at the clock. It's almost midnight. She and Broots just drove five straight hours to get here, only stopping once for gas and food and once again to change drivers. Whoever wasn't driving at the time handled changing Abby's diaper and feeding her. Luckily for Miss Parker, the diaper changing duties happened during Broots' shift. She's never changed a diaper in her life. But now it appears that she'll have to learn.
She looks into the back seat and smiles at sweet face staring at her in return. Broots starts to stir in the seat next to her.
"We're here?" he asks groggily.
"I just pulled in," she says. "I need to get her inside."
"A hospital?" he asks, looking up at the building they're parked outside of. "Why?"
"She's sick, Broots. My father says she has aplastic anemia and that the only thing that'll make her better is a bone marrow transplant. I came here because I know of a possible donor," she explains, leaving out the big details of the baby being her daughter. And Jarod's.
"The donor's in there? Is that why we had to come to this hospital?" Broots asks.
"Let's just go in," she says quietly, opening her car door and stepping out. She opens the back door and takes the baby from her car seat, rocking her gently to keep her calm.
"You're good at that," Broots says with a gentle smile. "You'll be a good mother to her, Miss Parker."
She freezes, looking up at him suspiciously. But she sees no malice in his eyes. Just understanding. Her look of suspicion changes to one of questioning.
"The way you look at her. It's the look that only a mother can have for her child," he explains, answering her unspoken question. "I can tell even without seeing her big blue eyes that she's yours."
"Broots, I . . . "
"No, Miss Parker. You don't owe me any explanations."
"But I do, Broots," she says. "And I'll explain everything to you. There's more going on here than you could imagine."
"With the Centre involved? I'm sure you're right," he laughs. "But don't worry about that now. Right now, let's get this little lady into the hospital so that she can hurry up and get better. Okay?"
She just nods, and with a smile, allows him to lead her inside.
Kristen pulls into her driveway, checking in her rear view mirror for anyone following her. The streets have been crawling with police. Road blocks have been set up. They must be looking for Parker's killer, she assumes. She didn't anticipate all this police activity so soon. Which is why she still has her two little inconveniences.
She peeks over her shoulder at them and frowns at their sleeping forms. She can't kill them now and risk getting caught. But she can't put up with them for a minute longer. She just needs some place to stash them for a little while, until things calm down. Just like you do with dirty laundry you don't feel like washing, she thinks to herself as a wicked grin spreads across her face. Dirty laundry. She suddenly knows exactly where to put the girls.
She gets out of the car, leaving the sleeping girls inside while she goes inside and prepares for them. She doesn't realize until she comes back out for the kids that a car is parked in the driveway next door. Jarod's car. He's finally home.
"I'll be there soon, my love," she says out loud, another smile growing on her face. She's so excited she can hardly contain herself. But she still has work to do. And she can't go to him until it's done. So she hurries, dragging the girls inside and tossing them into her make shift prison down in the basement laundry room. Nobody should find them down there.
She goes back upstairs and checks out her appearance in the mirror before going next door.
"Jarod," she calls into the house. "Honey, I'm here."
There's no answer. She decides to go inside. She's able to easily push the door open, finding it unlocked.
"Jarod," she calls again. Still no answer. She sits on the sofa in the darkness, confused at the empty house. The car's outside. It's late. But he's not home. Where could he be, she wonders to herself. Where ever he is, he can't be far. She'll just sit and wait for him. He has to come home eventually.
Broots watches Miss Parker pace nervously across the waiting room. She holds a cup of coffee in her hand that he suspects has long ago gone cold.
"Why don't you sit down," he suggests. "I'm sure the doctor will let us know when they're done."
"What if I'm too late?" she asks. "What if she's too sick for even the bone marrow transplant to work? She's so little. Would she even be able to survive the surgery?"
"All good questions," another voice says. She spins around and sees the doctor approaching. "Are you Abby's parents? Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton, right?" the doctor asks, verifying the information in the chart in his hands.
"I'm her mother," she nods. "This is my brother," she says, pointing to Broots.
Brother. Broots frowns slightly, wondering why she even corrected the doctor. What would have been so wrong with him thinking they were married, he thinks to himself.
"Oh, sorry about the confusion," the doctor says with a kind smile. "I'm Dr. Cabot. I'll be taking care of Abby."
"How is she, Doctor?" Miss Parker asks.
"Stable. She seems to have been getting good care. I understand you know of a bone marrow donor in the area."
"Yes, I'll bring her in for the test as soon as possible," Miss Parker tells him.
"No hurry. I don't recommend Abby immediately getting surgery. Like you said before, she's so young. I'd like to keep her here for a few days to get her prepped for an operation. We're going to move her to her own room, so you'll be able to stay with her for as long as you like."
"Thank you, Doctor," she sighs. "I'd like that."
"Okay. The orderlies are about to move her now. She'll be in the pediatrics wing, room 405. You two can follow them if you don't know the way. I'll be in first thing in the morning to check on her. See you then." He smiles one last time before turning to leave. The door to the exam room opens and they see a small crib being wheeled out.
"Broots, I need a huge favor," she says quietly. "Could you go with her and help her get settled? I need to go check on something else."
"Are you sure? I'm sure she'd rather see you there than me. Why don't you let me check on this other thing for you?"
"No, it's something I really need to do. Just stay with her, please. I don't want her to be alone. I'll be there as soon as I can."
"Okay, Miss Parker."
"Thank you," she sighs, feeling relieved that Abby will be in good hands. She watches them disappear into the elevator before turning to the Nurse on duty at the admissions desk. "Nurse. My name is Parker Hamilton. I got a message that my husband Jarod was involved in some kind of accident. Can you tell me where I could find him?"
"Just a minute," the nurse says with a sympathetic smile, noting the fatigue on Miss Parker's face. She saw this woman come in with the sick baby and feels sorry that she has to deal with an injured husband as well. She types the name into the computer and has the requested information a few minutes later. "He's in room 718, ma'am. Take those elevators there up to the seventh floor and turn left."
"Thank you, Nurse." Miss Parker follows her directions and easily finds the room. She pushes the door open and gasps at Jarod's still, pale form lying on the bed.
"Jarod," she cries, shakily lifting his hand to her lips. "What happened to you?" More tears fall and she lays her head on his chest, feeling the rise and fall with each breath he takes.
"Mmmm," he groans.
"Jarod?" She sits up and looks at him. He appears to be struggling to wake up. "Come on, Baby. Wake up now. I'm here for you."
"Parker?" he whispers, slowly opening his eyes. He grins a huge, sleepy grin when he realizes he's not dreaming. "You're really here. You came back."
"Yes," she smiles. "I'm here. I came back. Jarod, do you know what happened?"
"I was . . . " he pauses to think for a while, trying to remember what happened. "I was running. I woke up here. Feels like I got hit by a truck."
"It looks like it, too," she teases with a teary laugh. She leaves him for a day and look at what happens. She almost lost him. She can't resist touching him now, assuring herself that he's okay. She strokes his hair out of his face, taking care not to disturb the big, white bandage circling his head. She touches him anywhere she can, just because she can.
"Missed you," he rasps.
"I missed you, too," she tells him as she wipes away the tears that just won't stop falling. "I missed you and Summer. Where is she?"
"Neighbor," he says, coughing a little at all the talking he's been doing. She turns to get him a cup of water from the bedside table, so he misses the look of panic on her face.
"She's with Kristen?" she asks him to clarify. He nods, starting to wonder about her question.
"What's wrong?" he asks when he sees the look on her face.
"Nothing," she lies, trying to paste on a smile. "I just need to see Summer right now. I missed her so much."
"That's not it," he says with another cough. "What's the problem? You're scaring me."
"It's Kristen," she says reluctantly. "I think she's a little . . . unstable. Some of her actions worry me."
"Like what?"
"Like . . . nothing," she sighs, deciding not to tell him about the poison coffee incident. It wouldn't do him any good to worry. There's nothing he can do from a hospital bed. "I'll just be happier once I get Summer. You get some rest." She leans over and kisses him, gently at first, but she soon finds herself moaning as he deepens it.
"Well, looks like at least part of you didn't get broken," a voice says from the door. A young woman with short hair smiles at them and walks into the room. "My exam wasn't *that* thorough, but thanks to this lady here, I can see your tongue is in proper working order."
"Just needed the right person to play doctor with, Doctor," Jarod says, causing a blush to grow on Miss Parker's cheeks.
"I'm Dr. Edwards," the woman says, offering Miss Parker her hand. "You must be Jarod's wife, Parker. He was asking for you earlier."
"Nice to meet you, Doctor," Miss Parker says with an embarrassed smile. It's been a while since she's been caught *making out*. And never with someone incapacitated and confined to a hospital bed. "Sorry about . . . what you just walked in on."
"Oh, don't be," the woman laughs. "I may be a doctor, but I firmly believe in the power of love to heal all wounds. Even his. Jarod was very lucky. The car that hit him was traveling at a great speed. He dislocated his shoulder and sprained an ankle, but we were more concerned about his head injury. There was a subdural hematoma, and we had to go in and drain the blood."
"Is he going to be okay?" Miss Parker asks, suddenly very worried about him again.
"He'll have to stay in the hospital for at least another day to make sure the bleeding in his head doesn't start again. But I'm predicting a full recovery. Just don't get his pressure up too high, if you know what I mean," she says, giving Miss Parker a knowing wink. "Don't get him too worked up."
"I won't, Doctor," she laughs. "I'll make sure he's a very good boy."
"Okay, then I'm leaving him in your hands. Jarod, I'll be back to check on you tomorrow. Let the nurses know immediately if you need anything."
"Good night, Doctor," they both say, watching the woman leave the room.
"So, I've been left in your hands," Jarod says. He reaches his hand out and places it on her leg, gently stroking it up to her thigh.
"But it look like it's *your* hands I need to watch out for," she grins. "I'm supposed to make sure you behave, Jarod. No getting you all worked up." She shivers when his hand travels a little higher. Forget about him getting all worked up. She's the one about to turn to mush.
"Too late for that," he says, wagging his eyebrows at her. He brings his other hand into play, reaching for her with it when he suddenly winces in pain.
"Jarod. Are you okay?" she asks, jumping away from him. She reaches for the nurse's call button, about to press it when he stops her.
"I'm fine," he says through gritted teeth. "Just forgot about the shoulder."
"You're not okay," she says, pressing the call button despite his protests. "Let them give you something for the pain." A nurse comes in immediately and she explains the situation to her. The nurse puts some pain killers in the IV, the results immediate.
"That should help. He'll be asleep soon," she says before leaving.
"I wish you hadn't done that," he says groggily, the medicine already starting to take effect. "I hate being under the influence of anything."
"It's okay," she whispers to him, kissing his forehead. "I'm right here. I won't let anything happen to you. Just rest."
He mumbles something incoherent as he falls asleep, his hand tightly grasping hers. She lays her head on the pillow next to his, watching him sleep. Until eventually, she joins him in slumber.
Chapter 17
*****************
Broots steps into the elevator and presses the button for the seventh floor. The nurse at the admissions desk said that she last saw Miss Parker when she asked for directions to a patient's room on this floor. That was over an hour ago. Something must have happened for her to stay gone from the baby for this long.
He easily finds room 718 and steps inside, surprised at the scene that greets him. His mouth falls open in shock at the sight of Miss Parker curled up on a bed, lying quite contently in the missing Pretender's arms.
"Miss Parker," he says quietly, reluctantly waking her. He can see that she's tired and needs some rest. But right now, he's more interested in her explanation for her current position.
"Miss Parker," he says again, this time a bit louder. He steps to the bed and taps her on the shoulder. That wakes her up. She sleepily blinks her eyes a few times before they pop wide open in the realization of where she is and who she's with.
"Broots, this . . . " She gestures her hand between her and Jarod, trying to come up with the words to explain. But her words fail her and she just shrugs.
"Isn't what it seems?" he offers as an explanation.
"No, it's exactly what it seems," she says sheepishly. "But it isn't the way I wanted you to find out."
Jarod picks that moment to pull her tightly against himself, nuzzling into her chest with his cheek. She turns bright red and rolls her eyes at the chuckle Broots lets out. After Jarod settles back down, she gently eases from his arms and tips out the room, motioning for Broots to follow.
"Remember when I said there was a lot more going on? Well, Jarod's part of it," she says.
"I kind of guessed that," he smiles. "I must say, I was surprised to see the two of you . . . like that. Any other surprises I should know about?"
"Yeah. This," she says, pulling a ring from her pocket and placing it on her left hand. She holds her hand up and shows it to him.
"You two are married?" He says, not realizing how loud his voice has gotten.
"Shhh! Keep it down." She pulls on his arm until they reach the elevator. They go inside and travel down to the fourth floor to go check on the baby. Once they get inside the room, she takes a seat next to the baby and reaches into the crib, grabbing the girl's tiny hand.
"Jarod and I are not really married," she explains, smiling at the way the baby's hand grips her finger. "This is all just one big pretend."
"So what I saw earlier, you two wrapped up together in bed, was just a pretend?"
"Yes. I mean no. I mean technically, yes. We're only pretending to be married. But things have recently gone beyond the quote unquote technical."
"Oh, so you two are really together?"
"Yes. No. I mean, not entirely in that way, if you know what I mean. We've just kissed a few times and . . . I can't believe I'm telling you this," she groans, covering her face with her hands to hide her embarrassment.
"Ah, the making out stage. No touching below the clothes, I assume." He tries to hold in his laughter, but doesn't succeed.
"Shut up, Broots," she says, but the warning lacks her normal bite.
"Okay, okay," he says, gasping for breath through his chuckles. "We don't have to talk about your sex life . . . or lack there of, as it turns out." Her face turns even redder and he can't help but laugh even harder at her. Normally he would be worried about his life at this point. But she seems different somehow. Changed. A kinder and gentler version of his friend. She's sitting there holding a baby's hand, for goodness sake. Definitely not the Miss Parker he's used to.
"I'm glad this is amusing you," she says, rolling her eyes. But she's not really upset. The situation actually is kind of funny once she thinks about it. And she's actually surprised that Broots has a sense of humor. She realizes that she's never really had a friendly conversation with him.
"I'm sorry," he says, trying to hold in his laughter again. "Continue. You were telling me about this so called pretend marriage to Jarod."
"Right. So anyway, Jarod came to me a few weeks ago asking for help with this particular pretend. We did it because we were trying to get custody of what turns out to be our daughter."
"This baby?" he asks.
"Actually, she's our daughter as well. But I was talking about another little girl. Her name is Summer," Miss Parker says with a proud smile. "Summer Joy."
"She's the donor," Broots realizes. "That's why we brought the baby to this hospital. Because this is where Summer is."
"Yes, except unfortunately, she's with the woman who poisoned me. This woman is insane. I don't know what her problem is, but apparently she doesn't like me. I just hope that she doesn't take it out on my daughter. I'm worried about her, Broots. She's just a little girl."
"Then let's go get her," he suggests.
"No," she says, shaking her head. "I can't ask you to do that. It's too dangerous. I don't know what's going to set this woman off. Could you just stay here with Abby and Jarod? Keep an eye on them?"
"This is a hospital, Miss Parker. They'll be fine. I think you're the one who needs back up."
Miss Parker looks at him and sees how serious he is. He would really do this for her. She always thought his loyalty was due to obedience. They worked together and he therefore had to follow her orders. But this is above and beyond duty. This is friendship.
"You're right," she relents. "I'd appreciate the help. You're a good friend, Broots. I don't thank you enough. But the truth is that I honestly don't know where I would have been all these years without you and Sydney. And here you are, helping me with my daughters, when you have one of your own to worry about."
"Debbie's fine. She adores you, Miss Parker. She'd have my head if I let anything happen to you. She understands me having to work a lot."
"But she shouldn't have to. Broots, this has to end. Jarod and I didn't have normal childhoods growing up. I don't want the same kind of life for our daughters or for Debbie. For the first time since my mother died, I feel like I'm part of a family. And I don't want to give that up. I'm not going to give it up," she says quietly, bringing Abby's hand to her lips for a gentle kiss.
"It's going to be a tough fight," he tells her.
"I know. But it's one I'm going to win. I *have* to win it."
"Of course you will," he says. "You're on the right side now. You and Jarod are an unbeatable team. You've been playing *Their* game for too long. Now that you and Jarod are together, there's no way they can stop you."
"I hope you're right," she says quietly.
"I know I am," he assures her. "Now, let's get out of here. I think you have another daughter I need to meet."
She smiles at him and rises from her seat. After pressing a gentle kiss on the baby's cheek, she quietly leaves the room with him. It's so late that she'll probably just take Broots back to the house and wait until morning to go get Summer from Kristen's place. She should be fine until then. Kristen has a child of her own. She wouldn't hurt either of the girls. Miss Parker has to keep telling herself that. She has to believe it. Because the alternative it too horrifying to imagine.
Chapter 18
*****************
Kristen wakes up when she hears a car door slam outside the house. She looks around groggily, wondering where she is when she suddenly remembers. She must have fallen asleep waiting for Jarod. That must be him outside. And here she is looking like a mess. She runs to the bedroom and digs through Miss Parker's drawer until she finds a nightgown to slip on. She looks into the mirror on the wall and smiles at the reflection. Like this in the dark, she looks just like Parker. It was enough to fool him last night into cuddling with her. But tonight she wants action.
She hears the front door open and immediately her heart races. This is it. The moment she's been waiting for. She stretches across the bed and calls out to him.
"Jarod, my love. I'm here. I'm waiting for you. Come to me. Come and love me."
No man can refuse an invitation like that, she thinks with a smile. He's so close she can feel it. Any minute now. She hears the footsteps get closer. She hears the knob turning. She hears the door creak open. She looks up, expecting to see the adoring gaze of the man she loves. But instead finds the barrel of a gun pointed at her, moonlight reflecting from the cool steel surface.
"Get out of my bed," a voice growls. The lights are switched on, temporarily blinding Kristen. She squints until her eyes adjust to the sudden light. When her sight returns, she gasps in surprise.
"Parker? What are you . . . you can't be . . . I killed you," she stutters.
"It takes more than a little poison to get me down," Miss Parker says. She storms across the room and grabs Kristen by the hair, dragging her off the bed. "And I said to get out of my bed!"
"Calm down, Miss Parker," Broots says, trying to calm her down. If this is the woman who has Summer, she wouldn't be any use to them if she were dead. And if looks could kill, this woman would be dead already.
"Stay out of this, Broots," she warns. "She tried to kill me earlier. She spiked my coffee with something."
"No, that was just for practice," Kristen says coldly. "Just for fun. Your real death was a lot more painful. I ran you down myself. I saw your dead body in the street. So you see, you're not really here. You're just a ghost. You can't hurt me."
"Really? Does this hurt?" She takes the hand holding the gun and smacks the woman across the face. She sees the look of surprise in Kristen's eyes when warm blood from her newly split lip drips into her mouth.
"You can't be real. You're dead," Kristen screams, suddenly very angry. "I killed you. I saw you out jogging and ran you over with my car. It was you. I know it was. I saw the stupid hat. So why aren't you dead?"
"What are you talking about?" Miss Parker screams back at her. "I haven't gone jogging in days. Unless . . . "
"Unless what, Miss Parker?" Broots asks nervously, his eyes widening even more when he sees a rage like he's never seen take over his friend.
"You psychotic nutcase," she screams, pressing the gun to Kristen's head. "You're the one who hit Jarod. You almost killed him. That wasn't me you saw jogging. It was him."
"No, I wouldn't kill him," Kristen swears. "I love him. We're supposed to be together. That's why I had to kill you and Jimmy and the girls. I had to get rid of the dirty laundry."
"Girls? What girls?" Miss Parker asks, feeling a sudden coldness run through her. "Kristen, where are Summer and Alexa?"
"You all were in the way of our happiness," Kristen continues to babble. "I had to get you all out of the way."
"Kristen, where is she?" she asks again, frustrated at not getting through to the woman. "Where is Summer?"
"Summer. Summer. What an odd name. What an odd child. She's so needy. So annoying," she says. She suddenly stops, closing her eyes for a few moments. When she opens them again, her entire countenance has changed. She looks almost childish.
"I'm hungry. I gotta go potty. I want to go home. I want my Daddy. Help me Mommy," she whimpers in a babyish voice. Just as sudden as the initial change, she changes back, face becoming cold and angry again. She stares into Miss Parker's teary eyes, a chilling smirk on her face.
"You won't find Summer. She's gone. Just like you're gone. It's just me and Jarod now. No distractions. And we're going to be together forever. And ever. And ever. And ever . . . " she repeats over and over, sounding like a broken record. She draws her knees up to her chest and starts pulling at her hair, yanking out small chunks without even flinching. Now in some sort of stupor, she rocks back and forth, still repeating her words.
"Kristen," Miss Parker yells over the babbling, but the other woman doesn't miss a beat with the rocking and chanting. It's like she's not even in her body anymore. Miss Parker grabs the woman's shoulders and shakes her. "Where's my daughter, Kristen? Answer me!"
"Miss Parker," Broots says, pulling her away from the woman. "I don't think she's going to answer you."
"Broots, she did something to my little girl. I have to find out what that is," she sobs, unable to hold in her tears anymore. "I have to find Summer."
"Look at her, Miss Parker," he says, pointing to the now drooling woman curled up on the floor. "She's snapped. She's not going to help us find Summer. *You* have to find Summer. You're a huntress. Do what you do best and find your daughter."
"You're right. I have to find Summer," she sniffs, wiping away her tears. She takes a breath, trying hard to get into huntress mode. "We first should check out Kristen's house. It's the only place I can think to start."
She walks to her dresser and pulls out a long scarf, tossing it to Broots.
"Use this and tie her to the bed. I doubt she's going anywhere, but we can't take any chances."
While Broots ties her, she searches the woman's discarded clothes for any clues. She doesn't find anything. Just keys. She sticks them in her pocket and waits for Broots to finish.
"Let's go to her house," she says. "Maybe we'll find something there."
We have to find her, she thinks to herself. She can't think about what will happen if they don't.
Jarod sleepily blinks his eyes and looks around the room. The hospital. He remembers now. He had some kind of accident and was being kept overnight for a head injury.
"Parker," he calls searching the room for her. But the room is empty. He could have sworn she was there earlier. Maybe it was just a dream.
He sits up in the bed, trying to get used to being vertical again. They've kept him so drugged that he's barely been conscious. He's not even sure what's wrong with him. He finds his chart and starts skimming through it.
"Mr. Hamilton. What are you doing up?" a nurse asks when she pushes the door open. "You're supposed to be resting."
"Actually, my chart says I'm fine," he says, showing her the doctor's notes. "And I'm feeling much better. I just don't like all of the drugs."
"You still don't need to be up and around too much by yourself. Why don't you wait until your wife gets back," she suggests.
"My wife was here?" he asks. His face lights up with a smile and the nurse can't help notice how happy he is.
"She was until a few hours ago. Then she went downstairs to pediatrics to sit with your daughter."
"My daughter? Summer's here too?" His joy now turns to confusion and worry. What's Summer doing at the hospital, he wonders. He doesn't remember her being hurt.
"No, not Summer. It's the baby. I think your wife said her name is Abby." The nurse gets concerned when Jarod's face turns an ashy white. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," he says, covering his shock. "But I'll feel better if I can go down and check on my, um . . . daughter."
"I think that can be arranged. I'm sure she'll want to see a familiar face," the nurse smiles. "Let me go get a wheelchair."
Jarod pastes a fake smile on his face until the nurse leaves the room. After she's gone, he lets out the breath he was holding. He needs to find out what's going on. He needs to find out who Abby is and why the staff here think she's his daughter. Miss Parker gave them that impression for some reason.
"You ready to go?" the nurse asks when she steps back inside the room. She holds the door open for an orderly with a wheelchair.
"Yes," he nods, suddenly very nervous about what he's about to encounter. Who is this child? Where did she come from?
The trip down is short. He finds himself being wheeled into a room before he knows it.
"You shouldn't be up for too long, Mr. Hamilton, but I think both you and Abby would benefit from a little time together. I'll come check on you in a little while," the nurse says, smiling gently at him. He thanks her and waits for her to leave before getting up out of the wheelchair, hobbling on his tender ankle. He looks into the crib in the center of the room and peers inside. A small baby looks back at him, with eyes belonging undeniably to Miss Parker and a nose that looks very much like his own.
"She looks just like Summer," he gasps. He just stares at the baby for a few moments, contemplating her existence. Wondering why she's in the hospital. That question is easy enough to answer. He picks up the chart bearing the name 'Abby Hamilton' and flips through the pages.
"Three month old female . . . admitted last night," he mumbles. "Stats are normal . . . previous diagnosis of aplastic anemia confirmed . . . awaiting bone marrow donor."
He replaces the chart and goes to sit in the chair next to the crib. He assumes they brought it in for Miss Parker while she sits with the baby. A baby, he thinks to himself, shaking his head at the very thought. Another baby stolen from them. When will it ever stop?
As if sensing his mood, the baby starts to fuss, kicking her legs and waving her arms madly. She starts to whine and reaching her arms out to him.
"What's the matter?" he asks, surprised at her outburst, seeming to suddenly realize she's a living, breathing person who just might want some attention. "You want me to pick you up? I think I can do that."
He reaches into the crib and lifts the baby out, cuddling her into the crook of his good arm. She snuggles into his chest and sighs contently, pulling a fist to her mouth to chew on.
"That's my girl," he coos, not realizing his words until after he says them. But truer words have never been spoken. By all appearances, he and Miss Parker have another child.
"You're my baby girl," he says, smiling down at the child. She gives him a slobbery grin in return, offering her chubby little hand to him. He takes the small hand in his own, watching in wonder as the tiny fist grasps onto his thumb and holds on tightly. But it may as well be holding his heart. Because in that one instant, he finds himself so in love with the little girl in his arms he can hardly believe it. And he realizes there's nothing he wouldn't do for her.
"You're mine, Abby. And I'm not going to let anything happen to you. That's a promise." It makes him sick to think of her having spent even one minute inside Centre walls. He vows to himself right then and there that she won't spend another, not as long as he can help it.
Chapter 19
*****************
Miss Parker takes the set of keys from her pocket and opens the front door of Kristen's house. A ominous, cold feeling assaults her just as something foul reaches her nostrils.
"Ewww," Broots groans, practically gagging. "It smells like . . something died in here."
"Summer," she gasps, running throughout the house trying to find the source of the smell. She prays with each step she takes that she doesn't find . . . she doesn't even want to think of the possibility. Summer has to be all right, she tells herself. She has to be. She stumbles upon Kristen's bedroom and realizes this is where the odor is originating from. She just stands outside, her shaky hand hovering over the doorknob.
"I'll go in and check it out," Broots offers.
"No. I'll do it," she whispers.
She pushes the door open and a knot forms in the pit of her stomach as her eyes fall on a lump on the bed. She walks over and flips the cover back to reveal Jimmy's body
"It's not her," she sighs, feeling a mixed sense of relief. Happy it's not Summer, but she feels bad that someone is dead.
"We have to call the police and report this," Broots says.
"I have to find Summer first," she insists.
"Miss Parker, we ca- "
"No! I'm finding my . . . " She stops in the middle of her ranting, shushing Broots when he tries to say something else to her. She closes her eyes in concentration, trying to focus on something. "Did you hear that?"
"Hear what? My ears are ringing from you yelling at me," he says sarcastically.
"Shut up, Broots," she says through gritted teeth. She tilts her head, as if trying to hear something in the distance. Her eyes widen in shock when she hears it again. "Summer? Is that you? Baby, I'm here. I'm coming."
She takes off running down the hall, opening door after door until she's exhausted all the rooms in the house. But, she comes up empty. She leans against a wall, out of breath and out of hope.
"Where is it coming from?" she pants. She wipes away one hot tear of desperation that breaks free. "I can hear her so clearly, but I don't know where it's coming from."
"Miss Parker, I don't hear anything," Broots says gently, touching her shoulder to offer some support. "Why don't we call the police now. They can help us search the place. Maybe question Kristen and see what she did with the girls' bodies."
"No!" she yells, jerking away from him. "She's not dead. My daughter is NOT dead. I can feel her, Broots. I feel her little heart beating just like I feel my own. I hear her voice in my head calling out to me. Begging me to help her. She's saying 'Help me, Mommy. Please help me.' She's calling for me to help her and I can't even find her." The tears burst free again and she can't help but start crying.
"Shh," he says, pulling the now sobbing woman into his arms. "I'm sorry I said what I did. I'm so sorry. You'll find her, Miss Parker. You have to believe that."
"I want to believe it, but . . . "
"No buts. You will find her," he says. "Now, take a deep breath and focus on Summer. On her voice. Can you picture anything else? Maybe see her or where she is."
"I can't do this, Broots."
"Yes you can," he insists. "You have to. Try this. Think about Kristen. Think about what she said. Maybe she gave us a clue about where she left the girls."
"Okay," she says, taking a deep breath. "She was talking crazy out of her head. Something about us being obstacles and how she had to get us out of the way. First me and her husband. Then the kids. Called us dirty laundry. No, she said she had to . . . get rid of the dirty laundry." Her eyes light up with realization. "I think I know where they are."
"Where?"
"I'm not exactly sure where. But tell me something. We've been throughout this entire house. Have you seen a laundry room anywhere? There's got to be one in the house, hidden away somewhere. The perfect place to stick things and keep them out of the way until you can get back to them."
"Like dirty laundry," he realizes.
"Exactly," she smiles. "It must be where she stashed the girls."
Her determination renewed, she searches the house again, but still not finding it.
"Where is it?" she yells impatiently, slapping her hand against the wall. "We've checked the whole house."
"Maybe it's not in the house," Broots offers. He points to a door leading from the kitchen. "What's through that door?"
"It goes out to the garage. There's nothing out there. I checked," she says, starting to pace.
"Well in my house, the entrance to my basement is in the garage," he tells her.
"You think there's a basement?" she asks, surprised at the suggestion. "Let's check."
She goes through the kitchen and opens the garage door. She looks around and sees that the room is more a workshop than a place for the car. The room is cluttered with tools and paints, as if Kristen's husband was in the middle of some kind of project. But she sees no other doors.
"Like I said, nothing," she sighs.
"What's over there?"
She follows with her eyes to where Broots is pointing and spots some metal tubing coming from a hole in the ground and going out another hole in the back wall of the garage.
"I think that comes from a dryer vent," Broots tells her. "I just had to replace mine in my house."
"Which means there has to be a dryer down there," she realizes. "Check the floor for some kind of door or opening, Broots."
They both anxiously check around their feet for a way downstairs.
"Check this out," he says, walking over to a mat with a suspicious bump in the middle of it. Broots kicks the mat over to reveal a square wooden panel with a small golden handle.
"Open it, Broots," she says, running over to where he is and peeking over his shoulder as he follows her orders.
"A stairway to the basement?" he asks, not able to see down to the dark sublevel.
"Only one way to find out." She grabs a flashlight off of a nearby workbench and flips it on, stepping down the stairs. She reaches the bottom and feels around the wall until she finds a light switch to turn on. The room is now filled with the artificial light and she's able to see that this is the place they're looking for. Broots submerges seconds later and starts to look around.
"Do you think they're down here?" he asks.
"They have to be here. We've looked every place else in the house."
They continue to look around, opening cabinets and searching under piles of clothes waiting to be washed. Broots had just finished checking the small closet holding the hot water heater when he hears a cry from across the room.
"Dear God. No!" Miss Parker screams.
"Miss Parker, what is it?" he asks, running to her side.
"The dryer," she cries. "They're in there."
He looks down starts to feel faint at what he sees. A small hand hangs limply from the appliance.
"Stay with me, Broots," she yells, snapping him out of his trance. Before he knows what's happening, she's shoving a tiny, lifeless body into his arms.
"That's Kristen's daughter, Alexa. I don't think she's breathing," she says. He lays the girl on the floor and looks up in time to see her pulling another child from the dryer, her face turning white as all blood drains from it. "Summer's not breathing either!"
"I'll call 9-1-1," he says, reaching into his pocket with a shaky hand.
"Come on Summer," he hears her say as she starts CPR. "Wake up. Wake up for Mommy. Please, baby. Wake up for me."
"What's the address here?" he asks her when the dispatcher requests it.
"1411 Cloverdale Drive," she responds, not missing a beat with the resuscitation efforts. Her diligence is rewarded a few breaths later when Summer's eyes fly open and she starts coughing. She pulls the girl into her arms and hugs her tightly. "Calm down, baby. I'm right here. Mommy's here. Just breathe."
She continues to rock Summer, crying grateful tears as she feels the girl's tiny heart pounding in time with her own. She doesn't want to ever let her go again. Not even when she hears Alexa's gasps for air after Broots' successful CPR on her. Or when she hears the sirens in the distance coming to handle the scene. All she knows is that her baby is alive and safe and in her arms. And if she can help it, things will never be any different. Forget the Centre. Her life now is with her family. Her daughters and Jarod. She's never taking them for granted again.
Chapter 20
*****************
Jarod wakes up when he feels a hand stroking his cheek. He opens his eyes to the sight of Miss Parker hovering over him.
"Hi," he smiles, pulling her down for a gentle kiss. "Where were you? You look exhausted."
"I am exhausted," she sighs. She carefully moves his hurt shoulder out of the way and slides into his lap, snuggling into his chest much like the baby did earlier.
"Are you okay?" he asks, confused slightly at her actions. They've become more affectionate over the past few days, but even this seems strange for her.
"I am now," she says after a few moments. "Now that I'm with you. And our girls." She reaches her hand into the crib and caresses the baby's cheek. Not wanting to wake her up. Just wanting to feel her. He feels her smile against his chest before she says, "I see you met Abby."
"Yes. I did," he says with a chuckle. "I was beginning to wonder if I slept through a lot more than one day. I assume she's the reason you had to go back to the Centre."
"Actually, she wasn't at the Centre. And neither was my father. He's the real reason I had to go back. Sydney and Broots were worried about Lyle trying to take over in my father's absence. I had to go track him down. And when I did finally find him, imagine my surprise at also finding another daughter."
She takes a few minutes to explain as best she could the circumstances surrounding Summer and Abby's creation. She tells him about the others and about how they were just used for experimentation. She tells him about Abby's sickness and how Summer should be able to donate life saving bone marrow to her.
"Are there any more? Any more of our children we should know about?" he asks with a shaky voice. She can understand how he's feeling. She felt that way herself when her father told her the story.
"I didn't ask," she says. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking of questions to ask Daddy. I was still reeling from the fact that I was holding my infant daughter in my arms. All I could think about was getting her here so that Summer could help her. And when I get here, I have to worry about rescuing Summer from . . . " she trails off, mentally berating herself from letting that bit of information slip out.
"Rescuing Summer?" he asks, panic in his voice. "What happened to her? Where is she?"
"Calm down, Jarod. You remember what your doctor said."
"Parker," he says, warning creeping into his voice.
"No, Jarod," she says sternly. She jumps out of his lap and stands over him, crossing her arms in defiance. "Not until you calm down. I'm going to need you, Jarod. I need you to get better. I can't have you collapsing on me."
"You're right," he says penitently. "I'm sorry. But I need to know what happened."
"Kristen happened. She became obsessed with you. And she was trying to get rid of all the obstacles between the two of you. That included, me, her husband, and the girls."
"What do you mean by getting rid of you?"
She pauses, thinking carefully about what she's going to tell him. She knows she can't avoid telling him what happened. But she doesn't know how she'll be able to tell him everything that happened. Or even *if* she'll be able to tell him. She doesn't want him to have the nightmares she knows she'll be having just thinking of her child stuffed helplessly into a clothes dryer by a mad woman. It's bad enough for her to be stuck with that memory for the rest of her life. His guilt doesn't need that sort of image.
"Killing us, Jarod," she whispers, trying desperately to hold in her tears. "She killed her husband. Or at least I'm assuming she did. She never quite confessed to it. She tried to kill me. Twice. Once the other morning when she poisoned me. And then yesterday when she tried to run me over with her car . . . and hit you instead."
"Poison? Are you okay?" he asks, concerned about her. He reaches his hand out and pulls her closer to him, wrapping his arm around her waist. "You could be dead right now. I can't believe I came so close to losing you."
"Losing me?" she asks incredulously. "Jarod, you're the one in the hospital. She was trying to kill me and got you instead."
"Yeah, but she was trying to kill you because she wanted to be with me," he counters.
She sighs. Then laughs. He looks at her in confusion.
"What?" he asks.
"We're both so quick to take the blame," she smiles. "But neither of us are to blame for this. A crazy woman fixated on you and tried to kill me and our daughter to get to you. I mean, you can't help it if you're irresistibly adorable." She plants a kiss on his cheek. "And charming." She gives him another kiss on his other cheek. "And so downright sexy you make my toes curl just looking at you."
With a growl, he captures her lips in a hungry kiss, not allowing her to tease him any more. His hand takes a hold of her neck and pulls her face even closer, angling her head to allow him the deepest access. He can't seem to get enough of her. He wants it all and realizes that she's offering it all to him. She's completely open to him, and he can't resist immersing himself in her. Feasting on each moan and sigh she releases.
She whimpers helplessly at his relentless assault. She's amazed to find that he's literally taking her breath away. In her desperate attempt to get closer, she manages to shift around until her knees are on either side of his hips, straddling him in the chair. Their combined weights tips the chair into it's reclined position and she's able to stretch out fully on top of him. She feels his hand slide under her shirt and stroke the soft skin of her back as his lips tug urgently on her own, their tongues dueling frantically.
"Ahem," they hear from the doorway and reluctantly separate. They see a red-faced Broots standing there, trying to avoid looking at them.
"Come in Broots," Jarod says with a grin. "I didn't realize you were here as well."
"Sorry to barge in, but Summer's doctor is looking for you, Miss Parker." He keeps his head turned, still avoiding eye contact.
"Thanks, Broots," she says with a smile, amused at Broots' embarrassment. "I'll go talk to him now." She gets up from the chair, giving Jarod one more kiss before she goes. They watch her leave, almost skipping in her gait.
"I never thought I'd see the day," Broots says. "But she's happy. She's really happy here with you, Jarod."
"Good. Because I honestly don't see how I ever lived without her, Broots. I love her. I haven't told her yet, but I do. And I want her to be as happy as I am."
"Don't hurt her," Broots warns. "That lady means more to me than anyone knows. She's one of the best friends I've ever had. My threats may not scare you much, but if you hurt her, I won't rest until I make you very sorry that you did."
Just then, Miss Parker comes back into the room and sees the serious looks on their faces.
"What's going on in here, boys? You playing nice?" She looks suspiciously back and forth between the two of them, eyebrow lifted in question.
"We're fine," Jarod says. "What did the doctor say about Summer?"
"She's fine physically. They both are. But the doctor ended up sedating both her and Alexa to help them get over the shock from today. And while Summer's sedated, they're going to go ahead and extract the bone marrow to prepare it for Abby. It shouldn't be a painful procedure, but the doctor says she probably won't want to be awake for it," Miss Parker explains.
"It's good they're doing it now so she won't have to be sedated again later," Jarod nods, agreeing with the doctor's decision.
"You said they're physically fine. What about mentally?" Broots asks. "Summer has you and Jarod and now a new baby sister to help her get over the events of today. But what about Alexa? Her father's dead. And her mother is probably going to spend the rest of her life locked away."
"Actually she won't. Kristen's dead too," Miss Parker says, looking down at her feet. "When the police untied her, she attacked one of the officers. They had to shoot her and she died on the way to the hospital."
"So she can't hurt any of us again," Jarod says, not at all sad that the woman is gone. "She tried to tear us apart, but you saved us, Miss Parker. You saved us all. You're a hero. You're *my* hero." He takes her hand in his own and presses a kiss on the back.
"No one will ever accuse you two of being a traditional couple," Broots laughs. "But he's right, Miss Parker. You *are* hero. I had given the girls up for dead. But you found them. You heard Summer calling for you and you found her. It was weird, Jarod. I didn't hear anything, but she swore she heard Summer calling for her."
"It was like that dream I had that time. I felt more than heard her, I guess," she shrugs.
"I guess you two really are linked in some way," Jarod says, giving her hand an encouraging squeeze. "And it worked out for the best. You were able to find our daughter and bring her back to us. Both of them." They look into the crib at the sleeping baby and smile.
"A baby, Jarod," she says shaking her head with a little laugh. "Think we can handle it?"
"We can handle anything, Miss Parker. As long as we're together."
"You don't have to worry about that," she smiles. "I love you. I'm not going anywhere ever again." She leans down and gives him a kiss to seal her promise to him. The real vows could come later along with a real wedding ceremony to legally marry them. But for right now, she's married to him in her heart. And that's all she needs.
Broots stares at them, almost blinded by the love shining from them. He has a feeling his threats to Jarod won't be necessary. It's obvious he loves Miss Parker very much. He won't hurt her. He takes one last glance and slips from the room, giving them the privacy they deserve.
He goes down the hall into Summer and Alexa's room. The two girls sleep the peaceful sleep of the innocent. He quietly takes a seat between them, watching protectively over them. Alexa starts to stir and he moves closer to her bed.
"Who are you?" she asks, staring intently at him when she wakes up.
"My name is Broots," he says gently. "I'm a friend of Summer and her mommy. We helped the two of you today."
"Where's my mommy?"
"She's not here, Sweetheart," he tells her. "Neither is your daddy."
"They were bad people. They hurt me a lot. And mommy hurt Summer. I don't want to see them anymore."
"Then you won't have to," he promises. "You won't have to see them ever again."
She slips her hand into his and drifts back to sleep, seemingly relieved that her nightmare is truly over. The poor little thing has been hurt her whole life. Hurt so badly that she would even trust a total stranger like him.
"I'll take care of you," he whispers to the sleeping girl, a peaceful calm settling over him at his decision. It's the right thing to do. He saved her life. He feels responsible for her. And she has no one else.
"Broots?" Miss Parker calls to him from the doorway. She pushes Jarod in his wheelchair into the room, parking him next to Summer's bed.
"Just checking on the girls," he says sheepishly. "Alexa woke up asking about her parents."
"Poor thing," Jarod says, shaking his head. "She's all alone now."
"No, she's not," Broots says with a cryptic smile. "She won't have to be alone ever again."
Miss Parker looks over at him and returns his smile. She notices a light in his eyes. One that he only gets when he's with Debbie.
"You'll be a good father to her, Broots," she says as realization dawns, repeating his sentiments from earlier. "Because you already look at her the way that only a father can look at his daughter. The way Jarod looks at Summer and Abby."
"Looks like we're all getting our happy ending," Jarod says, pressing a kiss on Summer's cheek.
"Happy ending at the Centre? Didn't think it was possible," Broots frowns.
"We don't have to worry about the Centre," Jarod says. "I've been holding onto some information that will bring an end to the Centre as we know it. Unfortunately once the Centre goes, all of our answers will go along with it. Can you live with that, Parker?"
"What I can't live with is being without you or Summer or Abby. Jarod, we've lived in the past for too long. You and the girls are my present and my future. You're all that matter to me. Like you said, we can handle anything as long as we're together."
"That sounds like a yes to me," he smiles. "I love you, you know."
"You better," she warns, causing them all to laugh. Some things will probably never change. Miss Parker being one of those things. Jarod smiles and sighs. He wouldn't have it any other way.
The end.
