Books by Maggie Shayne (21 page)

Torch lifted a hand, and the motion cost him more effort than he'd thought he had left in him. He closed it on the front of Stern's shirt.

If you're lying to me. "

' I'm not. "

"You... kept me from my sons... when.. ?"

"I know. Look, it kept them alive, didn't it? If Scorpion or D.C. had found out, they'd have tried again. Look, it was only because I"

Torch's hand went limp and fell to the floor. His eyes closed again.

He fought to cling to consciousness. to life. and he heard Alexandra's voice, tear roughened. "He's unconscious Get out of the way so lean tal~ care of him. We have to get him to the hospital, dammit. I can, tlose him. Not now."

Those were the last words he heard. He felt himself slipping and grated his teeth, vowing to hang on until he learned the truth.

She paced the waiting room nonstop, questioning everyone who happened by. She wasn't licensed to practice in Maryland and probably was shaking too badly to be of much help anyway. She knew that Torch would get excellent care here.

Torch was in surgery. The bullet had lost momentum because of the vest he'd been wearing, but because it had been fired at such close range, it had passed through the protective shell. It had broken a rib on the way in, and that had deflected its path enough so that it missed the heart.

But he'd lost a lot of blood, and it was touch and go all the way in.

She still wasn't sure if he'd make it.

Footsteps made her turn, and then she glared at the man called Stern. He stopped in front of her.

"How's Torch doing?"

"You're a bastard," she said very softly, very calmly. Stem smiled.

"Yeah; but you can call me Doug."

 
~ "How could you let a man spend all those months believing his own children to be dead? My God, do you know what kind of hell he went through?"

Doug Stem had enough grace to look guilt ridden.

"I know. All I can say is that it was better to let Torch suffer than to put those kids at risk again. At least, that was the way I saw it."

He sighed.

"I cared. a great deal for their mother. I did what I did for her. "

She shook her head, turning away from the man.

"And for the kids, too. It might end up costing my job when it comes out, Ms. Holt. I risked that, because protecting them meant that much to me. And I still feel I did the right thing. I was wrong about Torch, I know that now. But if D.C. and Scorpion had known the boys were alive, they'd have tried again and again."

She closed her eyes. Who was she to judge this man? Maybe he really had been afraid for the boys. Maybe . he'd even had reason to be.

She met his eyes, saw sincere regret there.

"I guess" -- The surgeon came in and she forgot all about Stern and his explanations as she saw him approaching, over Stern's shoulder. She held her breath, waiting.

"He's in recovery," the man said, smiling.

"He's going to be just fine. I'll tell you, though, I've never seen anyone come in here in as bad a shape as he was, and still pull through.

lie has one hell of a lot of fight in him."

Alexandra went limp, not fighting when Stern caught her around the waist and eased her into a chair. She smiled through a flood of hot tears.

The doctor smiled back.

"You'll be able to see him in a few hours. I'll have a nurse come for you."

She nodded, thanked him and turned back to Stern, wiping at her tears with the back of one hand.

"Where are they?"

"Who?" he asked.

"Oh. Them." He took her elbow, helped her to her feet, and then led her down the hall to a waiting area set aside for children. Two dark-haired, blue-eyed boys sat in the middle of the-floor. One pushed a toy truck and made motor noises. The other sat very quietly, turning the pages of a children's book.

Alexandra felt her eyes burn. They looked so much like their father.

Younger, more innocent, but they had his blue eyes and his dark, silken hair. Where his fell in waves, theirs kinked and curled.

"They knew their father was hurt in the. explosions" Doug Stern said softly, leaning close so that his words were for her ears alone.

"They understand that. They were both hurt, too. They were in the backyard playing when it happened. I was first on the scene. I found them and arranged for the secrecy. As far as they know, Torch has been recovering all this time. My father's been caring for them as if they were his own."

One of the boys--the one with the truck--looked up at her.

She smiled at him, and he smiled back. Dimples dotting his face.

"Hello," she said, feeling nervous for some reason.

"Are you Josh or Jason?"

"Jason,:'~ he said fmnly.

"Are you gonna take us to see our daddy now?"

"Is.he all better yet?,"

"Almost:' " -I m "Me, too," said the other one. Josh was quieter, more shy. He'd backed up a few steps while his brother had spoken to Alex.

Now he stopped his retreat, staring up at her. "I missed him so much."

"He's missed you, too," she told them.

"You wouldn't believe how much. He would have been with you all this time, if he could have.

You know that, don't you? "

Josh only nodded.

 
Jason frowned, searching her face with eyes as piercing as his father's.

"Have you been cryin'?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Yeah. I've been pretty worried about your daddy myself.

But that was before I knew he was all better," she added quickly when she saw a worried frown taking shape between small eyebrows.

The frown eased. Jason puffed his chest up a bit.

"You don't have to worry about our dad. He's very strong, you know."

"She knows that, fellas. This lady's a doctor. If it hadn't been for her, your old dad might not have been better even now." Stern seemed to be trying very hard to earn brownie points.

"Really?" Josh studied her for a long moment, than moved up to his brother, leaned close to whisper something into his ear.

Jason nodded and resumed his role as spokes-twin.

"If you want, you can wait here with us Then you won't be so scared."

She knew, as she looked at the hopeful cxpressious in their eyes, that they wanted her to stay with them.

Stern was whispefing very close to her car.

"It's been a long time since they've had a woman's comfort, you know. I think it's something they could use fight now."

She nodded, smiling and bat tUng fresh tears. Two sets of blue eyes and deep dimples had melted her heart line but-tcr. They were their father's sons, all right.

"That's nice of you," she told them, moving into the room to sit down.

"I'Ll feela lot better if I can wait with you guys."

Jason was quick to take the seat on he left. Josh crept fol~vard a little slower. Shyly he stopped before reaching her. He bit his lip, bending to pick up the book he'd been looking at when she'd come in.

He held it out to her, eyes uncertain, a little wary. When she took it and opened it, he climbed into her lap.

 
And as Alexandra felt the small body resting in her arms, her heart swelled until she thought it would burst. She began reading and Jason, beside her, leaned his head against her shoulder.

The first thing Torch was aware of, when he opened his eyes, wasn't a physical sensation. It was a sens of elation. And for a second he wasn't even sure why he felt it, or what had happened to the shroud of grief that usually greeted him when he opened his eyes.

Slowly he became aware of the dryness of his throat, and the pain in his chest. He blinked, bringing the hospital room into focus . And then it came back to him. Everything that had happened. And that odd fhntasy-dream he'd had right at the end. His sense of elation vanished.

It had seemed so real. God, how much of what he remembered was sheer fantasy, then? Was Alexandra really all right? He tried to pull himself up, despite the pain. And he put all his strength into it when he shouted her name.

He sat up too fast and had to clutch the mattress to keep from going over the side when pain and dizziness hit him. And then the door was flying open, and he saw her shoving her way past an obstinate nurse to get to him.

She stopped near the bed, breathless, her wide brown eyes probing his.

And then she came still closer, sighing in relief. Her hands slipped around his head and she drew it forward, pressed it to her belly, ran her fingers through his hair and whispered his name.

"Thank God," she whispered. "Thank God, you're all right. You're really all right."

Torch wrapped his arms around her waist, clung to her.

"I'm sorry," he told her.

"For what I said at the hotel." "I know."

"I only wanted you out of harm's way, Alex. I only wanted you safe. I swear it
 
"I know, Torch."

"I love you." He pulled away from her, just enough so he could look up into her eyes.

"I love you, Alex. Give me a chance to prove it to you."

Her hands came to his shoulders, and she cased him back onto his pillows. She leaned over him, pressed her lips to his mouth and whispered, "I love you, too, you idiot. And you don't have to explain. You told me all of this back in that warehouse when you thought you Were dying.

You got yourself shot trying to protect me.

There's nothing to prove. "

He sighed his relief. And then he clung to her. He needed to. Because the details of that dream were coming back to him now. A dream in which someone had told him the impossible, and he'd believed it because he'd wanted to so very badly. And he'd fought to stay alive because of it.

It hurt to w. ~ up to reality after such a wonderful dream. Even with Alexandra's healing love, he didn't think this pain would ever leave.

She eased away from him.

"There are some people waiting to see you."

He closed his eyes. They burned.

"I don't want to see anyone but you, Alex."

She frowned down at him.

"Torch..." And then she must have seen the moisture in his eyes, because she paused, staring at him. One hand came up to cup his cheek, and she plumbed his eyes, his soul.

"Don't you remember what Doug Stern said to you in that warehouse?"

Torch's heart skidded to an utter halt.

"I ... I dreamed that he told me..." He grated his teeth, shook his head.

She smiled gently, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Oh, my love. It wasn't a dream." She stepped backward, reached behind her for the door, pushed it open. And then she turned her head and waved her hand at someone outside.

And a miracle happened.

 
Josh and Jason bounded through that door and right up onto the bed.

They threw themselves at him, hugged his neck, laughing and talking at the same time, so loudly and excitedly he couldn't make out a word either of them was saying. For a moment he just sat there, stunned, looking down at the angels clinging to him, staring from one to the other, gaping.

And then he wrapped his arms around them both, and he thought his sutures were going to rip apart from the force of their hugs, but he didn't care. It was the sweetest pain in the world.

He felt them. Their soft, warm skin, and their silken dark hair. He looked into their blue eyes and saw their twin smiles. Jason had lost a front tooth!

Alive! His sons were alive! It hadn't been a dream . "My boys... oh, God, my boys..."

"We missed you, Daddy!"

"I'm so glad you're better now so we can he with you again!"

"I love you, Daddy."

"Don't laave us ever again, okay?"

He was crying. Torch Palamaro's stony heart melted in~o a puddle of sheer joy, and tears burned fiery paths down his cheeks.

"I love you, too, both of you. And you better believe I'm never gonna leave you again. Not ever."

The hugs gentled, but neither child seemed willing to step out of his arms. And it was a good thing, because he didn't think he could let go of them if he' tried Alex moved to the foot of the bed and cranked it up until he could remain sitting and still lean back against the mattress. The boys settled down a bit, curling up on either side of him, and he held them close.

But his gaze was on her. On Alex. On the tears of joy she was shedding for him. For them.

She moved toward the door.

"You guys spend some time. Catch up. I'll cheek back in later."

 
"Don't go, Alex."

She met his gaze, and he saw so much love in her eyes that he wondered at it.

"You want to be alone" -- "No, we don't," said Josh.

"We want you to stay, Alex," Jason said.

Torch held her gaze, tried to send her messages with his eyes.

"You can't go," he said softly.

"Look at us." He glanced from one head of dark curls to the other.

"We need you."

Her smile was tremulous. But she nodded her acceptance and came to join them. She sat on the foot of the bed, curling her legs under her.

"Then I'll stay."

"For always?" Torch asked her, then he paused, suddenly uncertain.

"I know it's a lot to ask. "

She smiled at him, looking at the boys as if she were looking at her very own miracle.

"How do you two feel about cats?"