Commitment (17 page)

“Alex, you don’t have to go in if you don’t want to,” Cassidy said when they reached the door of Barb’s room. Alex just shrugged. “I know you hate these places, but Barb isn’t sick.”

“I know,” Alex sighed. “I just feel…I don’t know…out of place.”

Cassidy nodded her understanding and encouragement. She raised her brow to signal her final question and Alex nodded for her to proceed. Cassidy opened the door gently and peered inside. “Hey, you up for a visit?” she asked her sister-in-law.

“Please!” Barb answered, sounding slightly exasperated.

Alex followed closely behind and made her way to her brother. “How are you?” she asked him.

“Exhausted,” Nick whispered.

“Ow! Dammit that hurts,” Barb winced. Cassidy smiled and took her hand.

“Maybe you should get up and walk around some more,” Nick tried to suggest gently to his wife.

Barb shot him a look of disgust. “It’s four in the morning; I have a needle in my arm, a bowling ball in my stomach, pain in my back…and you want me to walk?”

“Well, it might help, you know…speed things up,” he said.

“Alex?” Barb directed her question to her sister-in-law. Alex pointed to her chest, and her eyes grew wide. “Do me a favor and take your brother for this walk he seems so interested in. Ow! Ugh, my back.” Alex looked at Cassidy, who was desperately
trying to hide a Cheshire cat-sized grin at the expression on both Nick and Alex’s faces. Alex nodded and pulled her brother’s arm. “And, Alex?” Barb called. Alex spun on her heels. “Piece of advice. There are moments when silence is your ally,” she finished. Cassidy chuckled and turned to Barb, who had also begun to laugh softly as brother and sister sulked slightly and left the room.

“How are you doing?” Cassidy asked once Alex and Nick had left.

“I’m okay,” Barb said, making a futile attempt to get comfortable. “I just want it over, you know?” Cassidy understood completely. “I love Nicky, but I wanted to throttle him about an hour ago; watching him sleep like a baby in that chair.”

Cassidy smiled. “Alex slept for the last six hours. I’m surprised she can walk with her back.”

“Well, she better not fall asleep on you when you are in this position,” Barb said.

“I’d better not be in that position at this hour,” Cassidy laughed.

“Yeah? You know something about communicating with… Ow!”

Cassidy sat with Barb for the next twenty minutes, supporting her and keeping her company. Barb had long been referring to Cassidy as the sister she had always wanted, and Cassidy felt the same way. She remembered her labor with Dylan vividly and completely understood Barb’s need for a break. A change of scenery was not an option at this point, so a change in company sometimes was exactly what the doctor ordered.

Alex walked Nick to the cafeteria to find some coffee. They sat at a small table, and she watched as Nick stretched his neck and rubbed his temples. “Are you worried?” she asked.

Nick shrugged. “Yeah. No….I don’t know. I just feel helpless.”

“Was it like this with Cat too?”

Nick nodded. “Pretty much. Just nothing I can really do, you know? Just wait.”

“Everything is okay though; right?” Alex asked nervously.

“Yeah. Seems to be,” he answered with a yawn. “We should get back though,” Nick said. “She wanted some time with Cassidy. I know that, but she won’t be happy if I’m gone too long.”

Alex grabbed the coffee she had purchased for Cassidy and gave her brother an encouraging pat on the back. She had missed Cat’s birth while she was overseas working on a case for the NSA. She hated to admit that the underlying sense of anticipation and seeing Barb in the hospital bed had unsettled her. She led Nick down the long corridor until they reached the elevator. They rode together in silence, watching the floors tick by until a surprisingly loud “ding” startled them both. Reaching the room, Alex could hear the curse words flying from Barb’s mouth clearly. As Nick opened the door, she instantly saw that Cassidy was holding one of her sister-in-law’s hands while she rubbed the woman’s back gently with the other.

“Jesus, I forgot how much this hurts!” Barb yelped in frustration as her contraction passed. Cassidy rubbed slow circles on her friend’s back and looked across to Alex, who had turned quite noticeably pale. She leaned into Barb’s ear and whispered something, and Alex watched Barb’s lips turn into the hint of a smile. “All right, Alex. You saved me from Nurse Nick’s walking remedy. You are free,” Barb declared.

“We can stay,” Alex began.

“No, no,” Barb said. “Cassidy tells me the boys will be here any minute. You two will have your hands full, for sure.”

Cassidy placed a soft kiss on Barb’s forehead. Barb smiled at her, and she made her way to Nick, clasping his hand. “Hang in there. I’m sure it won’t be that long now,” Cassidy whispered.

Alex handed Cassidy her coffee as they walked out the door. “Thanks,” Cassidy said. “You all right?” Cassidy asked her wife. Alex shrugged, and Cassidy could see the worry on Alex’s face. “She’ll be fine, Alex,” Cassidy assured. “She’s just uncomfortable, tired, and ready for it to be
over
.”

They made their way slowly back toward the waiting room. Alex stopped abruptly before opening the door. “Was it like that? I mean, for you?” Alex asked her wife.

Cassidy smiled. “You mean when I had Dylan?” Alex nodded. “A bit, I guess. I’ve had more pleasant experiences,” Cassidy laughed.

Alex shuddered slightly as she opened the door. An excited seven-year-old bounced toward them, and Alex scooped him up. “Hey, Speed,” she greeted him with a bear hug.

Cassidy leaned in to kiss Dylan’s head and took the opportunity to whisper in Alex’s ear. “If you had started to wonder,” she said. “It was worth every single second.”

Alex turned to regard the twinkle in Cassidy’s eye. She felt Dylan’s head rest on her shoulder and smiled softly. “Yeah, I believe it,” she said.

A black sedan pulled up outside the long stretch of townhouses and Christopher O’Brien stepped into the back. “Let’s take a drive,” the older man in the back seat commanded the driver. He made no move to turn to the congressman as he continued. “So, what exactly have you done this time?” the man asked.

The tension emanating from the man beside him made O’Brien shift slightly in his seat. “I’m not certain I know what you mean,” he answered.

“Well, Agent Krause and Agent Fallon both paid personal visits to Agent Toles last week. That’s not a very usual scenario. Both in one week,” the man said.

“I don’t see what that has to do with me,” O’Brien answered more pointedly than he had intended.

“Really? I suppose it is some coincidence that you met with her last week, and suddenly Fallon appears in Connecticut followed by Krause?”

O’Brien shifted again. “I couldn’t put off that meeting any longer.”

“So, that’s why you called your ex-wife and threatened to take Dylan away the other day,” the man asked without turning. O’Brien’s surprise was evident. “What?” the man asked, finally moving to face the congressman. “I don’t recall instructing you to interfere in their lives.”

“He’s my…”

“No. I think we both know he is not. So, where did this idea come from? Or…did you think up this whole scam in the little thing we loosely refer to as your brain?” the man inquired.

“I was told to make that meeting,” O’Brien reconsidered his answer momentarily. “I assumed the directive came from you.”

“Well, that was your first mistake.”

“Excuse me?” O’Brien replied.

“Assuming,” the man answered. “And who should I thank for this debacle?” O’Brien swallowed the lump in his throat. He had assumed that the president’s request had, at the very least, been approved by the man beside him. “Do you care to enlighten me?” the man asked. “Or, should I guess?”

“I was called to a meeting….”

“Strickland,” the man mumbled in disgust. “Well, I shouldn’t be surprised. And what exactly did our ingenious leader ask you to do?” O’Brien hesitated. “I don’t want to ask again.”

“He wanted me to get closer. Gave me something for Dylan.”

The man’s sardonic laugh momentarily pierced the tension. “Strickland? Interested in a seven-year-old?” He shook his head. “I see. Dare I ask the motivation?”

“Just a way to listen,” O’Brien’s voice dropped. “He said it would be imperceptible.”

The man laughed harder. “Well, he apparently does not know Alex Toles or Jonathan Krause very well. You back off.”

“I don’t think that is possible now,” the congressman said.

“Why is that?”

“I had my lawyer file a…”

“You idiot.” The car stopped, and the older man grabbed hold of the congressman’s jacket. “I have better things to do than clean up your mess. You figure it out, Congressman. Now, get the hell out of my car.”

Christopher O’Brien offered no argument. He stepped outside the vehicle and watched it pull away slowly. “Shit,” he grumbled, pulling out his cell phone. “I need a ride,” he said.

Alex couldn’t believe there was still no baby. It was almost ten in the morning. “How long does it take?” she wondered.

Dylan had fallen asleep in between his two snoozing grandmothers. Cat, however, remained wide awake, watching a cartoon in the waiting room. “How much longer Aunt Cassidy?” he asked.

“I don’t know, sweetie. It’s one of those things. Your little brother or sister is just not quite ready yet,” she answered him softly.

He shrugged. “I wish he would hurry up,” Cat groaned.

Cassidy laid her head on Alex’s shoulder. “Tired?” Alex asked.

“Yeah.”

“You should have had that coffee I got.”

Cassidy just sighed. She had given the coffee to her mother when she arrived with Dylan and Cat. “Yeah, because it was so effective for her,” she gestured to the three sleeping bodies across the room. Alex started to reply when the door opened, and a fatigued, but broadly smiling Nick appeared. Cassidy sat up immediately and crossed the room to wake the sleeping trio.

“So?” Alex asked.

Cat made his way to his father and looked up with expectant eyes. “Boy,” Nick said. “Seven pounds, twelve ounces, twenty inches.”

“You have a little brother, Cat,” Cassidy said with a pat on his shoulder.

“Can I see him?” Cat asked excitedly.

Nick nodded. “Yes, you can. I will come and let you know when she’s ready for some more visitors,” he said to the room.

“Take your time,” Helen said. “How about we all head down and get some breakfast? By the time we’re all done, she should be ready.”

“Can we bring you something back?” Rose asked Nick.

“No,” Nick responded. “But, I know Barb is dying for a cup of decaf. And not the kind the nurses are offering.”

“Consider it done,” Rose replied.

Nick wandered out of the room with Cat at his side. Dylan groggily made his way to his parents. Alex lifted her son, and he grabbed hold of her tightly. “You are tired,” she observed. He rubbed his eyes and put his head on her shoulder. “Tell you what…Why don’t you and Mom rest here for a bit and we’ll bring you something back.”

“Alex, are you sure?” Cassidy asked.

“Yeah. No offense, you look beat. Just relax. I’ll take the grannies here with me.”

“Grannies?” Rose asked.

“Well?” Alex replied.

“Your babysitting fee just increased,” Rose said as she made her way out the door.

“Inflation,” Helen said following her.

“Yeah, whatever,” Alex rolled her eyes.

“You keep adding all these kids; you won’t be able to afford us,” Rose called back.

Cassidy laughed at the banter as Dylan cuddled up next to her. She heard Alex’s reply in the distance. “Hey, I haven’t added anything,” Alex argued.

Cassidy heard Helen snicker. She stroked Dylan’s hair and closed her eyes. “Mom?” Dylan whispered.

“Hmm?”

“Can I have a little brother?

Cassidy smiled. “Well, Dylan…I’m not sure I can promise that. What if someday you have a little sister?”

He huffed. “I guess. As long as she likes cartoons. She could be Wonder Woman or,” he mumbled as he drifted off to sleep.”

“I suppose, she could, Dylan. If Alex has anything to say about that; I suppose she could.”