His Secret Child (17 page)

Hours later Caleb took Sheila into the bathroom, stripped her drenched clothes from her body, undressed himself and then pulled her into a hot shower. After drying them both, he carried her into her bedroom, pulled her gown on over her head and put her to bed. She lay there and watched him hand his wet clothes through the door to Bill Finch.

"I'll get these in the dryer right away," Bill said. "Susan's bringing in some soup and sandwiches, so you'd better put something on."

Caleb jerked a cotton afghan off the foot of the bed, wrapped it around his hips and tied the ends in a knot. "Tell her to come on in."

Susan entered, carrying a large tray filled with food. She set the tray down on the cedar chest at the foot of Sheila's bed. "You two eat something, even if you don't feel like you could eat a bite. You've got to keep your strength up." She hugged Sheila. "Wherever Danny is, he's okay."

Sheila wanted to believe her friend, wanted desperately to convince herself that her son wasn't out there hurt and scared and frightened. He was just a little boy. Only eleven years old. What if someone had found him and hurt him? What if some wild animal had attacked him? What if a poisonous snake had bitten him? What if—

She trembled with the force of the emotions ripping out her heart.

Susan hugged Sheila fiercely once again, then when Caleb sat on the edge of the bed, Susan got up and let him take Sheila into his arms.

"See if you can't get her to eat just a little something," Susan said. "I don't think she's had a bite since we ate lunch together yesterday."

Once Susan left, Caleb nodded toward the tray. "She's right, you know. You need to eat something."

"I can't. But—but you should eat."

"Maybe later," he said.

"After we find Danny, we …" She burst into tears again.

Caleb held Sheila, allowing her to cry herself to sleep. He eased her down onto the bed, lay beside her and held her until he, too, drifted off.

At daybreak, two hours later, Caleb woke with a start. When he shot straight up in bed, Sheila awoke and cried out.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know." Caleb trembled convulsively. "It's Danny. Don't ask me how I know, I just know."

She wrapped her arms around Caleb and laid her head on his back. "They—they've found him, haven't they?"

"Yeah, I think so … or they're about to find him. I feel it—" Caleb patted his fist against his belly "—here, in my gut."

"I know," she said. "I feel it, too."

Caleb got out of bed and realized that sometime during their nap, someone had removed the untouched food tray from the cedar chest and replaced it with his clean, dry clothes. Sheila rummaged in her closet, grabbed a shirt and overalls and then the two of them dressed hurriedly.

Someone rapped softly on the door, then Susan stuck her head in, and said, "Lowell's here. He has some news."

Together, parents united in their love and concern, Sheila and Caleb walked down the hall and into the living room where Lowell Redman and a couple of his deputies waited.

"Have y'all found him?" Sheila looked pleadingly at the sheriff.

"We found his leather glove and the ball Caleb autographed," Lowell said.

"What?" Sheila asked. "You found what?"

"After he left the garage, Danny must have come home and got his glove and the baseball," Lowell told them.

"Are you sure they're Danny's?" Caleb asked.

"Yeah, we're sure." Lowell placed his hand on Caleb's shoulder.

"We found them in Smith Woods, about half a mile from the old rock quarry. We found footprints in the mud leading all the way to the entrance to the old quarry."

"Oh, Lowell, you don't think he went in there, do you?" Sheila held her hands together in a prayerful gesture. "With all the rain we've gotten, the quarry will be full. What if he—"

Caleb grabbed her. "Don't even think it."

"The gates were locked and we didn't see any sign of Danny, but that doesn't mean he didn't find a way to get in there. He could have climbed the fence or found a hole somewhere. Some of the men were about to cut through the chain fence and check the old shed to see if Danny might have taken shelter in there for the night."

"Please, we—we have to find him." Sheila clung to Caleb. "I want to go to the quarry now. Right now."

"Come on," Caleb said, then turned to Lowell. "Are you going to drive us?"

Lowell nodded agreement, then followed Danny's parents out onto the front porch. Morning dawned, spreading her pink fingers across the eastern horizon. A cool breeze glided over the treetops. Off in the distance bloodhounds howled.

Twelve

"What if he did go to the old quarry? What if he fell in?" Sheila glanced over at Lowell, who sat on her left and was driving. Caleb, who sat on her right, gave her a reassuring hug.

"We don't know if he's there or not," Lowell said. "Besides, even if he got in under or over the fence, there's no reason he would have gone anywhere near the water."

"But it was dark. He might not have realized …" Sheila stopped herself before she voiced the words that would make her fears even more real. "It's just that I remember what happened to Hank when y'all were boys. I was just a little kid myself, but I recall that your saving Hank's life was all this town talked about for six months."

"It was no big deal. If I'd gotten the cramp instead of Hank, he'd have saved me from drowning." Lowell kept his gaze focused on the road ahead of him.

"You've always been too modest," Caleb said. "Hank knows he owes you his life. He's said more than once that he'd do anything for you."

"There's the quarry," Lowell said, his cheeks flushed, apparently embarrassed.

Sheila noticed that one of the deputies who stood at the entrance gates was waving at them.

Lowell pulled his car over to the side of the road and rolled down his window. "What's up, Kendrick?"

"We found him, sir," the deputy said.

"You found him!" Sheila gripped Caleb's hand. "Is he—is he—"

"He's all right, ma'am. Physically all right. He's dirty and his clothes are torn, but … well, he won't let us get anywhere near him."

"What do you mean?" Caleb asked.

"I mean, the kid is sitting on the edge of the old swimming hole and he's saying that if anybody comes near him, he's jumping in and drowning himself."

"Oh, my God!" Sheila balled both hands into tight fists. "Let me out of here. I'm going to—"

"Calm down, honey," Caleb said. "I know your first instinct is to go out there and yell at him, but you have to remember that Danny's upset and very angry. Angry at me and maybe angry at you."

"Caleb's right," Lowell said. "I'm pretty sure that if Danny did jump in, he'd swim until we pulled him out. But we all know that the quarry is dangerous and anything might happen if Danny jumps or even accidentally falls in."

"Danny's an excellent swimmer. He wouldn't drown." Sheila shoved against Caleb's shoulder. "I want to get out. Now."

Caleb opened the door, got out of the car and held open his hand to Sheila. She accepted his assistance. Lowell exited from the driver's side. The deputy spoke quietly to Lowell, then hurried toward his patrol car.

"I'm getting the rescue squad out here, just in case," Lowell said.

"You think Danny's in trouble, don't you? What are you not telling us?" Caleb asked.

"Sheila," Lowell called to her when she ran toward the gap the men had cut in the eight-foot chain-link fencing. "Danny says he doesn't want to see you or Caleb."

She glared at Lowell, her eyes filled with uncertainty. "Did he tell the deputy that he didn't want to see us?"

"He told Kendrick that you had lied to him and he didn't trust you." Lowell spoke softly, sadly, bowing his head. "He said he never wanted to see Caleb ever again. He said that he hated him. You're dealing with an emotionally distraught child and we can't rule out suicide."

Sheila gasped loudly. "Suicide! Lowell, this is Danny we're talking about, not some … some—"

"I'm going to talk to him," Caleb said. "I'm the one he hates, the one he really blames for everything."

Sheila grabbed Caleb's arm. "What are you going to say to him?"

"I'm going to tell him the truth."

"All of it?"

"Yes."

Caleb glanced over at Lowell, who nodded, then followed them through the gap in the fence and into the old quarry. When they neared the rim of the rainwater-filled crater, one of the two men standing guard over Danny moved down the hill to meet them.

"Mrs. Vance, you've got yourself a scared, angry little boy up there," the man said, then glanced at Caleb. "Mr. Bishop, I'm not sure you should be here."

"I'm going up there to talk to him," Caleb said.

"I don't think that's a good idea. You're the one he's so upset with. He's liable to—"

"Mr. Bishop is going up there to talk to his son," Lowell Redman said. "He and Mrs. Vance have agreed on that."

"Thanks, Lowell," Caleb said, then turned and gave Sheila a hug.

He made his way up the steep, rocky embankment. When he reached the top, he saw Danny sitting near the edge on the opposite side. His heart tightened painfully at the sight of his son, dirty, tattered, obviously wet and cold.

Oh, God, please, let me say all the right things. Let me make him understand. Help me tell him exactly what he means to me.

"Danny!"

Danny snapped up his head and glared at Caleb. "Go away! I don't want to see you! I hate you!"

"I'm not going away, Danny."

"Why not? That's what you do, isn't it? You go away! You went away before I was born. And you'll go away again. But we don't care. Mom and I don't need you. We don't want you!"

"But I need you and your mom, Danny. I need you both and I want you more than I've ever wanted anything."

"Liar!" Danny stood abruptly. Rocks beneath his feet scattered and slid down the steep incline, splashing into the basin below. "You never wanted me. You don't want me now. All you ever wanted was to be a famous baseball player."

Please, God! Please! Don't let my son suffer because of my mistakes. Don't punish him. Punish me.

"Danny, I didn't know your mom was pregnant when I left town twelve years ago." Caleb sat, directly across from Danny.

"She didn't tell you because she knew you didn't want us!"

"I know why she didn't tell me." Caleb breathed deeply, taking air in and out in an effort to gain control of his own shattered emotions. "Your mom did what she thought was best for all three of us. You see, Danny, she loved me and she—"

"But you didn't love her! You didn't love me! And you don't love us now."

"Danny, that's …" He wouldn't lie to his son. There had been enough lies, no matter how well-intentioned, between them. "When I was eighteen, I didn't love anybody but myself. All that mattered to me was what I wanted. I didn't deserve a wonderful woman like your mother or a great kid like you. But I'm not the same selfish boy I was then. Danny, I'm a different kind of man now."

Danny stood near the edge—too close—his long, thin legs unsteady. He covered his ears with his hands. "I don't want to hear any more of your lies!"

"I'm not lying to you, Danny. I promise that I'm telling you the truth. No, I didn't love your mom twelve years ago and I don't know if I'd have given up my baseball scholarship if she'd told me she was pregnant. Probably not."

Danny eased his hands away from his ears, narrowed his gaze and glared at Caleb. "Now, you're telling me the truth."

"But that was then," Caleb said. "Things are different now. I'm different. Son, I—"

"Don't you call me son! Daniel Vance was my father! I'm no son of yours!"

"You're right, Danny. Daniel Vance was your father in all the ways that count. He loved you and took care of you and was there when you needed him. But the truth is that I'm your biological father and nothing can change that fact."

"I don't want to be … your son." Danny's voice broke with emotion.

"I love you, Danny," Caleb said. "I started loving you months ago, before I had any idea you were mine. And now … Can't you give me a second chance? I'll do anything if you'll forgive me and let me try to make it up to you."

Sheila climbed to the top of the cavern wall and made her way over to Caleb. When Danny noticed his mother, his gaze focused on her. Caleb glanced up at her and then back to Danny.

"Danny, please …" Sheila bit down on her bottom lip.

"You lied to me," Danny said. "You let me idolize him. You let me think he was my best buddy. And all the while you knew he was my father and that he didn't want me. He never wanted me."

"Yes, I lied to you," Sheila admitted. "I tried to protect you. Maybe what I did was wrong, but …" She swallowed hard. "I love you, Danny. You've been my whole life. I'm so sorry that you had to find out the truth the way you did. I had hoped Caleb and I could tell you together."

"Do you believe him? Do you really think he's different now than he was then?" Danny asked.

"Yes, Danny, I do believe him. And I wish you would, too. Caleb does love you and he wants to be a father to you. He won't ever leave you again."

"What about you, Mom?" Danny looked directly at Caleb. "Does he love you, too?"

"I don't know," she replied. "Why don't you ask Caleb?"

"Do you?" Danny asked. "Do you love my mother? And don't lie to me. I'll know if you're lying."

Caleb looked at Sheila. Maybe there were women more beautiful. Women who were sexier. But not to him. To him, Sheila was the most perfect woman in the world. The only woman in the world for him. Just being with her made him happy. Did he love her? Yes. Of course, he loved her. Why had he ever thought loving someone was such a complicated emotion? Why had he questioned his own feelings when he'd known, deep down inside, that what he felt for Sheila was the real thing? He'd never cared for anyone the way he cared for her. It was that simple. Love was that simple.

I
love you.
He mouthed the words in a whisper and when she smiled, he knew she'd read his lips. He faced his son and said, "Yes, Danny, I love your mother. I love her very much and … and I had planned to ask her to marry me last night. I've got the ring right here." Caleb felt around inside his jacket pocket and pulled out the velvet box. "See." He flipped open the box and held it out toward Danny.

"You really were going to propose to her?" Danny stared at the ring, his big blue eyes filled with tears.

"More than anything I want your mother and you." Caleb glanced over at Sheila and then back to Danny. "If y'all will give me a second chance, I promise I'll never let either of you down again. I'll never leave you."

"I don't know." Danny took a hesitant step toward his parents, then stopped suddenly. "If you ever hurt my mom again, I'll—I'll make you sorry."

Sheila trembled from head to toe. She sucked in her cheeks, trying desperately to hold back the tears. Her little man. Such a protective son.

She opened her arms. "Come on, Danny. Please, sweetheart, let's go home. We'll find a way to work out all the problems."

"Okay. But I'm not making any promises."

As if viewing a nightmare and unable to prevent what was happening, they watched Danny start toward them, noticed how precariously close he was to the edge and saw the rocks beneath his feet slide, taking him with them in their downward plunge.

Sheila screamed. Caleb's heart stopped beating for a split second. Danny's body scraped against the rough, rock surface as it descended. His head bounced into a protruding boulder. He hit the water and disappeared beneath the surface.

"Oh, God!" Sheila hurried to the edge. "He could be unconscious. I have to get to him."

"Stay here." Caleb grasped her shoulders and shook her. "I'll get Danny."

Caleb climbed down the steep, rocky incline until he cleared the most hazardous area, then dove into the murky depths of the rain-filled cavern.

Sheila waited, her heart in her throat. This couldn't be happening. Her son and his father both in danger. Everything that mattered to her was in jeopardy. With every breath she took, she prayed.
Give us all a second chance. Not for me or for Caleb. But for Danny's sake. He deserves to have a family.

Caleb came to the surface. He rose empty-handed. Alone.
Where is Danny?
Sheila cried out silently.

Lowell Redman placed his hand on Sheila's shoulder. "The rescue squad's here. Their team is going around over there, where they can get to the edge of the water easier."

Caleb gulped in air, then dove again. Sheila ignored everything and everyone else around her. She concentrated on the surface of the dark pool. Overhead the sun broke through the morning clouds and light spread out across the earth like a golden, life-giving shower.

Caleb returned to the surface. Danny clung to his father as they came up out of the water. The rescue team reached them quickly, taking Danny first and then Caleb. Sheila dropped to her knees. Tears cascaded off her face and ran down her neck.

"They're both alive," one of the paramedics hollered.

Lowell lifted Sheila to her feet and kept his arm around her as he helped her down the side of the hill. She ran toward the stretcher on which Danny lay, reaching him just as the medics lifted him into the ambulance. She hurled herself into the back of the vehicle and leaned over her son.

Danny opened his eyes and looked up at her. "He saved my life, didn't he? I don't remember exactly what happened. I must have hit my head when I fell. All I remember is falling and the next thing I knew Caleb was bringing me up out of the water."

"Oh, Danny. I was so afraid I'd lost you." Sheila caressed her son's cheeks, then kissed him over and over again.