Wrong Number (11 page)

Aubree dipped a toe in the cool water of the stream and thought about Jason. The worry lines in his forehead were constantly creased, and she knew he was doing his best to solve her case and keep her safe. The search for details seemed endless.

Everything was coming to a dead end, yet Aubree was still in protective custody—a point she’d argued many times with Jason. The last argument had taken place only yesterday.

“I don’t understand how I could be a threat to anyone. I never saw the man who called,” she said. “They killed the secretary of defense. That’s what they wanted to do, right?”

Jason massaged his temples in the familiar pattern that showed his frustration. “Aubree, we haven’t identified any type of connection between the shooter we apprehended aboard the
Midway
and Tidmore, who was killed the same day as your husband. We’re working with the San Diego chief of police and questioning everyone on duty that day, but we don’t have solid leads.”

“I know, but I’m not helping the situation either. I’ve remembered everything there is to remember about that conversation. I don’t know anything else.”

He threw his hands in the air and pointed a finger at her. “The people who orchestrated Robert Walden’s assassination don’t know how much you heard or remember. Maybe that guy thought you heard more than you did, or maybe there’s more to it all. I don’t know, but I do know you’re still a viable threat to them.”

Aubree stiffened. “Okay, I believe you, but have you thought about my request?”

He shook his head.

“Please, Jason; I need my mother to be here with me when the baby comes.”

“It would mean pulling a lot of strings, and it’s not the wisest decision,” Jason said.

“If I have to, I’ll leave. You can’t keep me here,” Aubree insisted.

His face flushed with anger, and the intensity in his green eyes was commanding, but Aubree stood her ground. The muscles around his jaw clenched, and he said, “I’ll get your mother here.”

Back in the garden, Aubree smiled. She could stick it out a little longer knowing her mom would be there in ten days. She sat up as her uterus tightened. The false contractions were beginning to get very uncomfortable. Aubree attempted to focus on reading her romance novel, but she kept rereading the same lines as she tried to breathe through the contractions. Finally, she tossed the book aside and stood up, only to sit back down as another contraction came—this one harder than any of the others.

“Are you okay?” Garrett Sanderson walked through the French doors and knelt beside her.

“I’m having a lot of contractions.”

“Do you think you’re in labor?”

“I don’t know,” she said. Aubree noted the excitement in his voice. Sanderson had been pretty protective of her while she’d been there. His watch beeped again, and Aubree smiled. Every hour he stopped his work to check on her. He held out a tray with ice water and fruit.

“You don’t have to wait on me,” she protested.

“I want to make sure you’re comfortable.” She watched him reset his watch. “Jason said if I wasn’t nice, you might jump ship.”

Aubree blushed. “I’m sorry to be such a pain.”

Sanderson laughed. “I don’t mind.”

He held out the same large hand that had intimidated her the first night she met him. “Do you want me to help you inside?”

“Yes, I’d like to walk around and see if that helps.” She leaned against his hefty torso, and he helped her into the kitchen. He poured a glass of lemonade and watched her closely.

“Are you remembering to breathe?”

Aubree clutched her stomach. “I’m trying.” She winced and headed for a soft chair in the living room.

“Let’s go ahead and start timing those contractions.” Sanderson motioned to his wristwatch. “I think they’re the real thing this time.”

“They feel a lot stronger.” Aubree tried to push back the anxiety rising within her. If her baby came early, would Jason still be able to get her mom here?

After about thirty minutes of timing, Jason came through the security door with some supplies. When he saw Aubree and Sanderson, his eyes widened. “Why didn’t you call me?”

“Because we were making sure these were the real thing,” Sanderson answered and then smiled proudly. “And they are. This baby’s coming!”

“Already?” Jason raked his fingers through his hair and stared at Aubree’s stomach.

She nodded and tensed as her uterus contracted again. Unclenching her fists, she tried to remember the relaxation techniques she’d been studying. “They’re about four minutes apart now.”

“Four minutes! What are you waiting for, then?” Jason said.

“The nurse said the contractions need to last about a minute each and go on for an hour before we take Aubree in,” Sanderson said.

“But aren’t you in pain?” Jason crouched beside Aubree.

Her jaw clenched, and she sucked in a breath of air. “It’s going to get a lot worse, I guess.”

Jason stood. “I’ll get your hospital bag for you.”

As he hurried down the hallway, she smiled. Two trained FBI agents were worrying over her and neither of them had kids. “Can you start the transfer for my mother?” she asked Sanderson. She knew her mom would have to take two different flights and at least one bus ride to get in the vicinity indirectly in case she was followed.

“I’ll make some calls,” Jason said before Sanderson could answer. He set Aubree’s hospital bag and the diaper bag she’d packed for the baby on the floor. As she continued to feel the strong sensations of the contractions coursing through her body, she thought about how much she and Devin had looked forward to this day. Although it was still painful to think of Devin, she missed her husband and wished he could be with her.

A few minutes later, Jason returned to the living room. Aubree managed to squeak out, “Did you talk to my mom?”

“I didn’t contact her directly. I’ve set up a chain of contact to get things moving.” He knelt beside her chair. “I think we should head for the hospital now.”

She sucked in a breath and squeezed his hand. “All right, let’s go then.”

It didn’t take long to get settled in the car, and Sanderson insisted on driving. The security measures to travel to the hospital were thorough. It was a private hospital, and the FBI was prepared for this unique circumstance with their witness, but Jason was uptight about her safety. He’d handpicked the agents who would be involved with the security detail at the hospital.

All of these thoughts swirled through her mind as they drove. She watched her hands and tried to keep them relaxed in an effort to stay focused on her breathing. The contractions continued to come. She squeezed her eyes shut and visualized Devin holding their newborn child. The image was always a bit blurry because she still didn’t know if she was having a boy or a girl.

Aubree kept up her visualization and relaxation techniques through all of the hassle of getting into the hospital and being prepped for delivery. She looked away when they inserted the IV into her hand.

After the doctor checked her and found she was dilated to a five, Aubree kept an eye on the clock. It was already one-thirty in the afternoon, and she’d been in labor for roughly four hours. Two nurses were helping her, and two concerned FBI agents stood outside her door, but she still felt alone. Jason and Sanderson had offered to stay with her during the birth, but Aubree thought it might be awkward to have them there. So they waited in the hall.

Gasping through another strong contraction, she tried to compartmentalize her feelings and think about the joy soon to come. But it was
harder to follow her mother’s advice than she had expected. Moisture leaked from her eyes and ran down the sides of her face, but it took too much energy to cry. Aubree kept swallowing and repeating a silent prayer for peace in her heart.

T
EN

J
UST WHEN SHE THOUGHT
she couldn’t push anymore, Aubree heard the nurse’s excited cheers. “You did it! She’s here.”

She let her head fall back against the pillow in exhaustion. The doctor held up her baby, and Aubree blinked away tears of joy. “It’s a girl.”

When they placed the whimpering baby girl in her arms, Aubree felt so much peace and love that she actually looked around her—half expecting Devin to be standing right there.

She smiled at the tiny face looking up at her with bits of dark curls all over her head. “Hello, Scarlett. I’m so excited you’re here.” Aubree felt as if her heart might burst with love. She gently kissed Scarlett. Caressing the soft skin of her baby brought a thrill to her heart, and she cuddled the seven-pound, two-ounce bundle closer.

After Aubree was moved to a maternity room and settled in with her baby, the nurse said, “There are two rough and tough FBI agents out there dying to see this little girl.”

“I guess we’ve kept them waiting long enough,” Aubree said.

“That’s what they’ve been saying. They know she was born at 6:25, and they can’t imagine what we’re doing in here.”

The clock on the wall ticked steadily. It was already 7:45 p.m., and the hours of the day had been eaten up by painful contractions, but Aubree felt relief now when she looked at her sweet baby. The nurse opened the door a crack and whispered to Sanderson and Jason. Aubree smiled when she heard them scrambling to get inside.

“That was worse than any stakeout I’ve ever been on,” Sanderson said with a grin. “This guy was about to drive me crazy with all of his worrying.”

Jason blushed and slugged him. “Don’t let him fool you. He was just as concerned as I was.”

“It’s nice to know you guys are in my corner.” Aubree tucked the blanket tighter around her wide-eyed baby. “Would you like to meet Scarlett?”

They stepped closer. “She’s beautiful,” Jason said. “Look at that dark hair.”

“She’s got curls, too, from her daddy.” Aubree brushed her fingers softly against the brown tufts of hair. “Would you like to hold her?” She held Scarlett out for Jason, and his eyes softened.

“Are you sure?”

She handed the infant to him. “You better take your chance now before her grandma gets here.”

“I’ll have until tomorrow, then.” Jason held the baby like she might break if he moved.

“Really? Thanks so much for doing that—for getting her here,” Aubree said.

“Well, you didn’t leave me much choice,” Jason said.

After Sanderson took his turn holding Scarlett, the nurse ushered the two agents back out into the hallway. “She needs to feed the baby and get some rest.”

Aubree stared into Scarlett’s eyes and hummed softly to her. Even though it hadn’t turned out like her original plans, she was a mother now, and nothing else mattered.

It was nearly four in the morning when Aubree heard someone in her room. Her eyelids felt heavy with fatigue, and she struggled to focus on the figure approaching her bed. The nurse checked Aubree’s IV bag; the fluid was nearly gone.

“Have you come to take out my IV?” Aubree asked.

“Oh! You’re awake. I’m sorry, I didn’t want to wake you—I guess it’s hard to sleep when you’re in pain though, huh?” The nurse stepped closer to her. “Let me check your vitals.”

Aubree closed her eyes while the nurse checked her vitals and wished she could just go back to sleep.

“Having a baby is like being run over by a truck,” the nurse said and chuckled.

Aubree nodded and then watched the nurse take out a needle.

“This pain medicine will help you feel better.”

“No, I’m okay. I took a pain pill earlier,” Aubree said.

The nurse fiddled with the tube connected to Aubree’s IV. “This is just to last you through the night.”

“No. When I take too much pain medicine, it makes me sick.”

The nurse didn’t hesitate when Aubree protested, and Aubree felt her heart rate increase as she watched the needle approaching the IV bag.

“Oh, this won’t do that,” the nurse said.

Aubree realized that maybe this nurse wasn’t here to help her feel better. She pulled herself to a sitting position. “Jason!” Aubree cried. “Help me!”

The nurse jumped back in alarm as the door burst open, and Jason and Sanderson ran in. Lights flooded the room. “What are you doing?” Jason demanded, grabbing the nurse’s arm.

“I’m giving her some morphine like the doctor ordered.” Her voice trembled.

“Morphine! She’s allergic to morphine,” Jason shouted.

Aubree felt like she was in a bad dream. She watched Sanderson grab the syringe from the nurse and examine it.

“Where’s her chart? I want to see the orders,” Sanderson demanded.

“It’s on the computer. The doctor ordered it up because her pain level was a seven,” the nurse said.

“I was sleeping. I never asked for more pain meds,” Aubree said. She grabbed the bed sheets, wiped her sweaty palms, and took a few shallow breaths.

Jason tugged on the nurse’s arm, leading her toward the laptop hooked to the hospital’s mainframe. “Show me.”

Sanderson bent over Aubree’s bed. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, and another nurse wearing pink scrubs entered the room, pushing the newborn cart. Aubree leaned forward when she heard Scarlett’s cries. The nurse looked around and frowned. “Is everything okay here?”