CRIMINAL CHRISTMAS: A Set of 8 Holiday Suspense Stories, page 49
“Old co-workers?”
“I quit my drafting job once I discovered I was pregnant. As long as it took me to conceive, I didn’t want any other factors like stress from work getting in the way. His life insurance policy doubled because it was an accident. I’m okay through the move to Texas, but as soon as I’m settled I plan to find work in my field.”
“Would you be interested in working for an up and coming Contractor just starting his own business? He’s trust-worthy, a hard-worker, and promises to be a fair and generous boss.”
“Hm . . . maybe so. Is it anyone I know?”
He gave her a one-shouldered shrug. “Just some ex-Marine, slash nine-one-one dispatcher, slash college graduate hopeful wanting to make something of himself.”
Her eyes softened. “Well, that sounds like something I might seriously consider.”
He raised both hands. “It may be rough for the first couple of years, until I build up my reputation, but I’d try to keep your salary competitive. I’ve met some influential people in that field over the past couple of years.”
She nodded while adjusting her son’s position. “Fair enough.”
Luke stood to get a better look at the baby. “Could I hold him again, Cori?”
“Sure you can.” She lifted her baby boy so Luke could take him from her. “Sherrill should be bringing a bottle soon. It’s getting close to his feeding time. I have to say, the nurses here are fantastic.”
Luke put the snorting, snuffling baby up to his shoulder. “That’s why he’s getting so impatient. Poor thing’s getting hungry.”
After a brief knock at the door, a tall brunette entered, carrying a bottle. “Hello. I’m Trish Leger, your night-shift nurse. Is that little one anxious for his supper?”
Luke lowered the fussy baby from his shoulder to the crook of his left arm. “I believe he is. He’s sucking on his fist.”
“Aw. Are you feeding him, Daddy?”
“Oh, I’m . . . I’m not the father . . .” He looked at Cori for help.
“He’s a friend,” she smiled.
“I’m sorry. He looked so natural holding him, I just assumed.” She held out the bottle. “Who’s going to feed him?”
He puffed with pride at her assumption. “Is it okay if I feed him?”
Cori nodded. “Go for it.”
Luke grabbed the bottle and a small towel from the nurse and thanked her.
“Call if you need anything at all.”
He waited until she left to lift the towel. “What am I supposed to do with this?”
“It’s his burp rag. Tuck it under his chin while you’re feeding him then put it over your shoulder when you go to burp him.”
He nodded. “I got this.”
“Are you sure?”
“No problem.”
Five minutes later, he reneged on his previous comment. “How do you burp him when he’s all rolled up in a ball?”
She giggled and held out her hands. “Give him here. I’ll show you a different way.”
He watched as she sat her son up, lifting his chin with one hand to support him and patted his back with the other until he burped several seconds later.
“That way seems to work better for him. You’re good with him, considering he’s your first.”
“I did a lot of babysitting as a teenager and learned even more after Lilly and Eli were born.” She handed him back to Luke. “Here you go. You can finish feeding him and burp him the next go round.”
He cradled the infant’s tiny head in the palm of his hand as he fed him. “I can’t wait to be a dad.”
“You generally need to find a girl first.”
He grinned without looking at her. “I realize that.”
“Unless you’re one of those guys who’s just out looking for a ‘baby mama’.”
His jaw tightened. “Nope, I don’t plan on having one without the other. When I settle down, I reckon it’ll be for life.”
“You reckon so?”
Luke glanced at Cori, and found her mouth twisted in a wry grin. He laid on a thick Texas drawl. “I sure do, little lady.”
She released a subdued giggle before yawning. “Oh, oh . . . the meds are kicking in. They gave me my painkiller just before you arrived. As soon as you’re finished, I’ll call for the nurse to take him back to the nursery.”
Luke remained quiet, assuming her closed eyes meant she’d fallen asleep. When the baby finished, Luke positioned him as Cori had done then started patting his back. Within seconds, Little Luke let out a good burp. He used the cloth to wipe any spilled formula around the baby’s mouth then settled him back into the crook of his arm.
He sat there, staring at the child who looked so much like his mother, except for the slight indention in his chin. He had to admit it looked good on the kid, though. Luke sucked in his breath as his namesake opened his dark blue eyes and stared at him. The tiny brow furrowed, and Luke reached up to smooth the lines away. “What are you so worried about, huh, little guy?” he whispered. The infant blinked and his lower lip pooched out in an adorable pout. Luke slid his finger down the side of the infant’s downy soft skin, stopping when five tiny fingers wrapped around it with a remarkably strong grip.
There they sat, each of them sizing up the other, until the infant’s eyelids grew heavy.
Luke rocked back and forth, and within a minute, the baby had fallen asleep.
He stared at the sleeping infant, wondering at the miracle of life, unable to tear his gaze from him.
“You seem to be good with babies, yourself.”
He looked up, found Cori watching him. “Not babies, in general. Just him, I guess. I think we have an understanding. It must be a Luke thing.”
She smiled. “Yeah, that must be it.” She let a few more moments pass before speaking again. “Are you ready for him to go back to the nursery? I’m fading fast.”
He stood slowly and placed the baby in the bassinet at the foot of Cori’s bed, tucking the blanket around him. A glance up at Cori showed her eyes closed again. Rather than calling the nurse to remove Little Luke, he decided to leave him in the room.
Luke returned to the couch, pulled out the end that turned it into a sleeper, and arranged the extra pillows. He kicked off his shoes and settled back, thinking about the day’s events. This time, last night, he’d been counting down the hours until he could steal away to the white sands and soothing surf of Cozumel. Now, nothing could be further from his mind.
Amazing how much difference twenty-four hours could make in a man’s life.
* * * *
A muffled groan cut through to his dreamless sleep and he opened his eyes, immediately alert, He blinked twice to clear his sight and sat up straight. “Cori? What’s wrong?”
“Oh, just trying to get to the bathroom without passing out.”
He jumped up and met her on the opposite side of the bed, careful not to disturb the baby in his bassinet. Using his arm as support, he helped her to the door at one end of her private room. “Do you need me to get a nurse for you?”
“No, I can handle it. It’s just that the pressure on my bladder is painful. I’ll be fine in a few minutes.”
Luke checked on the baby while waiting for her to finish. Little Luke squirmed in his bed and made funny snuffling noises. He checked his watch, surprised to discover four hours had passed and stepped outside to ask a nurse if it was time for a bottle. Nurse Trish followed him into the room.
“We don’t normally leave them in here all night, but when I came in to get him, all three of you were sound asleep. Rather than wake anyone by making noise, I just left him. If you could hold the door for me, I’ll roll him back to the nursery. How’s the patient doing? She okay for pain meds?”
“I know she had some trouble getting to the restroom.”
She nodded. “As soon as I get this little one back to the nursery I’ll come back and check on his mom.” By the time she reentered, Luke had helped Cori back into bed. “Are you ready for your pain meds?”
Cori shook her head. “I think I’m okay for a couple of hours, but I wondered how long before I could try breast-feeding.”
“Because of the hemorrhaging, Doctor Reed wanted to give you twenty-four hours to recuperate.”
“But how long will that take? I feel like I’m missing out on bonding time or something.”
The nurse smiled. “How about you let the pediatric nurse feed him once more and we’ll let you try for the next one? He’s starting to squawk for it right now, and it’s 1:30 a.m., so I’ll bring him to you first thing in the morning. I’ll make sure to send the lactation specialist around to talk to you as soon as she arrives.” She placed a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, you’ve got plenty of bonding time yet to come.”
Luke approached the bed once they were alone. “Do you need anything? A glass of water or something?”
“I’m fine.” She yawned and lowered the head of her bed. “You know. You could have stayed home. I’ve never had a problem staying in the hospital alone.”
“Had many stays, have you?”
“A few. I’ve had surgeries to correct some problems, conditions that kept me from conceiving.”
“And they obviously worked.”
“Not until I’d given up all hope. But, none of that matters now, does it?”
“Nope. You’ve got a handsome little boy as proof.” He returned to his spot on the sofa and stretched as much as he could in the space allowed.
Cori released a long sigh and adjusted her position to gaze at him.
He started to fidget under her intense stare. “What?”
“Why are you here, Luke?”
He pursed his mouth, struggling to find an answer that wouldn’t scare the hell out of her. How could he explain the tightness he felt in his chest every time he watched the news story about the hostage situation and shooting of the deputy? How could he justify his uneasiness when DaShawn Jackson’s image appeared on the television screen?
How did he clarify the feeling he had that it wasn’t over yet?
He couldn’t. He wouldn’t lay that kind of worry on her.
“Nobody should be alone on Christmas Eve,” he said.
She picked up her phone. “Technically, it’s Christmas already.”
“You shouldn’t be alone on Christmas, either.”
“But dad would have stayed with me.”
“I’ve got a better chance of walking away from this couch without a hitch in my giddy-up than your dad. He should be with the rest of his family.”
“I could say the same for you.”
Well, hell, it didn’t look like she planned to let this go anytime soon. Maybe if he told her, she wouldn’t ask too many questions. “I wasn’t supposed to be home anyway. I was supposed to be in Cozumel this week. I postponed my trip.”
“You did? All that white sand, wind and surf, tanned beach babes in bikinis, and all the Mexican beer you can drink . . . why didn’t you go?”
“Life got in the way.” He shrugged. “It’s no big deal for me. Hell, compared to spending Christmas with a bunch of Jarheads in Afghanistan, this is a walk in the park.”
“I suppose it is.” Cori settled into her bed. She sighed and turned her head.
He waited until her breathing evened out before readjusting the pillow under his head. Only when he knew for sure she was sound asleep, he closed his eyes. A few short minutes later, he’d joined her.
Chapter 5
9:00 a.m., Christmas Morning
Luke dumped and stacked his food tray before heading from the hospital’s cafeteria back to Cori’s room. Several women smiled as he passed them in the hallway. God, it would be damned easy to pick up a date here if he wasn’t so preoccupied with more important things. He stepped into the elevator. A tall brunette with a gorgeous rack and legs stretching to heaven joined him. He held the door for an older couple, both wrinkled and gray, the man holding the woman’s elbow.
The brunette smiled at him, looked away, then did a double take. “You’re the guy from the news interview . . . about the hostage situation.”
The woman was a nine and a half for sure if he’d been the slightest bit interested. Luke gave her a barely there smile, neither denying nor confirming her conclusion.
“Happy holidays,” she said.
He sent her a half-nod, smiled, and replied pleasantly, despite his annoyance at her greeting. “Merry Christmas.”
She snorted. “Not for me. I don’t believe in the fairy tale of Jesus Christ.”
“Oh, then Happy Hanukkah,” the older woman added.
“I don’t believe in God, either.” The brunette gave a delicate sniff.
There’d been a time when Luke would have let it go, clamped down on his jaw and kept his mouth shut. Not anymore. “If you’d spent time in some of the Godless places I have, and seen some of the things those people do to each other, you’d want nothing more than to believe.”
“Well, I’m educated, and I’m offended when someone says Merry Christmas to me.”
“I am also educated, and I guess that makes us even, because I’m offended when someone doesn’t. You know, normally, I’d recognize your right to believe whatever the hell you want and keep my mouth shut. Sorry, but I’m not feeling that today.” He stepped out of the elevator onto the maternity ward, turned back to acknowledge the older couple. “Merry Christmas, Ma’am . . . Sir.”
The old woman’s eyes lit up, as her escort chuckled and nodded. “Merry Christmas to you also, young man, and you have a blessed day.”
“You too, Ma’am. Thank you.”
He threw a glare at the third person on the elevator, refusing to bow down to the political or social pressure on this particular issue. Damn, he wished for simpler times, when people didn’t have their heads so far up their own self-important asses.
He ambled to Cori’s room and knocked before opening the door a crack. “Is it safe to come in?”
“Sure.”
He pushed it wide, poked his head around the edge. “What’s going on? Oh . . .” He paused, seeing her seated on the sofa, nursing the baby, a receiving blanket covering little Luke’s head. “I’ll come back later.”
“You don’t have to leave, Luke.” She waved him inside the room. “I’ll keep myself covered.”
“If you’re sure.”
She nodded. “Sit. My son is enjoying his breakfast, how was yours?”
“It was okay. They were working short-handed so I grabbed a packaged ham and egg biscuit and nuked it.”
A frown tugged at the corners of her mouth. “You need to go home. Mom called while you were gone. Your mom had a huge spread ready for them when they woke up this morning. I’m getting glowing reports from my family about yours.”
“Yeah, Mom loves cooking for a lot of people. Says it makes her feel useful.”
“They’re coming by the way.”
“Charles and Joan?”
“Everyone, I want to meet them.”
“The old man, too?”
“Yep. They’re all coming. I hear your dad and mine get along well.”
“The whole bunch, huh? Aren’t you a glutton for punishment?”
She grinned. “Someone’s bringing you a change of clothes. You can shower in my bathroom when they get here, or go home and get some real rest. You had to be miserable on that tiny couch.”
“I slept like a prince. Even hospital pillows covered in crinkling vinyl beat using a discarded water jug or my helmet as a headrest.”
Her forehead wrinkled in a frown. “God bless the military.”
“I can’t speak for all of ‘em out there, but I guess he blessed me. I came home with all my limbs and no less sanity than the day I enlisted.”
Several minutes later, the sound of animated chattering had him rushing to block the door. “I’ll hold ‘em off for your dignity, as well as my old man’s sense of propriety.”
“It’s okay, he’s done.”
Luke pivoted at the door to look back at her, couldn’t turn away at the flash of creamy breast when she lifted the baby from her. He swallowed as she covered herself. “Are you ready?”
She met his gaze and nodded. “All set.”
He pulled open the door at the first knock and let Cori’s parents walk in first. “Good morning, and Merry Christmas!”
“Same to you, Luke.” Charles shook his hand before following his wife to their daughter and grandson on the couch.
His own parents followed them into the room. “Merry Christmas, Son!” His mom gave him a hug, and then his dad did the same. Melissa and his sister trailed in last and Cori’s parents made all the appropriate introductions.
Joan fawned over her newest grandchild. “Oh, he’s even more beautiful today; look at those full cheeks!”
“He’s so handsome.” Dolores elbowed her son. “How does it feel to have a child named after you?”
He puffed up like a fully inflated bullfrog. “I can’t lie, Mom. It feels good.”
His mom leaned closer to the baby. “He’s every bit as good-looking as you were as a baby, Luke.” She turned to wink at him. “Are you sure you two haven’t met before? Say, around nine months ago?”
Cori laughed at his mom’s attempt at humor. “No ma’am. I can assure you that before the 911 call, I’d never heard of Luke Oliver.”
Luke turned to Lee and Melissa. “Where are your husbands and the children?”
“We decided to leave them home with the kids,” Lee said. “They were playing with their toys so well together.”
“So, the Indy racetrack and car I got Christopher was a success?”
Melissa laughed. “Oh, we’re not talking about our little children. We’re talking about the big ones. When we left, Roland and Joe were crashing Christopher’s cars on the racetrack so they could send them to the garage set he got from your parents. I’m just glad Lilly is into dolls, or else there’d be a fight.”
Lee laughed. "But she sure is sharing her robot puppy with Chris. Those two were playing so well together. Chris asked this morning if he could send his toys back and have Santa bring him a little sister, instead.”
