The Shadows Fall: Chapter 37

A few weeks had passed.  Spring was in full swing, and the weather was balmy and comforting.  Devon stood in the sunlight, outside the solarium, looking off into the woods.  The cell phone in his pocket had been buzzing, on silent, for the last twenty or so minutes.  He attempted to ignore it, then finally, giving in, brought it out of his pocket.  He squinted into the sunlight, and said, "Hello."


"You were not available for the last few hours.  Not acceptable.  Not part of the contract, at all."


He set his jaw.  "People eat.  People sleep."


"You are to be available at all times."


"Is there something you want?  I mentioned the last time you called that I would call with anything new."


"Clearly, you have this relationship backward."


"What do you need?"  he sighed.


"Your cooperation.  You have to get that information from her.  We sent you in for the acting job of a lifetime, and you're dragging your feet."


"She doesn't remember.  No acting in the world can change that."


"Make her remember."


"I can't.  When she's not Tess..."


"Then bring Tess out.  It's been done before."


"I didn't really sign on to mess with someone's mind, or destroy someone's mental health."


"You signed on to find out the information, and it was for a pretty penny.  Bring out Tess.  I am giving you a last opportunity.  If you don't get her to talk soon, you will lose the remainder of your pay, and she will be eliminated."


He swallowed.  He thought of her shining golden hair, the first day they met, in the sun, on the bench, and her head on his shoulder as she slept.  "What do you mean?  No one ever said anything about....that."  He flashed on her face.  Her smile.


"It's simple.  Find out, or she'll simply disappear.  Don't make it too easy for us to choose the latter."  The phone clicked.  He held it, out from his head in front of his face, and watched the phone icon fade.  He put it back into his pocket, and then heard small footsteps behind him.


"Hi," she said.




***




She woke to the familiar sounds of kitchen commotion, the laughter of the boys, and the voice that touched her heart like no other, muddled with distance.  She knew her men were in the kitchen.  At this point, she could only rest on her side, and kept a pillow between her knees.  She was very pregnant and felt it, every minute.  She had almost a month or so left, and she was getting impatient.


Todd was unlike she'd ever seen him.  Protective to a fault, he wanted to be with her every moment and refused for her to be left alone.  If he couldn't be there, he made Jack stay home with her, or had Addie on the case.  She loved his doting, and did not balk at his concerns.  He had been through so much, she found herself working each day to please him as much as she could.  So, she accepted all of his overprotective actions and knew that each was a sign of his love for her and the child.


She pushed herself up, carefully, and sat against the pillow.  She rubbed her belly in circles, and cooed to her baby, telling it all the wonderful things she could think of about its father and mother.  The baby kicked at least once in return.  He appeared at the doorway.


"Hey, I have something for you."


"Breakfast?"


"Yep, he said, carrying a tray into the room.  I brought you some of your favorites.  Ready to eat?" She attempted to prop herself up a bit higher.  Seeing her struggle, he put the tray down and went to her, gently assisting her to get comfortable.  "How's that?"  He asked.


"Better, thanks."  Then, he realized that the tray wouldn't go over her lap.


She smiled, "I don't think it's going to make it over Mount Moonbeam."


He smiled too, then laughing, "Uh, no, I guess it's not."


"That's okay," she said, I'll come downstairs and sit at the table by the windows.  It's a nice day outside."


"It seems to be.  All right I'll bring it down."


Within a few minutes, they were sitting together by the infamous window wall, and she was looking through the breakfast goodies, deciding which to eat first.  She caught his eye watching her across the table; for a moment, he was more beautiful than she remembered.  His hair was shining in the morning sunlight; his scar seemed lighter, somehow, his eyes were bright.  His mouth, which she had studied and longed for over the years, was perfect and slightly curved in a smile.  He was stunning, and she saw it, for some reason, as if just noticing.  "Hormones," she said to herself, and fed him some chocolate chip pancakes from her plate.


Sam came running down the stairs.  "Is the baby here?  Is the baby here?"


Todd and Blair were both startled by the volume and intensity of the boy's voice.  Todd said, "Easy buddy, no, the baby's not here."


"Oh, man!"  He went to the couch and threw himself there, and crossing his arms over his chest, he said, "No fair!"


Blair laughed and Todd moved his attention to the boy, sitting on the arm of the couch with his socked feet on the cushions.  "What's the matter?"


"I had a dream the baby was here."


"Nope.  No baby here.  See, Mommy's still got the balloon front."


Blair made a mocking face at him and went back to her breakfast.


"That dream sure was real!"


"Well, no baby, not yet.  It's a bit too early."


"Early?  You mean like later, after school, the baby might be here?"  He perked up.


Blair spoke, "No, Little Man, remember I told you it takes a while for the baby to finish growing before it shows up?"


Sam's eyes widened, looking at her belly.  "Finish growing?  That baby's going to be bigger than me if it keeps up."


Todd burst out laughing, and threw his head back, his hair falling behind him.  Blair, a bit incredulous at the comment about her stomach, couldn't help but relish the look of him; handsome and happy, both.  His face took on such a different look when he smiled or laughed, and it did not happen often.  She said, "Hey!  That's not nice guys."


Todd tried to shape up, but simply couldn't.  Sam went to Blair and hugged her shoulders.  "Sorry, Mom.  But, your stomach is...big."  He thought for a moment.  "Mom, was I in your stomach?"


Todd had, fortunately, come down from his laughing high just as Sam asked.  Blair shot him a look, and then returned to Sam's little inquisitive face.  "No, honey, remember?  I've told you before that you weren't in my tummy, just in here."  She pointed to her heart.


"How did I fit in there?"


"Sam, remember that little girl at school that you told me about?  She came to school new and she got new parents?  She was adopted, remember?"  Todd moved back to the table and sat across from his wife.


"Yeah, so?"


"Well, adopted kids are lucky.  They get PICKED.  Your mommy picked you."


He thought more.  Confused,  "My real Dad's the other guy, right?"


Todd said, "Yeah, the other guy, his name is Zeus.  He's your birth father.  That means he made you."


"Yeah, Zeus.  Like the Greek God."


Blair said under her breath, "not quite."


Todd continued, "Yeah, right.  And your mommy adopted you.  She picked you.  You're very special."


Sam appeared unsure.  Blair said, "Sam, we talked about this before, right?"


He said, "Yeah," and sighed.


Todd said, "I bet you don't know something?"


"What?"


"I was adopted."


"You were?  Mommy adopted you, too?"


"No, I was adopted when I was a baby.  Like you."


"Really?"


"Yep.  So see, you're not the only special one."


Blair saw his eyes cloud over when he talked about this, but she knew Sam wouldn't pick up on that pain. "So, you see, there's a very special place for you always in my heart because you were chosen."


He nodded.  Turning to Todd, he said, "Dad, where is your Mommy and Daddy?  Mommy has Grandma."


Todd put his hand on Little Sam's head and cradled it in his palm.  "They passed away, Sam."


"I'm sorry for them.  So when does the baby get here?"  


Blair smiled, taking him by the hand, "We don't know yet, now get up there and get ready for school, okay?"  And she playfully hit his bottom and he raced out of sight.  She turned back.  "Todd, are you all right?"


"Sure, I'm fine.  I am special, after all.  I wasn't lying."


"No, you weren't lying," she went to him.  She put her arms around his shoulders and he pulled her onto his lap.  "You're very special, at least to us."


He looked into her face, and leaned in for a kiss.  It lingered and deepened.  She then went through her ritual of kissing his eyelids, his nose, his scar and the sides of his lips, and petting his goatee, and running her fingers through his silky hair.  He, in the middle of her exploration, put his hand a bit roughly on the back of her head and kissed her mouth passionately.  When the interlude ended, their tongues touching each other's lightly, he pulled back and said, "Blair?"


"Yes?"


"I can't feel my legs."


She hopped up from his lap, went to the couch, got a pillow, and the typical pummelling began.




***


He turned.  She was lit with sun and smiling, in a pink top and jeans.  "Hi," he said.


"What's up?"


"Nothing new.  You?"


"No, nothing.  It's a great morning."


"It is.  Sun is perfect."


"Spring just makes me think of....things.  Like new life, new opportunities.  Did I tell you I'm going to be a cousin again?"


"No, that's cool."


"My uncle Todd, the publisher of The Sun?  He and his wife are expecting a baby any day now."


"That's nice.  Babies are...I don't know, a sign of hope or something like that."


"They are," she sat on the same bench they had first met near.  "They've had some really hard times.  But through the whole thing, and I was just a kid when they found each other the first time, he has loved her without end.  It's romantic."


He sat beside her.  "I wonder about that sometimes.  The whole 'love' thing.  I mean, how does it work.  You said they had been through hard times?  How does it last?  Don't you ever wonder?"


"Yeah, I do.  But these two, I can't explain.  They've been to Hell and back.  He never gave up on her.  She loves him so much."


"They sound like good people."


"Well, some folks don't think so.  Especially about my uncle.  He's been through a lot, but he's also got an enemy club in Llanview.  I trust him though, so much.  He's always protected me, even saved my life, at least twice.  But they are.  They are good people.  Sometimes I envy that.  Of course, with what they've faced, especially him, I wouldn't envy everything.  But sometimes I think how amazing it must be to find that kind of love."


He didn't know what to say, but something made him take her small hand in his larger one and hold it.  She looked up at his face and her cheeks pinked.  They both turned away and looked back to the garden, taking in the view.


Her hand was still in his, when they heard footsteps again.  They both turned, and saw Sister Rebecca Katherine approaching.  "Oh my dears!  How is your mornin'?  What are you two doing out here...." she stopped, "Oh, holding hands are ya?"


"Sister..." Jessica seemed embarrassed.


Devon spoke up, "Yes, we are, and it's the perfect day for it, isn't it?"


"Well, well, what a nice way to start the day.  But Jessica, your appointment is in ten minutes.  You may not want to keep Dr. Levin waiting."


Jessica rose off the bench, losing her hand's hold on Devon's.  He said, "I'll be here.  I can read a while.  We can talk later."  He smiled, and two dimples appeared in his cheeks.


She nodded and took Sister Rebecca's hand.


Walking into the building toward Dr. Levin's office, the nun said, "Hmmm, he's a right handsome lad, that boy is.  Such a strapping man.  It wouldn't hurt you to spend a little more time with him."


Jessica smiled, blushing.  "Sister!  He's just a friend.  I've barely just met him."


Sister Rebecca Katherine, "Me thinks you see something more in that lad, young lady.  He wants to be more than a friend, from what my eyes tell me.  Now off to your meeting so you can get back to your boy."


Jessica walked into Dr. Levin's office, and sat.  She crossed her legs, and the doctor sat, quietly.  He waited for her to speak.


"I feel...good."  She said, and smiled weakly.  A tear came down her face.


"That's a good thing."


"Yes.  I'm afraid to feel this good, but I do."


"Yesterday, you said you thought that Tess was gone for good this time."


"Yes."


"Still feel that way?"


"Yes.  I have not had lost time or blackouts for over a month.  I've not been plagued by any of the things that I recognize as trouble."


"Well, then that's very positive, isn't it?"


"I guess so, it just feels so strange.  I feel so relieved.  I'm not sure how to explain it."


"Maybe you don't need to.  Maybe you just have to accept it and try to continue to move forward.  Of course, we're not done, we will have to be certain you're well enough before dismissing you from here."


"I understand."


"So, are you wanting to talk about anything?"


"Not really, Doctor.  I'm just glad that our work has paid off.  I want to get home to the kids."


"I can imagine.  I think you should be very proud of yourself.  It's been a long road."


It had.  She thought about all of it; her near death illness, the breakup with Antonio, the loss of Chloe, Nash's death, and recently, Ford's.  And here she was, almost ready to go back out and try again.


She left Dr. Levin's office and headed back to the garden.  Devon had said he would be there when she got back, and she was looking forward to seeing him.  She approached the doors to the solarium, and exited the building, squinting in the sunlight.  He was still there, reading, one arm over the back of the bench, turned sideways and very still.  The occasional page turn was about the only movement in the scene.  It reminded her of a oil painting that she wanted to climb into, and then remembered that she could.


She walked closer and he noticed her.  Smiling, he said, "Hey."


"Hey." She said, sitting by him.


"Good session?" he asked.


"Yes, very."


"You seem really relaxed.  Happy.  Everything good?"


"Everything is amazingly good.  I think Tess is gone.  Forever."


He looked at her.  His first reaction was, to his disbelief, relief and joy for her accomplishment.  Then, dismay seeped into his mind, when he realized it meant he could not get the information requested, and that Jessica could be in danger.  "And what does that mean for you?"


"It means that I can probably leave here soon and get back to my life."


They both went silent.


He spoke, "That will be what you wanted.  What you've dreamed of."  I cannot let her die.


"Yeah, I guess so.  What I've dreamed of."


He looked at her, and her eyes were searching his.  Without thinking, he found himself moving closer to her on the bench, and still looking into her eyes, he slid his hand behind her neck and under her hair, and pulled her mouth to his.  What first was a soft touch of their lips, became an open-mouthed kiss that soon found them with their arms around each other, unceasing.


When the kiss finally ended, he pulled her into his arms.  I can't let her go.  Somehow, I have to protect her.

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