Baby Love Lite (34 page)

“
Oh, like you give a shit
about Tristan’s feelings.”

I wanted to slap her right then and there
because Tristan was my brother-in-law and a very sweet one at
that.

“
You were just pissed,
Tylar. You wanted revenge because you were afraid that I'd fuck
your husband better than you ever could!”

Oh hell no; the bitch didn’t just say
that!

“
Hardly,” I responded calmly
to Libby. “The truth is Trey and I were privy to your nasty goings
on in the bedroom next to ours in Bristol. I believe Trey’s exact
words were that you're a freak he wouldn’t take home to his own
mama!”

“
Hah! I doubt that very
much! It seems that maybe ‘Ken's' getting just a little bored with
his ‘Housewife Barbie’ these days. Maybe all he really needs and
wanted was to take a dive under my fig leaves at Tristan’s birthday
party last month.”

I could hear Gina cuss under her breath,
instructing me to bitch slap her. That wasn't my style.

“
Sweetie,” I said, leaning
over the bar and smiling at her. “I can guarantee you that what you
had under those fig leaves held no interest for my man. You see, he
actually prefers ‘Housewife Barbie’ to ‘GI Jane’ any day of the
week. My only concern's that Tristan had the foresight to properly
armor his manhood while he was in the clutches of a whore like you.
I’d hate for my best friend, Gina to catch any of your crotch
rot!”

“
Why, you uppity little
bitch!” she snarled. “Someone needs to put you in your place and
maybe I’m just the person to do it!”

Libby drew her arm back to swing full force
into me just as Gina pushed her way in front of me. Libby’s hand
never found its mark because at that point, Trey had come up right
behind her. He grabbed her arm on the upswing, staying it
motionless to reach its target.

She turned immediately to see who had stayed
her hand.

“
Libby,” Trey said, “I think
it’s time you left and found someone else to torture.”

She squirmed out of his grip; her face was
red with humiliation and anger. Some of the patrons at the bar were
looking over at her and snickering. She looked pathetic. She turned
on her heel and stomped out, mumbling about how much better she
could do than Tristan and she hadn’t wanted to keep his goddamn
ring anyway.

I looked over at Trey and saw a trace of
amusement in his eyes.

“
What did she mean about all
that with the ring?”

Trey smiled. “I guess Tristan had the
foresight to get the ring from her bedside table where she'd left
it before she went to shower that evening. He packed it, along with
the rest of his stuff and left her a note. He signed it ‘Lucky
Seven.’ He wasn’t about to let her add his ring to her
collection.”

Things calmed down once Libby had left. I
wasn’t sure that we'd seen the end of her; she still harbored a lot
of anger and ill will towards Gina and me in particular. I didn’t
quite get it. It wasn’t like she'd been with Tristan all that
long.

Trey was seated watching me.

“
Yes sir, what can I get
you?”

“
Hmm, let’s see; how about a
Kiss on the Lips?”

“
Sure thing,” I replied
leaning in and kissing him.

“
Uh, Tylar, I kind of meant
that I'd really like to try the drink?”

“
Oh, okay,” I laughed. I
fixed Trey his drink and then waited on a couple of other patrons
before returning to him. He had a serious look on his face and I
knew that there was something he wanted to share with
me.

“
Tylar, I had a call today
from Judge Tylar.”

I immediately stopped wiping the counter of
the bar to look at him.

“
Judge Tylar? Why was he
calling you?”

“
He had my contact
information from the case file. He wanted some information on you,
since he saw we were together.”

‘
Trey,” I breathed, my heart
racing, “Does he think he’s related to me?”

“
Well, honey, it’s
complicated. He saw the extreme resemblance that you apparently
have with your mother. He noticed the antique pearl drop earrings
and teardrop necklace that he'd given to a girl named Marley that
he'd known briefly years ago. He was wondering if your maiden name
was Renaud. Though he hasn’t quite drawn a direct connection, if I
had to guess, I'd say that if he's your father, he'd no idea that
you even existed.”

“
What'd you tell
him?”

“
I told him your maiden name
was ‘Preston,’ and that your heritage was sketchy at
best.”

“
It’s time you took me to
see Maggie. I'll know the truth, even if I have to beat it out of
her.”

He smiled and put his arm around me. “I’ll
make some calls in the morning.”

I'd just gotten home from spending the
morning at the salon getting trimmed, highlighted, waxed, and
manicured, when Trey phoned from his office. Jean had watched
Preston and managed to clean the apartment while she was there.

“
Hi, sweetie,” I said when I
answered the phone. “You won’t recognize your wife when you get
home. I spent the morning getting a major overhaul.”

“
Tylar, I've some news for
you. I’m not sure if you'll consider this bad news or
not.”

Immediately my heart dropped to my
stomach.

“
I talked to the Deputy
D.A.’s office this morning to see what the status was on Maggie’s
arraignment. It's been postponed twice and I now know the
reason.”

“
What is it,
Trey?”

"Maggie's been in the jail’s infirmary. They
moved her this morning to St. Matthew’s. She's in the intensive
care unit of the hospital; extremely ill and it is life
threatening."

I didn’t know how I felt about what he'd just
shared with me. Part of me wanted to feel happy; to hope that any
threat she posed to me or my family was on the verge of being
snuffed out like a candle that's burned too long. The other part of
me wanted her to linger long enough for me to interrogate her and
gain the information she owed me after the years of lying and
deceit.

“
Did you hear me,
Tylar?”

“
Yes. I’m sorry. I was kind
of lost in thought there for the moment. Do you know the
particulars of her illness?”

“
She had an extremely high
fever when she got here from West Virginia. No one's sure how long
she'd been ill, but my guess is that since extradition was
imminent, the authorities there didn’t seek the necessary medical
assistance for her. They probably preferred having it picked up on
Georgia’s tab being she was ultimately coming back here. The
information I was given was it likely started out being a low grade
viral or bacterial infection that affected her internally. They
suspect she's been bleeding internally for a while. It's now
manifested itself into a major bacterial infection that's gotten
into her blood stream. It could be fatal if she goes
septic.”

It sounded to me as if Maggie was on borrowed
time. I needed some of that time. I was determined to have it.

“
Is she coherent,
Trey?”

“
I'm not sure. They started
her on intravenous antibiotics at the infirmary. The jail chaplain
went with her to the hospital and she's to contact me as soon as
Maggie's stabilized. She understands you're a relative, so it's
possible you'll be permitted in the ICU.”

“
Trey, please do your best.
I need to talk to Maggie and this may be my last
opportunity.”

“
I understand, baby. I'll
call you just as soon as I hear from the chaplain. I’m not letting
you go up there by yourself, though. Do you have someone to watch
Preston?”

“
Jean’s just finishing up
here. I’ll see if she can stay over.”

“
Okay sweetie; make those
arrangements and wait to hear back from me."

I busied myself with getting dinner prepared.
Jean had finished the cleaning just as Preston awoke from her nap.
She went ahead and changed her while I showered and dressed.
Preston was in her playpen playing when I emerged. She scrambled to
her legs holding onto the netting of the playpen as she pulled
herself up. She was smiling and gibbering at me.

“
Hi sweetheart,” I gushed at
her going over to where she was. “Did Mommy’s baby have a nice
nap?”

“
Da da da da.”

I looked at her and she was holding her arms
up. I scooped her up, nuzzling my face against her soft cheeks,
chanting 'ma-ma' over and over again to her. Jean came into the
room while I was nursing asking if I wanted her to puree some of
the boiled turkey and sweet potatoes I'd cooked.

“
Thanks Jean, I'd appreciate
that. I also want to thank you for all of your help these past few
weeks.”

“
I love caring for Preston
and for you and Trey too, for that matter,” she said with a smile.
“I was telling my daughter Cathy just last week how much I was
going to hate it when you moved out to the county in a few
weeks.”

“
Jean - Trey and I've been
meaning to discuss that with you. I apologize that we haven’t done
it sooner. Would you consider moving out there with us? The house
is plenty big and you would draw a full-time salary.”

“
Why, Tylar, I don’t know
what to say,” she said, starting to get a bit choked up. “I’m so
honored that you would ask me. Of course, I'd love that. I love my
daughter Cathy - don’t get me wrong, but sharing an apartment with
her and her husband Hank these past few weeks hasn’t been the ideal
situation.”

“
Fantastic,” I said. “Then
its official, and I for one couldn’t be happier, Jean.”

Just then Trey called on the landline. “I’ve
been trying to call your cell,” he said.

“
Sorry, Trey, I must’ve have
left in the bedroom after my shower.”

“
Good, I’m on my way to the
apartment and should be there in five minutes. I'll pick you up
front. Maggie's lucid; this might be the best opportunity you'll
have to talk to her.”

I made haste to let Jean know I was leaving.
I grabbed my jacket and gave Preston a kiss and was out the door.
Once on the elevator, I had a few moments to reflect on all that
was happening. I realized that I'd no clue how I'd react when I saw
Maggie again after all of this time. I'd no idea what emotions
would rise to the surface.

Trey had just pulled up to the curb when the
doorman opened the door for me and I stepped out onto the
sidewalk

“
Hi, baby,” he said as I got
in and fastened my seat belt. “Are you ready for this?”

“
I’ve been ready for this
for a long time. I’m scared and anxious. I’m not sure what to
expect.”

“
That’s natural, sweetie,”
he said. “Let me fill you in, as far as what I know. The chaplain
said that Maggie is resting comfortably. She's still on IV
antibiotics and some pain meds as well. If they can eradicate the
infection from her blood before it kills off her organs, she'll
survive.”

“
What are the odds of that,
Trey?” It was a question that had to be asked.

“
Not in her favor from what
the doctor conveyed to Sandy Meyers, the chaplain.”

I looked over at my husband knowing that he
was waiting for me to say something.

“
I don’t feel anything at
all. I mean, I don’t hate her as a person. I hate the things that
she's done, but I don’t harbor any hate for her as a human being. I
think I pity her and the wasted life that she’s led.”

“
I suppose, under the
circumstances you're more compassionate than I'd be,” he replied,
taking my hand into his and squeezing it gently.

“
I’m glad that you'll be
there with me, Trey.”

The ICU at St. Matthews allowed for each
patient to have a private glass-walled room. There was a large
triage in the center where nurses constantly monitored the screens
overhead for the various patients’ vital signs. Sandy Meyers, the
jail chaplain that had accompanied Maggie to the hospital met us in
the waiting area just outside of the ICU. She introduced herself to
me, still referring to Maggie as my mother. I decided not to press
the truth at the moment because I needed my ticket inside. Sandy
told us which room she was in and said that my mother was anxious
to see me.

Trey held my hand as we went to Maggie’s
room. I went into the room first. Seeing her lying in the hospital
bed looking frail and small, hooked up to IVs and monitors was
surreal for me. She looked over as Trey and I got closer to her
bed.

“
Well, now look at you,
Tylar, all grown-up and married to such a fine looking
man.”

Maggie looked as if she'd aged ten years
since I'd last seen her. I tried to fake a smile, but it wasn’t
coming off very well.

“
Hello, Mom,” I
said.

“
Oh, I expect you know by
this time, that I'm not your mother,” she said with a slight twinge
of a smile on her dry, cracked lips. “Why don’t you just call me
Maggie? Where’s your manners, girl? Aren’t you going to introduce
me to your rich hubby?”

“
Maggie, this is Trey
Sinclair, my husband and the father of my baby girl, Preston.” Trey
nodded his head at her. He didn’t want to touch her and neither did
I.

“
What a handsome man you’ve
snagged, baby girl. Come to think of it, he looks much better than
Daniel even. Oh, I could have had such fun with you, Trey,” she
giggled. Her giggle was followed by a fit of coughing. She reached
for her cup of water taking a long sip to quiet her
hacking.