Deceived 6 - Ultimate Deception (9 page)

“I think my water just broke. It’s time.”

*****

I had a relatively short labor, according to the books. Four hours wasn’t too bad. I commended myself for being such a trooper later when it was all over, after the doctor said the baby was coming too fast for any anesthetic. Oh, don’t think I didn’t beg for it. I pleaded with the nurse, just one little pill. Couldn’t they give me
something
for this pain, an aspirin, anything? I begged and I pleaded, making a promise to God in my mind that I’d be good from now on if they would only give me some pain medication. The nurses just spoke calmly and said, “No dear, it would hurt the baby. You are dilating too fast.” I told Patrick, next time, smuggle a bottle of some stiff whiskey into my bag and slip me a shot when the nurses aren’t looking. Everything I had read in my pregnancy books said I would have an epidural to ease the pain. None of the books said anything about what happened when the labor went this fast.

The most ridiculous part was meeting the doctor who was going to deliver my baby. Since Florida wasn’t where I had intended to give birth, I had the luck of the draw; whoever was on call tonight was the lucky winner. After I instructed Patrick to help me onto the bed and put my feet up in the stirrups, the doctor walked in and stood between my legs. Talking through his surgical mask, he stuck a hand out and introduced himself. As I lay there spread eagle, with everything that should be modest exposed, I couldn’t think of any other way to greet him other than to reach up between my legs. We shook hands, right above my crotch, and exchanged names. In any other situation, I would have died of embarrassment, but my contractions were coming fast and the pain won out over my shyness.

Patrick fed me ice chips and wiped my sweaty brow until the last push when a massive flood of endorphins rushed through me to relieve the pain.

A loud cry cut through the air and I felt tears run down my cheeks. It was the most amazing feeling. She was here.

“You did it, babe.” Patrick kissed my forehead, his hand squeezing mine.

I looked up at him, a rush of love flowing through me. Patrick had never hesitated when the doctors had asked if he was coming with me. I was blessed to have him by my side. I’d seen the look in his eyes and had known that there would’ve been a fight if they’d tried to keep him out. He wasn’t letting me out of his sight.

“Congratulations.” The doctor came up along the side of the bed as the nurse handed me my baby. “She’s a healthy, beautiful little girl.”

I’d always wondered how people could say a newly born baby was beautiful, with those squished up red faces and all covered in that white stuff, but at that moment, I understood. I didn’t see any of that. I just saw my daughter. Patrick’s hand tightened around mine and I knew he was feeling the same thing I was.

“And there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong from...the fall? Or because she’s early?” Patrick’s voice shook as he asked the question.

“Not at all. Her Apgar score was 8. That means she’s fine.” The doctor smiled at us. “It’s routine to keep monitoring her overnight, but I don’t want you two worrying. Your little girl’s going to be just fine.”

A knot I hadn’t known I’d had in my chest unraveled and the tears came faster now. Patrick put his arm around my shoulder and pressed his lips against the top of my head.

“Thank you,” he whispered. “I love you.”

I nodded. Between the roar of my emotions and the physical exhaustion I was unable to speak; words couldn’t begin to express how I felt right now. Patrick knew I loved him, too. And now I realized why it was called labor. I felt like I had been working, shoveling a mountain of heavy dirt, doing intensely difficult physical labor. But I had Patrick at my side the entire time and now Victoria in my arms, at last.

Chapter 10

Patrick

The tires of my rental car ground to halt at the foot of the long circular driveway. I could have gone the rest of my life without seeing this house again. I strategically parked at the end of the driveway, just in case what the police had told me wasn’t true. When the cops had come to the hospital this morning and told me that Nina was gone, I knew I had to see it for myself. The tall, columned front entry had lost some of its grandeur since the first time I had seen it, now tainted by the police tape strung across it, fluttering in the wind.

As I walked up the remainder of the drive, I spotted a dark-skinned gardener wearing a large brimmed sun hat, clipping at the bushes in the front yard.

“Hey,” I called out. “Is anyone home?”

He turned and looked at me momentarily and then just shrugged his shoulders and continued clipping. The house looked empty from where I stood, but I didn’t trust Nina.

I crossed the short lawn to peer into the front window, my shoes sinking into the lush green grass as I went, but once I got there, I realized I couldn’t get close enough to get a good look inside. When we’d left in the ambulance for the hospital, Chloe at least grabbed her purse, but we didn’t have time to get our other things. Our suitcases and clothes were still inside that damn bedroom. I’d left my laptop and Chloe said she needed her maternity clothes for a few more days until her stomach shrunk back to normal.
Damn you, Nina
.

I spun on my heels and went back to the rental car, slammed it in gear and headed out to buy more clothes. As I drove, I ticked off a list in my head of the items we’d need until we got back to New York. I pounded my fist on the steering wheel, as I remembered what the cops had said.

Once Chloe and Victoria were put in a private hospital room, I finally had the chance to report what had happened at Nina’s house. I’d waited until it had been time for both of my girls to get some sleep before I’d slipped out and made the call. The officers who’d come to take the report were very polite. They took down the information in a very mechanical way, like they were just following normal procedures, but I could tell that they were skeptical of my story. When they’d come back this morning to talk to Chloe and let me know that the house was empty, I’d been able to see that their attitudes had changed. All they’d told me was that they’d found evidence that had supported my claim, but they’d refused to tell me what it was. I didn’t really care. I just wanted them to do their freaking jobs and find Nina. Give her what she deserved.

My thoughts came back to the task at hand as I stopped for a red light. Since all of the things we’d left in the house were considered evidence now, I had quite a list of things to buy. As I waited, my thoughts drifted back to the house. I couldn’t just take it on faith that she was gone. I’d thought that putting the Baroness behind bars would mean she couldn’t hurt my family, but I’d been wrong. I would be more cautious this time.

Yet from the looks of it, no one had come through the front doors since the cops had left.

The light turned green and I continued driving on the route my GPS indicated. The cops had told me that they had her description out to buses and airports and that they’d flagged her ID, but I had a feeling that wasn’t going to help. If she wasn’t there waiting for me or Chloe to come back, that was it. I’d told them about Anna, and that, I believed, she would be their best bet at finding Nina, but even those chances were slim. She wasn’t coming back. Nina was gone for good.

I finally found the kind of store that would be a one-stop shop for everything I needed. I nosed the car into a parking space and killed the engine. I didn’t want to waste another minute of my time thinking about that woman. I had more important things on my mind.

I smiled as I looked at the screen of my cell phone. I had taken a picture of Chloe holding the baby and uploaded it to my phone so it would be the first thing I saw. I swiped my finger across the screen and the picture disappeared. Then I Googled, “essential newborn baby items” before I headed into the store.

*****

When I got back to the hospital, the doctor had come in our room. He had been thrilled with how well they were both doing after less than twenty-four hours. He’d even cleared them for travel, though I’d found out what he’d told me before to be true. No airline would allow a baby under a week old to fly. A private plane would’ve worked, but I didn’t have those types of resources at my fingertips. I would’ve needed to liquidate some assets and that would’ve taken some time, too.

Before Nina had ruined everything, we’d planned on asking if it was possible to use the plane she’d flown us down to Miami on, but now, it looked like we were down to just a couple choices. We could get a hotel room for a week and then fly out next Tuesday. There was a chance I could find a train that didn’t have an age limit for babies, but who knew how many transfers that would involve. And, of course, there was the driving option. All things considered, that appeared to be our best choice.

Chloe and I talked it over and then I took the elevator down to prepare the baby’s car seat in the rental car parked at the front entrance of the hospital. The hospital had given us a few diapers, baby lotion and other products for babies that are routinely given as promotional items for new parents. I loaded them into the diaper bag I had just purchased, not sure if I had picked one that Chloe would like but I figured she could buy a new one once she was home. I stood there at the car door and scratched my head. I gave one last tug on the strap of the car seat to secure it. This baby business was more complicated than I’d thought. I wasn’t convinced driving with a newborn was the best idea, but Chloe’d told me that she wouldn’t be able to rest in a hotel room here in Miami, not after all that had happened. She wouldn’t feel safe at all in the city and not completely until we were home. I didn’t blame her. I felt the same way.

I wasn’t, however, crazy enough to try a twenty-hour drive all at once. If it had been just Chloe and me under other circumstances, we could’ve traded off driving and done it in a day, but the only way this was going to work would be if we took our time. Plus, we would be traveling with our precious little cargo in back. Chloe had agreed, even though I could tell from the look in her eyes that she would give almost anything to get home as quickly as possible. I wanted to be home, too, but I wanted her and Victoria to be safe more, and part of that safety meant being rested. We would take the drive over several days. Even if we didn’t get home more than a day or two before we would’ve if we’d flown, at least we were moving in the right direction.

*****

The trip from Miami to New York City took us nearly six days, but each night, we’d stopped a bit closer to home. The last day, I’d called Ryan and Elyse to let them know that we’d be home that night and they’d promised to have everything ready.

The moment we stepped through the door to our penthouse apartment, a big grin crossed my face. As usual, Elyse and friends had outdone themselves. A giant banner hung from our ceiling, proclaiming “Welcome home Collins family!” The vast amounts of glitter covering it made me wonder if Elyse and Ryan had both tried to decorate it at once. I set the baby carrier down onto the floor and Chloe followed right behind me to unbuckle Victoria from her seat.

“Those guys,” Chloe exclaimed. “Did you tell Elyse to do all this? The last time I came in to the apartment all decorated like this, you’d given her a key and instructions…”

“They came up with this on their own.” God, it felt good to be home.

Chloe lifted Victoria out of the baby seat and handed her to me. I smiled and watched as Victoria blinked and opened her tiny eyes. “How’s my girl? This is your home, baby girl.”

Chloe stepped closer to the banner and said, “Look. What’s this?”

I turned my attention from Victoria and said, “I don’t know, but someone has a smelly diaper.” I walked over to the banner and saw that Chloe was pointing to a piece of paper hanging from the center of the banner. I shifted Victoria from one arm to the other, and I slid my arm around Chloe’s waist as we read the note together.

Patrick, Chloe and Victoria (here at last!), everyone is so glad that you’re home! A bunch of us got together and made sure you won’t have to worry about meals for at least a week. (Don’t worry, we didn’t let Elyse cook.) So the fridge is stocked. We also made sure you have everything Victoria needs, too. All of the last minute things you weren’t able to get are all here and put away. Work is running fine so there’s no need to rush back. Take the rest of the week and enjoy being home. We’ll call tomorrow and see when it’s a good time for us to come over and finally get to meet the newest member of the family. Love, Ryan, Liam, Elyse, Ricky and the whole Collins and Barrick Advertising Agency family. P.S. The flowers on the dining room table are from Patrick’s family
.

I looked around the banner and, sure enough, in the center of the dining room table was an absolutely massive floral arrangement and a balloon that said “Congratulations, it’s a girl!”

Chloe leaned against my shoulder and I tightened my grip on her.

“They’re beautiful, Patrick.” Chloe’s face was beaming. Things with my parents were still strained. My father was just as opinionated as ever, trying to control my life, and my mother—well, she had the same control issues, but the idea of a grandchild had started softening them. Now that Victoria was born, it seemed like anything was possible.

“Yeah, they get on each other’s nerves but they’re not so bad.”

“Speaking of parents, you know what this means. My mother has been chomping at the bit for a trip to New York to see the baby.”

Victoria made a little cry as if she had something to add to the conversation, and we both looked at each other and laughed. Yup, I was a family man now. “Come on, let’s get little miss stinky cleaned up.

It was still fairly early in the evening, but all either of us wanted was our bed. We left our luggage by the door and headed towards the nursery. Our friends had set up the nursery with a changing table and everything we’d need, and they’d gone one step further, putting some sort of baby powder-scented air freshener in the nursery so the entire room smelled wonderful.