Playing for Keeps (42 page)

"I'm sorry." She crinkled her nose at him. "I'll leave so you won't be distracted."

He shook his head and proceeded to carve.

"How can you see the turkey with your hair in your face like that?" his mother asked.

"Maddie likes my hair, Mother. In this house, what she says goes."

Michael
looked at his wife. "That's pretty much the rule at whatever house Maddie's in, isn't it?"

His wife chuckled and nodded agreement.

They turkey was carved and the food served. They all sat down, interspersing children with grandparents who could help them eat. The conversation was lively and the meal a success.

"This is wonderful, Maddie!"
Emma told her hostess.

"It sure is," several others agreed, and they talked and ate.

Maddie almost missed hearing the phone ring.

"Is that the phone?" She looked at Rob.

"Yeah, I think." He was cutting Sam's turkey. "Want me to get it?"

"No, I can." She rose from the table. "Who could it be? Everyone we know is here." She grabbed the cordless phone and said, "Hello?"

Maddie frowned. "Who is this? What? Slow down, I can't understand you."

Rob
looked at her.

The table conversation grew quiet as Maddie spoke. "Matt, is that you?
Matt…Mattie, calm down. What's wrong?" She looked at her parents.

They stared at her.

Tears streamed down Maddie's face.

Michael
stood up.

"Hang on Mattie, Daddy's here…" She held out the phone. "Daddy, something's wrong."

Michael took the phone. "Matthew? What is it?" He stepped into the hallway for privacy.

Meg pushed away from the table and followed him.

Rob looked at Maddie. "What happened?"

She shook her head. "I don't know, but he's sobbing."

Rob nodded toward the hall, urging her to go to her parents.

Maddie went after them.

They'd gone to their room, and Maddie stopped in the doorway. Her mother stared out the window. Her father talked as tears rolled down his face. "Okay, son. I understand. Matt, it wasn't your fault. These things happen. No, Matt! Don't say that! Listen to me, Marsha needs you now. Take care of her and Melly. We'll get the next flight out of here and be home as soon as we can. Go to the house if you want. We'll call you when we know when we'll be home. Be strong, Matthew." He broke down and added, "We love you, son. Okay, goodbye." He clicked the phone off and stared at it.

Meg continued to stare through the window. "You said take care of Marsha and Melly. So it's Marcy. What's happened to our Marcy?"

He sat on the edge of the bed and sobbed. Meg broke down and her shoulders shook. Maddie didn't know what to do, so she just stood there.

Michael finally said in a broken voice, "They were at Marsha's parent's house, and the girls wanted to play outside after dinner. Matt said it's warm today, almost sixty. They were playing with a ball and it got away from Marcy. She chased it out into the street…" He broke down again, shoulders sagging.

Meg turned and looked at him. "Is she alive?"

Sobbing, he shook his head.

"Oh my God!" Meg fainted.

Maddie ran to catch her. She screamed, "Rob!"

He was there in a flash. He helped get Meg to the bed and laid her down. Rob grabbed a washcloth from the bathroom, wet it, and brought it for Meg's forehead. He closed the bedroom door as he came in.

"Marcy,"
Meg cried painfully.

"My niece," Maddie whispered.

Rob nodded.

Michael said, "She was hit by a car. The driver was a neighbor. He's traumatized, he never saw her. She died instantly."

"Oh my God!" Maddie kept the cool cloth on her mother's head and grabbed Rob with her free hand.

"How old was she?"
Rob whispered.

"Four,"
Michael answered dully. "Four years old. Can you believe it? Oh, Jesus!" His shoulders shook and Maddie sat down and hugged him.

"I'm so sorry, Daddy."

He clung to her and sobbed.

Rob knelt next to Meg and wiped her forehead with the cloth. "This really sucks," he murmured.

"Yeah, it does," Michael added. "Oh, Jesus, I've got to get our plane reservations switched. We need to get home."

"Let me handle that." Rob stood. "Do you have your reservation information for tomorrow? I'll call and switch it to the first available flight out."

"Yes." Michael dug in his suitcase and pulled out the sheet of paper. "Thank you."

"Sure." Rob headed out and Maddie followed him. "Rob, make the reservations for three."

He nodded. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"I do, but you can't. I need you here to take care of things. I wouldn't be comfortable if we both left."

"I understand." They got to the table, where everyone sat quietly waiting, their faces showing concern. Only the children ate.

Maddie said, "Apparently, my four-year-old niece was hit by a car today and killed, back in Hartford."

Everyone gasped, and murmured sympathies.

"My parents and I are going to fly out as soon as we can."

Rob held up their flight schedule. "I need to see what's available."

Edward
Cooper stood up. "Let me take care of that for you, Robert."

"Thanks, Dad. They need their reservations changed, and Maddie needs a flight out with them."

He took the paper and pulled out his glasses. "I'll use the phone in your office."

Rob nodded and looked at Maddie "I'll get your suitcase. You start getting your stuff together. Mom, why don't you see if you can help
Meg pack?"

"Of course." Andrea set her napkin on the table and got to her feet.

Emma said, "We'll start cleaning this up."

Rob told her, "Thank you. Divide up that food and take most of it home. We won't eat that much." He squeezed Sophie's shoulders. "Can you help mind the kids for a little bit?"

"Sure, Daddy." Sophie nodded, tears in her eyes. She looked at Maddie. "Was she nice?"

Maddie looked at
Sophie. "Marcy? I suppose so, sugar. I never met her. But she was only four."

"That's so sad."

"Yeah, it is." Maddie hugged Sophie.

"Punkin pie!"
Sam slapped the table in front of him.

"I'm sorry, sweetie." Maddie kissed the top of his head. "Maybe Smoky can fix you and him and
Fred some pumpkin pie. I know you've been waiting for it."

Sophie
looked up shyly. "Could I have pie, too?"

Maddie chuckled. "You bet. Cut a piece for daddy, too. He's gonna want it, later."

She went back to the guest room where Andrea was helping Meg pack, and Edward handed some information to Michael. "Your flight leaves in three hours. As soon as you're packed, we'll drop you at the airport on our way home."

"Thank you." Michael shook his hand. He looked at the paper. "Three tickets?"

Maddie said, "I'm going with you."

Her parents both looked at her, and nodded. "Thank you, Maddie." Meg sniffled and wiped her face again.

"I'm going to pack right now." She went to her room.

Rob
came in with the suitcase and closed the door.

Maddie slid into his arms and sobbed.

"Damn it!" he muttered. "Why does this bad shit keep happening?"

"This is extra bad," Maddie whispered. "She was so little, so innocent…"

"Your brother and his wife must be devastated."

"I can't begin to imagine," she replied. "He was so hateful to me the last time I was there. I'm really not sure how this is going to work. But I know I have to go. I need to be there for them."

"God damn it, Maddie, I want to be there for
you
."

"I know." She clung to him. "But you're doing what needs to be done right here." She pulled back and looked at him. "And you'll be with me." She patted her chest over her heart. "Always."

Chapter Twelve

Maddie did
not
want to go home for Thanksgiving. She'd picked up a bug and had a touch of the stomach flu, throwing up for several days. Her parents insisted she come home for the holiday so they could take care of her. She wanted to stay and let Nick take care of her, but of course, that wasn't an option.

"Maybe it was that Chinese food the other day," she muttered as she came out of the bathroom.

Nick chuckled and helped her back to bed. "It didn't make me sick. But then I didn't eat half as much as you did. For a little thing, you sure can pack it away."

"Shut up." She snuggled into the covers. "Will you play something for me?"

"Sure," Nick picked up his guitar and sat on his side of the bed.

"Know any
Bruce Springsteen?"

"Hell yeah," he replied, and played for her.

Maddie smiled and listened as he played.

When he finished, he put his guitar down and lay down next to her.

She slipped her arms around his neck. "I don't want to go."

"I know. I hate going through this every time. Maybe we should just tell your parents."

"They'll kill me. Or you. I'm not sure which would be worse."

He chuckled. "I can run pretty fast if I have to."

She hugged him. "I'll think about it. But, Jesus, I'm sick! I can't drive home."

"Has Junior left yet? Maybe you could ride with him."

"I don't know." Maddie sat up and grabbed the phone, calling Alec.

"Hello?"

"Hi Alec, it's Maddie."

"Hey. What's up?"

"I'm sick as a dog, and my parents are making me come home. When are you leaving?"

"A couple of hours. Want a ride?"

"Yeah, I really do. I don't think I'm contagious, I suspect it was bad Chinese, but I'm not sure. Do you mind?"

"Nah. I'll pick you up at five."

"Thanks Alec." She hung up the phone and nodded to Nick. "He's picking me up at five."

"You should get packed. Why don't you get dressed, and I'll help you with the suitcase?"

"Ugh." She dragged herself out of bed, slipping into jeans and a t-shirt.

Nick put her luggage on the bed. He threw in her underclothes and a nightgown. He held up a lacy teddy. "I presume this stays?"

"Oh yeah." She sorted her clothes into two piles and packed the ones she'd wear at home. She shoved the other pile aside. "These are my 'Nick' clothes."

He put them back in his dresser. "They'll be right here, waiting for you."

"Just like you?"

"Absolutely." He hugged her.

"What will you do for Thanksgiving?"

He shrugged. "Probably go to my sister's in
New York. She has a kid. My old man will be there."

Maddie nodded.

He went to the dresser and wrote something down, then handed the paper to her. "Here's her name and phone number, just in case. It's okay to call me there, if you need me. I'll stay Thursday night and come back Friday."

"What will you be doing Saturday?"

He grinned. "You, if you're feeling better."

She threw her arms around his neck. "You'll really come up Saturday? You don't have to, you know, I'll be back Sunday."

"That's a whole nother day. I'll drive up Saturday, unless you're still sick. Call and leave me a message, so I'll know."

"I will. I love you."

He kissed her gently. "I love you, too, sweetness. Want me to drive you back to your place?"

"Nah, I can make it that far." She put on her coat and he carried her suitcase out to her car.

"See you Saturday." He kissed her again.

"Saturday." She
smiled, and drove off.

Alec dropped her off at her parent's house. She just wanted to go to bed, but her mother and father had to take her temperature and ask her all sorts of questions.

"It was probably the Chinese food," Maddie repeated. "It didn't sit well with me."

"That was three days ago, you said." Her mother shook her head.

"I don't know, then." Maddie moaned. "I just want to sleep."

Michael looked at his wife. "A lot of college kids get run down from not sleeping and eating right, and they get mono. Maybe we should get her into the doctor before she goes back."

"Yes, you're right." Meg nodded agreement.

"Can we wait and see how I feel Friday?" Maddie asked.

"Of course. Get into bed, I'll check on you later," her mother said.

She slept, off and on, until Thursday, and she felt a little better. She showered and dressed, and joined the family for Thanksgiving dinner. It was just the four of them. Some years her mother invited other people, but she hadn't that year, and Maddie was glad. She didn't feel very sociable, and not really that hungry. She picked at her food, and ate just a little.

"You look better," her father commented.

"I feel a little better."

Matt
looked at her snidely. "Do you think you have mono?"

"No." She gave him a dirty look.

He sneered at her. "Maybe we should ask Alec if he's been sick. If Maddie has mono, he probably does too."

Their mother said, "I saw Alec yesterday when he dropped Maddie off. He's fine. Quit teasing your sister,
Matthew."

"Alec is a nice boy," their father said.

Maddie's head started to pound. "I think I need to lie down again. I'm sorry."

"Go ahead,"
Meg said.

Maddie lay on her bed and tossed and turned. It made her uncomfortable that her parents thought she was dating
Alec. She'd propagated the story herself, but she really didn't like lying, and it felt like that's all she did anymore. She needed to figure out how to tell her parents about Nick, and the fact that she wasn't going back to college next semester. She was going to look for a job and move in with Nick full time. Her parents wouldn't approve, but Maddie had to muster the strength from somewhere inside her to stick to her guns about what she wanted.

Friday she was feeling better, and convinced her mother she didn't need to see the doctor. She also realized she didn't have her car, and if she was going to meet Nick on Saturday,
Alec would have to take her. She called him on the phone right away.

"Maddie, I have a date Saturday night," he told her.

"Great! I'm glad to hear it. I don't suppose you could pick me up before hand, and then meet me after. Unless your date is going to last really late."

"Of course it's not. I just don't like being dishonest with your parents. They think we're dating."

"I'm sorry. I'm trying to decide how to tell them about Nick."

"They aren't going to like it."

"I know! Why do you think it's so hard to tell them?"

"Are you really going to do it?"

"Tell them? Yeah, of course. I have to. I love him, Alec."

"Well, they aren't going to like it."

"Alec," she said simply.

"Okay, okay. I'll do this one more time. But that's it, Maddie, no more."

"No more, I promise. Thanks, Alec. What time can you pick me up?"

"Six-thirty. I'll meet you back again at midnight."

"Great! Thanks so much." She hung up and called Nick, leaving a message on his machine.

She felt better Saturday, and her parents agreed she could go out with
Alec if she wanted. She dressed for her date excitedly, and met Alec at the door at six-thirty.

"Hello Alec. Where are you kids going tonight?" Michael also met them at the door.

"Hello Sir," Alec said nervously.

Maddie took over from there. "Probably a movie and then get something at the diner. You know, hang out there a while with the kids."

"Fine, well, have fun."

"We'll be back about midnight." She kissed her father's cheek, and they left.

"Don't say it," she told Alec as she got in his car.

"I won't. You know how I feel." He got in and drove to the truck stop.

"This is the last time, I promise." She batted her lashes at him.

"Okay Maddie. I'll see you at
midnight."

"Thanks buddy." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, and got out.

Nick leaned up against his bike and smiled at her. "Got a better kiss than that for me?"

"You better believe it." She slid in between his legs and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Hello, handsome."

"Hello sweetness. How are you feeling?"

"Better." She pressed into him. "Much better now." They kissed passionately, and Maddie said, "Take me to the motel. I want to get you alone."

"My thoughts exactly." He squeezed her butt, and they got on the bike. He drove to the same motel and got them a room for the night. They were barely in the door before they were pulling at each other's clothes, tugging them off and throwing them across the room.

"I've missed you," Nick kissed her neck and worked his way down.

"Oh, me too." She arched her back. "Very much."

A while later, Maddie sighed. "I could just lie here forever."

Nick snuggled next to her, and pulled the covers over them. "I think we need to talk about forever."

She looked at him. "Yeah, Alec made me promise this is the last time I'd use him."

"I don't like it either. We need to talk to your parents."

She shook her head. "They aren't going to take it well. I need to prepare them a little. I was thinking maybe at Christmas I could talk to them, and if it goes okay, you could meet them."

"Really looking forward to that," he muttered.

She leaned up on one elbow. "It's not going to be easy. But most good things in life aren't."

"You got a point, there," he admitted.

"They need to know that I'm not going back to school next semester. That'll be almost as hard for them to take."

"What are you going to do?"

She shrugged. "Get a job, I guess. Move in with you, I hope."

He grinned. "You know you're welcome to move in, if I'm still alive, that is. I seem to recall you mentioning your father killing one of us. Most likely me."

"I'll step in front of the bullet for you, baby." She ran a hand over his face. "Whatever it takes to be with you. I love you so much."

He looked at her. "I never dreamed I'd be saying this, but I love you, too, Maddie, and whatever it takes to be with you, I'll do it." He kissed her gently, and they didn't get out of bed again until almost
midnight.

They reluctantly got dressed and put their jackets on. "We never got anything to eat. Are you hungry?" Nick asked her.

"Nah, I'm okay. You?"

He shrugged. "I can get something after I've dropped you off. It's
midnight already, we better get back."

She kissed him again, and they got on the bike. They headed toward the truck stop, and as they got close they saw flashing police lights, a fire truck and an ambulance.

"What's going on?" She wondered out loud.

"A fire maybe?" He looked at the fire truck.

"An accident! Oh, Jesus, look at that semi-truck." Maddie pointed to a large truck laying on its side.

"Yeah. I suppose the fire truck is dousing the gas spill." He couldn't get close to the parking lot, so they pulled over behind a line of police cars.

"Do you see Alec's car?" She got off the bike and looked around.

"No." He followed her. They walked up behind a police car.

"You folks need to stay back," the police officer told her.

Maddie looked at him. "I'm supposed to be meeting someone here. He drives a little black Celica."

The officer winced.

Maddie glanced at Nick. They both looked back at the officer. "There's been an accident," he said.

"Obviously," Nick added. "What happened?"

He told them, "The driver of the semi fell asleep and missed his turn. He rammed into a couple of cars in the parking lot, here. One of them was a black Celica."

"Alec!" Maddie screamed, and Nick and the police officer held her back.

"Maddie, wait." Nick tried to calm her.

"Alec!" She screamed again, and suddenly her parents were in front of her.

They were in pajamas and robes, with coats over them. They were both distraught and had been crying. They looked at her with disbelief. "Maddie!" her mother screamed.

Maddie was in shock. "What are you doing here?"

"We thought you were with him!" Her mother grabbed the lapels of Maddie's jacket and shook her. "His car is crushed. They're in there trying to find you!"