Sea of Dreams (The American Heroes Series Book 2) (42 page)

He just hugged her and didn’t say anymore. He was afraid if he did, it would sound as if he was celebrating.  The truth was that was indeed celebrating; Blakesley just didn’t know it.  Inside, he was doing the touchdown victory dance.

Dr. Welton picked that moment to enter the public wing on his way to the room where the original tunnel had opened up.  He came through the doorway, surprised to see the owner and a big blond man in a romantic embrace.  He started to turn around and go back the way he came but Blakesley caught sight of him.   She waved him over.

“Dr. Welton,” she said. “This is my husband, Beck.”

Dr. Welton stuck out his hand, shaking Beck’s big mitt. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Seavington,” he said. Then he looked at Blakesley. “I heard you were going to be here today.  I haven’t seen you since before your accident. How are you feeling?”

Blakesley nodded. “Fine,” she rubbed her pregnant belly. “We’re all good these days.”

Dr. Welton grinned at her obvious pregnancy. “Congratulations,” he said. “So, how did your meeting with the real estate people go? They were here all morning looking the place over.”

Blakesley’s smile faded. “It didn’t go all that well,” she said. “They don’t want to pay me nearly what I bought it for.  They said they needed to talk to their boss and come back with another offer.”

Dr. Welton crooked a finger at her. “Come with me,” he said. “I’ll show you something that may make them change their mind.”

Curious, Blakesley and Beck followed.  Dr. Welton took them into the room with the pit in it and Blakesley could see that they had tables and big lights set up, attached to portable generators.  The tables were cluttered with all sorts of treasures taken out of the shaft, like a traveling antique show, and Blakesley approached the nearest table with great interest.  There was a mish-mash of everything; old kitchen implements, a walking cane, broken pieces of bottles, forks, knives, a really nice jack knife, and other museum-quality relics.

Beck had his attention focused on the rifle that he had seen down there earlier. It really was a beautiful piece with a mother of pearl stock.  As he admired the gun, his cell phone went off.  Blakesley was over with Dr. Welton as he answered.

His conversation was brief.  He was suddenly standing behind his wife, his hands on her arms.

“Sorry to interrupt,” he said, looking at Blakesley when she turned around. “Baby, I need to go.”

Blakesley didn’t even hesitate. She was already following him from the room. “Sorry, Dr. Welton,” she said. “We’ll talk about this another time.”

Dr. Welton lifted a hand. “No problem,” he replied. “But I’m going to show the people from the state this booty and emphasize to them what a valuable place this is. Maybe that will help with the sale price.”

“I’d appreciate it,” Blakesley replied.

Dr. Welton waved one last time and turned back to his tables.  Meanwhile, Beck had Blakesley by the hand and was leading her quickly from the house.

“Why are we leaving?” Blakesley asked as they crossed through the great room.

“I need to get to the base.”

Blakesley suspected as much but it didn’t prevent the nauseous feeling deep in her belly.  The only time he moved that fast and with so few words was when it was work related. Beck took her out to the truck and helped her inside, driving her the few miles to the old Victorian in record time.  He pulled up into the alley next to the house and made sure she had her keys before he let her out of the truck.

Blakesley climbed out and collected her purse from the seat.  Her bluish-green eyes fixed on him. “I’m going to pick up the girls from school in a little while,” she tried to keep it casual, ignoring the usual anxiety that these swift departures provoked. “I don’t plan on going anywhere else after that. Will you call me when you can and let me know what’s going on?”

He nodded. “Absolutely,” he said, his green eyes intense on her. “I love you, baby. Go inside now.”

“I love you, too,” she said, then her lip stuck out in a pout. “You didn’t kiss me before I got out of the truck.”

With her blossoming belly, it was hard for her to climb around agilely like she used to, making getting back in the truck to kiss him a rather tiring venture. He turned the truck off and bailed out, running around the front of the truck and taking her in his arms.  He hugged her tightly, holding her fiercely against him.  Then he kissed her repeatedly, deeply, soaking up the feel of her like a great giant sponge.

“I love you,” he murmured again, his lips against hers. “I’ll call you in a bit.”

She nodded, letting him go.  He pointed to the front door and, grinning, she took the hint and went inside before he drove away.   Blakesley stood at the window in the entry, watching his truck until it disappeared down the street.  Struggling against the overwhelming depression his quick disappearance usually provoked, she went about her business and tried not to think about what Beck was doing, or what he was possibly facing.

He had promised her he wasn’t going to serve with the teams any longer, but the fact of the matter was that until his transfer came through, he was an integral part of his team.  She really was proud of him for his sense of duty and as he’d told her when they’d first met, he loved it. She knew he did regardless of his request for transfer.

She seriously wondered if he’d be happy doing anything else.

The rest of the afternoon at the Seavington home was something of a tribulation.

It all started when Cadee and Crosby came home from school sick.  Crosby had been fighting a cold, which now had her full-bore, and Cadee was  running a fever.  While Blakesley was taking care of the older two, Charlotte fell on the back steps coming up from the back yard because Alfie inadvertently shoved her.  Charlotte knocked out one of her front teeth and Blakesley left the older two girls with Nikki as she rushed Charlotte to the nearest pediatric dentist to have the tooth implanted.

Unfortunately, Charlotte’s tooth had broken off at the gum line so the dentist had to remove the root.  Charlotte was hysterical throughout the procedure, stressing Blakesley out as she held her weeping daughter.   With all of that taken care of and Charlotte now displaying a gap-toothed smile,  Blakesley had gotten a call from Lizzie, who had been waiting  for her father to pick her up from school but he had never showed.   With an exhausted and banged-up Charlotte in the car, Blakesley had made the trip over to Coronado Island to pick up Lizzie.

Lizzie was a God-send, however, and took care of Charlotte while Blakesley tended to the older two, who were now both running a fever. Nikki had her hands full helping Blakesley, who was by now showing serious signs of stress and nausea.   Nikki made a simple dinner for the girls, which turned out to be more of an ordeal.  Cadee would only eat tomato soup while Crosby cried for ice cream. Charlotte, with the sore mouth and missing tooth, wouldn’t chew anything so Lizzie fed her chocolate milk and soft little pieces of mandarin orange slices.

Because there was so much going on, no one heard Beck drive up to the house around seven in the evening.  He came in through the back door and on into the kitchen, hearing Charlotte and Crosby’s crying almost immediately.  Frowning, he followed the sounds until he came to Charlotte and Lizzie, all huddled up in the play room watching television.  He stood in the doorway, his brow furrowed.

“What’s all the noise?” he asked his daughter.

Lizzie was rocking sleepy and grumpy Charlotte. “Charlotte fell down today and knocked out her front tooth,” she told her dad. “Blakesley’s spent most of the afternoon taking her to the dentist.”

Beck grunted sympathetically and went over to Charlotte, who gingerly opened her mouth at his gentle prodding to show him the damage.   He clucked sadly at the missing tooth and kissed her on the forehead.

“Poor baby,” he said. “How did she fall?”

“It was an accident,” Lizzie said. “Nikki said that Alfie accidently pushed her over.”

Beck pursed his lips irritably. “Damn dog,” he grunted, hearing more crying coming from upstairs. “What’s going on up there?”

Lizzie snuggled with Charlotte. “Crosby and Cadee are sick,” she said. “Blakesley’s been running all over the place for them.  I’m glad you’re home. She needs help.”

Beck kissed Charlotte again and kissed Lizzie before standing up and heading upstairs.  He mounted the top of the steps, hearing Crosby’s crying.  She was the loudest of the kids and it wasn’t unexpected to hear her all over the place.  The moment he showed his face in her bedroom, she yelled.

“Beck!” she cried. “You’re home!”

Blakesley had been sitting beside Crosby’s bed on a little white plastic chair, trying to coax her daughter into drinking some juice.  She turned to see her husband standing in the doorway.

“Hi, baby,” she said wearily.

He could see how exhausted she was.  “Why didn’t you call me?” he very nearly demanded as he entered the room. “I could have come home earlier.”

Blakesley let him pull her up from the chair. “That’s never an option when you go to work,” she cocked her head as if he had just said something outlandish. “Why on earth would I call you to come home because the girls are sick?”

Beck just gave her an intolerant expression, like he had expected her to call him, before bending down to put his big hand on Crosby’s forehead. He looked at Blakesley. “She’s running a fever.”

“One hundred point three,” Blakesley said.  “Cadee has the same bug.  They’re both running a fever.”

“Beck,” Crosby gave him the big pouty face. “I want ice cream.”

“What did your mom say about it?”

Crosby broke into tears and covered her face with the blanket.  Beck looked at Blakesley, who shrugged her shoulders. “I told her she could have some if she had a few bites of sandwich but so far, she hasn’t kept up her part of the bargain.”

“A little ice cream isn’t going to hurt her,” he said softly.

Blakesley lifted an eyebrow. “No sandwich, no ice cream. It’s the law.”

Beck knew he didn’t have any negotiating power at that point so he turned away from the bed and went into Cadee’s room.  Cadee was sitting up in bed, watching television with a cup of tomato soup in her hand.  Beck went in to see how she was feeling, which seemed to please Cadee immensely.  He kissed her forehead, just like he had with the other girls, and went back into the hall with Blakesley.  He faced his wife.

“You look exhausted,” he said softly. “Come downstairs with me for a few minutes.”

Blakesley did as he asked and followed him into the kitchen.  Alfie was lying on the floor, his tail wagging and thumping against the wood when he saw Beck and Blakesley.  Beck frowned at the dog, silently scolding him for causing such chaos, before lifting his wife up by the waist and setting her on the stool against the counter.

“Have you eaten anything?” he asked.

She shook her head. “I’ve been busy with sick girls and dentists visits.”

“I saw Charlotte. Poor little kid.”

Blakesley wriggled her eyebrows. “I told her that the Tooth Fairy would bring her a present,” she said. “That was about the only way to calm her down.  Last I saw, she was sitting with Lizzie.”

“She still is.”

“Lizzie is my life-saver.  Did you know you forgot to pick her up at school?”

Beck looked at her, stricken, before letting out a remorseful hiss. “It completely slipped my mind,” he was deeply sorry. “I got so involved in… well, I just forgot. I’m so sorry, baby. Did you go get her?”

Blakesley nodded. “After I was finished with Charlotte.”

He squeezed her arm gratefully. “Thank you,” he said sincerely.  Then he turned for the freezer and pulled out a frozen lasagna meal.  “I’m going to make this for you so you eat something.  With all of the running around you’ve been doing today, you need to keep up your strength.”

Blakesley watched him pull the meal out of the box and read the directions. “I’m fine,” she said, watching his focused movements. “But I have a question for you.”

“What?”

“What’s happening?”

He popped the meal in the microwave and turned it on.  Then he looked at her. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that you’re quiet, efficient, and subdued,” she replied softly. “If you were home to stay, you would have your clothes off and a beer in hand by now. You’re still in your casual uniform.”

Beck looked at himself, the black combat pants and gray shirt that said “Seavington” in stencil.  He leaned against the kitchen counter and hung his head wearily.

“I want you to eat before I tell you anything,” he said quietly.

Blakesley couldn’t help it; her breathing began to quicken and her palms began to sweat. “I’m not eating anything until you tell me what’s going on.”

He lifted his head and looked at her. “No food, no information. It’s the law.”

She just sat there and looked at him, not having the energy to grin at his twist on her No Ice Cream decree. The tears were instant because if he wasn’t willing to tell her right away, it must be very bad indeed.

“Beck,” she whispered, tears already popping out of her eyes. “Please don’t tease me.”

He was off the counter, moving towards her with his arms open.  “No, no, no,” he whispered, sing-song, pulling her into his powerful embrace. “No tears. I can’t take that and you know it. Please don’t cry.”

She didn’t listen to him. Her arms went around him and she sobbed softly as he rocked her gently.  He kissed her head, her temple.

“Please, baby,” he murmured. “Please don’t cry. I haven’t even told you anything yet.”

That statement just made her cry harder.  With a heavy sigh, he swept her into his arms and carried her to their bedroom, shutting the door softly.   Laying her on the bed, he snuggled up beside her and hoped she didn’t notice that his boots were on the bedspread. She would yell at him for that. He had her tucked up against his torso, her rounded belly against his stomach, when he suddenly felt a thump.  It was a soft bump, as if someone had flicked his belly with a finger, faint reverberation against his skin.  It took him a moment to realize that the thump came from Blakesley and his hand immediately went to her belly.