Battling Destiny (The Piper Anderson Series Book 6) (15 page)

“How about I just gather up some reporters and let them know about the deal your father had with a fabric company in Taiwan? He had a lot of blood on his hands after that.”

Michael took in the smug look on Tim’s round face as he shuffled the papers on his desk until the one with Tim’s name was on the top. “It’s interesting you know so much about that deal. It’s likely because you helped broker it. Cy Hue seems to have made quite a few calls to your office over the last six months. And the wire transfer of forty thousand dollars he sent you, was that a birthday present?” Michael said a silent thank you to Lindsey’s awesome detective work for setting this up so perfectly.

The haughty look of victory dropped from Tim’s face and was replaced with a worried one. “What are you, some kind of private investigator now or something? I don’t suppose you had a warrant to find all that.”

“No, I’m a lawyer who has every intention of getting my family out of this shit and going back to my life. I’m not here to turn people in. Your crimes die with my father’s as far as I’m concerned. But you need to find a new partner in crime. I’m sure all my father’s other associates will be looking to start over with someone else. This could actually be a good opportunity for you too.”

Tim leaned back on his heels as he considered what was being said. His hand ran thoughtfully under one of his chins. “Will you put my name out there to anyone you think might be interested in striking a deal?”

“Fine,” Michael shrugged, seeing no harm in connecting one bad person to another. They’d find each other eventually anyway, but at least this way they’d have less motivation to come after the Cooper family.

“Not everyone is going to be as easy to convince as I am. I happen to have very diverse partnerships out there. It’s the people who worked exclusively with your father that will have the most to lose.”

“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind,” Michael said hollowly as he gestured toward the door. When it shut behind Tim, Michael let out a tired sigh and allowed himself a brief moment of rest. He and Lindsey had already spent the morning going over which of his father’s associates had the most to lose and whose hands were the dirtiest. Michael was carefully prepared for each meeting. As the phone on his father’s desk rang again, he forced his tired eyes open and drew in a deep breath.

“Michael Cooper,” he grumbled as he put the receiver to his ear.

“That was some show you put on this morning,” a woman’s voice hummed on the other end of the line. “I’m Clara Epstein.”

Clara was enemy number one on the list he and Lindsey had created. She was a relatively squeaky clean politician, if there was such a thing, who’d begun working with his father a few months ago. On paper he was funding part of her campaign, but in reality he was doing much more. He’d begun advocating on her behalf behind closed doors and swapping favors for votes. The problem, besides being unethical and illegal, was Clara had kept herself completely clear of any wrongdoing as far as Michael could tell. For some reason his father was helping Clara, but there didn’t seem to be anything given to him in return. No money. No real estate, nothing passed between them that could be tracked as payment.

Since he didn’t have an answer he’d play dumb. “Hello Mrs. Epstein. What can I do for you today?”

“Your father and I had an arrangement. I’d like to make an appointment with you today to discuss it in person.” Her voice was level and professional, but Michael could sense the edge of nerves as well.

“That would be fine. I’m available all day today. When would you like to stop by?” Before she could answer Michael heard a light tap on the door that slowly grew louder. “One moment please, Clara.”

The office door cracked open and Nicolette peeked her head in timidly. “I’m so sorry to interrupt, Mr. Cooper. I tried to reach Mrs. Cooper on the phone but couldn’t. It’s the baby.”

Without a thought about the woman waiting on hold on the phone Michael shot to his feet and started heading toward the nursery. “What is it? What happened?”

“She’s not eating and she’s sleeping most of the day. She’s very warm. I was just going to take her temperature but I wanted to let you know first.” Nicolette spoke frantically, matching the way Michael was feeling.

“I’ll call Jules and tell her to come home. We need to take her to the doctor. I don’t know any doctors out here. Who do we call?” He fumbled his cell phone out of his pocket.

“I’ll call Dr. Sans. He was your sister’s pediatrician, and I know he lives close by. He used to make house calls back when your sister had her stomach problems. If he can come maybe we shouldn’t bother your wife. Not until he has a chance to see the baby. It may be nothing.”

“I . . .” Michael thought it over. Jules would not want to be the last to know if something was wrong with Frankie. But she may also assume he was being an alarmist just to cut her day short with his mother. “If he can get here quickly then I’ll wait.”

Within twenty minutes the thin, beak-nosed doctor was hustling into the nursery where Michael was rocking his sleepy daughter.

“Thank you for coming on such short notice.”

“Can you tell me when the symptoms started?” Dr. Sans asked as he pulled a stethoscope out of his bag.

“I’m not sure. I’ve been so focused on my father’s business I haven’t spent much time with her.” Michael turned toward Nicolette, hoping she could shed some light.

“She ate very well yesterday at lunch and was awake and alert this morning. But sometime after breakfast she started getting fussy, sleepy, and wouldn’t eat. I thought maybe she was just teething, but she’s been sleeping since breakfast and doesn’t want to wake up for much longer than a few minutes here and there.”

“That’s not like her at all. She hates sleeping. She hardly ever sleeps during the day, other than one nap in the afternoon. Even at night she’s still up a few times.” Michael felt an ache in his heart for Jules. He’d been taking for granted how little sleep she had been getting and had overlooked how overwhelmed she was feeling. He should have been getting up more to help her at night. He’d been so selfish. He knew her inability to nurse had been eating at her too. Pumping and bottle-feeding had not been in her original plan. It all felt like it was finally sinking in for him about how hard Jules’s job really was these days.

“Any allergies?” he asked as he gestured for Michael to shift Frankie in his arms so he could examine her better.

“None that we know of so far. She had some reflux as a baby but it’s been better since we started solid foods about a month ago.”

After a quick examination the doctor began shaking his head and jotting some notes down in a pad he had tucked back in his pocket. “It looks like she has a double ear infection. I’m shocked she’s sleeping. She should be in quite a bit of pain. She’s a tough little girl. That would account for the lack of appetite and being so tired. Her eardrums are very inflamed and even if we put her on antibiotics they still might burst over the next day or so. I’ll call in a prescription you can pick up tonight.”

“What does that mean? Her ear drums might burst, that sounds serious.” Michael instantly wished Jules was here now.

“It really isn’t. It happens more than you would think, and if they burst it will actually relieve the pressure she’s feeling. They’ll heal on their own with time. She’ll just need to be watched closely. She has a slight fever now. You can give her something for it, and if it gets higher than one hundred three please call me right away.”

“But she’s not eating; that seems pretty dangerous. Shouldn’t we be worried about that?” Michael asked nervously.

“Make sure she gets some fluids. If her eyes look sunken or she goes longer than six hours without a wet diaper, then call me for that as well. I know it seems very frightening, but many kids get ear infections. It’s important we stay on top of it. I’m just around the corner so you can call me anytime. Your mother and I go back many years. I’m happy to help. I’ll come back tomorrow morning to check either way.”

“Thank you, Doctor. I really appreciate it.”

Dr. Sans quietly slipped out of the room followed by Nicolette, who would see him out of the house. As Frankie shifted slightly in Michael’s arms he sank back into the rocking chair and let her curl comfortably into him. He hoped she couldn’t feel the shaking in his legs or his heart thumping in his chest. He hadn’t cried since the day she was born, but now he felt a tear blazing its way down his cheek. Frankie and Jules were his entire world. He prayed there would never be a moment of his life spent without them.

He shifted slightly and fished his phone out of his pocket. Sending a text message to Jules to come home, he knew his wife well enough to know nothing would matter except the health of their child. They would put aside everything and everyone to make sure Frankie was all right.

“Where is she?” Jules stammered as she practically fell through the front door.

“Michael is in rocking her right now. He hasn’t left her side since the doctor came in,” Nicolette explained as she ushered them back toward the nursery.

“I’m sure she’s fine,” Tabitha comforted as she quickened her pace to stay by Jules’s side, elbowing Piper away slightly. “Dr. Sans is a family friend. He’ll be at our beck and call whenever we need him. And we paid for an entire wing at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital so we have access to any kind of specialist you can imagine.”

“Michael said it’s an ear infection. Those are pretty common, aren’t they?” Piper asked, clearly trying to make a point.

“When it comes to my granddaughter we certainly won’t be taking any chances. She’ll have the best care available to her. Ear infections might be common, but we won’t be treating them like they are.” Tabitha pushed open the door to the nursery and when the light cut into the room Jules caught a glimpse of Michael’s weary face.

“How is she?” Jules asked, racing to his side and dropping to her knees next to the rocking chair.

“She’s fussing a bit and then groggy. I tried to give her a bottle, but she won’t take it. Maybe she will take it from you.” The desperation in her husband’s eyes tugged at her already fragile heart.

Jules stood and opened her arms and Michael looked relieved to have his other half there to help. As Frankie sank into her arms she could feel something was different. Her daughter was the kind of child who stirred at any sound and awoke from the slightest movement. This child in her arms was out cold. Her fluttering little eyelashes and tiny snores were not comforting—for a child like Frankie they were frightening.

Michael handed the bottle over as Jules lowered herself to the rocking chair. The doorway was full of concerned heads but the light streaming in from the hallway wasn’t helping. “Could you guys give us a minute to try to feed her?” Jules asked, and Michael practically shoved everyone out the door and closed it tight.

“I’m sorry I was gone. I should have been here,” Jules apologized as she eased the bottle into Frankie’s mouth and moved it against her three teeth and little gums to get her to latch onto it. Though it took a few tries eventually she began to take in a few sips and then, like she did at every feeding, Frankie tangled her little fingers up into Jules’s flowing red hair. There were some nights the endless tugging on her hair would drive Jules crazy, but tonight it brought tears to her eyes.

Michael pulled the large plush chair in the corner over to the side of the rocking chair. He slid his arm behind Jules’s head and rubbed her shoulder. “I was really scared,” he whispered, his voice shaking.

“I’m sorry we’ve been fighting,” Jules sighed, leaning her tired head on his shoulder. “Nothing is more important to me than Frankie. We can work anything out.”

“I’m sorry too. I’ve been distracted and caught up in a lot of anger instead of taking the time to talk to you and really explain things. I just kept thinking I could fix all this, and we could go back to our lives, but I can see now I can’t do anything unless we’re doing it together. You’re my partner for a reason. We have gone through so much together, and this should be no different.”

“Listening isn’t my strong suit but I promise to really hear what you have to say. Let’s just get Frankie feeling better, and I know we can work everything else out.”

“Look, she took four ounces. That’s a good sign. When Nicolette took her temperature a little while ago it was around one hundred one. We’ll just need to keep checking it until morning.”

“I’ll stay with her. I know you have a lot of work to do. Then we can switch after dinner.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want you to get overwhelmed.”

“I’m positive. You couldn’t pry her away from me now if you wanted to. I just want to hold her and watch her sleep.”

Michael stood and kissed his wife on the top of her red hair and then did the same to his daughter. As she watched her husband leave she closed her eyes and began to hum the same song her mother used to hum to her when Jules was sick. It was something she thought she’d long forgotten, but this afternoon, as she sat rocking her baby in the dark, the tune came right back to her.

“Shit.” Michael looked down at the phone in his office and remembered the call he’d been on when he learned Frankie was sick. He’d put Clara Epstein on hold and then had never come back. That was over two hours ago. If he’d hoped to tactfully navigate a solution with Clara, leaving her hanging on the line wasn’t a good way to start.