Bayview Heights Trilogy (82 page)

Just as patiently, he’d coaxed, cajoled and
even got angry. “Tell me one thing. Why didn’t you fight for me a
year ago?”

“Fight for you?” The color had rushed to her
cheeks. “You mean, beg you to stay, not go back to Elizabeth?”

“No, I mean try to talk me out of it. I’ve
wondered. You let me go fairly easily.”

“You jerk! If you thought for one minute I’d
grovel...”

He’d swallowed hard. “I never wanted you to
grovel. But you might have been able to talk some sense into me. I
was making the biggest mistake of my life. I’ve wished a thousand
times you’d talked me out of it.”

For a long time, she’d been silent, then her
face crumpled and the comment seemed to slip out. “I’ve wished that
sometimes, too. It was pride, I guess. Along with shock.”

“Then don’t let that pride get in the way
now, love.”

“It has nothing to do with pride now. It’s
fear.”

“Then don’t let fear keep us apart.”

After a long day of discussion in between
playing with the now-healthy Lansing girls, she’d finally agreed to
give them another chance—with lots of conditions. He’d followed her
home after Mitch and Cassie’s return, and they’d stood inside the
foyer.

“So, how do we do this?” he’d asked, his
heart thudding wildly in his chest, his hands itching to touch
her.

“Slowly.” Her voice was quiet. “And very
carefully. I’m not diving back into this relationship without
caution.”

“I guess that means I’m not staying
overnight.”

“No, you’re not.” She frowned. “We’ll date.
And we’ll keep it to ourselves.”

“I’m not hiding this from anybody, Zoe.”

“I wouldn’t ask you to. But we don’t need to
take out an ad in the
Herald
, either.” She raised an
eyebrow. “Take it or leave it.”

He’d grabbed her then and kissed the
challenge off her face. “I’ll take it.”

He hadn’t seen or talked to her since.

Frustrated, he parked and met Seth on the way
into the building.

“Hi, buddy.” Seth clapped him warmly on the
back. “You looked pissed off.”

“I am.”

Seth shook his head. “I’m sorry about this,”
he told Kurt. “We should be grateful to you for opening a clinic
here, not questioning your ethics.”

“It’s not just Bosco. But come on, let’s go
slay this dragon first.” He’d take care of his five-foot one
later.

They were the last to enter the room. Around
the conference table was assembled a wide cast of characters. His
gaze zeroed in on Zoe first. The deep pink of her very proper suit
highlighted her cheeks, and her eyes were snapping fire. She wasn’t
happy, either. He wondered if it was just the situation with Bosco,
or if she was upset with him, too.

She nodded at him, smiled at Seth and faced
Joe Finn. First the superintendent asked everyone to introduce
themselves and explain who they were. Bosco preened with
self-importance, the mayor sat cozily between two other board
members asked to attend, but the people that really snagged his
attention were Mr. and Mrs. Emerson. Ashley’s father—a small stocky
man—introduced them both and held his wife’s hand tightly. Their
faces were lined with pain. Kurt thought about Lauren and how he’d
feel if he’d been the father in such a situation.

Joe Finn began the discussion. “Both the town
council and the school board have some concern over the events of
this past week. We need to get the facts straight and listen to
everyone’s version of what happened. But for the record—” he held
up a folder “—I have the ER report that Ashley Emerson did indeed
have a miscarriage, not an induced abortion.”

Bosco sat forward and frowned. “She would
have had an abortion if the miscarriage hadn’t happened.”

Mr. Emerson’s face reddened and his wife
turned her cheek into his chest. Damn Bosco.

“Jerry, speculation isn’t going to help us.”
Finn’s tone was barely controlled. “Why don’t you tell us your
concern?”

“The clinic and the course Ms. Caufield
teaches encourage immorality among our kids.” He held up a thick
bound book Kurt recognized as Zoe’s curriculum. “There’s a whole
section in this course outline on tough choices kids have to make.
It deals with having sex, birth control, abortion, and gays and
lesbians coming out, for God’s sake. It’s no wonder that young girl
ended up pregnant and pursuing an abortion. Our school encourages
it.”

Seth threw his pen on the table. “We do not,
Jerry. We discuss it.” He shook his head. “Forty-five percent of
all teens report being sexually active. Do you really think
not
talking to kids about these things will make them
not
do them?”

“Talking about them is tacit approval.”

“No, it’s not.” This from Zoe. She slid a
newspaper article toward him. “Read this. It’s a survey done in
upstate New York recently. The kids in it said they want to talk to
adults about their relationships with the opposite sex. My course
and all the other health courses encourage kids to discuss the
pressures and problems they’re confronted with every day. Our
lessons help them deal better with everything and make informed
choices that are right for them personally.”

“Oh, Ashley Emerson dealt well with her
situation, didn’t she? She
told
you she was considering an
abortion.” His scornful gaze swung to Kurt. “And you were going to
help her get it, if not do it yourself.”

“The clinic doesn’t perform abortions,” Kurt
said tightly.

“But you counsel kids about them.”

Angry at Bosco’s shortsightedness, Kurt
leaned over in his chair. “Planned Parenthood offers many forms of
counseling—all over the country, I might add. For heaven’s sake,
Bosco, that organization is an institution in America. It’s funded
by the United Way. Even your narrow-minded views won’t get rid of
it.”

“Thank God,” Zoe said.

Joe Finn shook his head. “Mr. Bosco wants the
clinic closed. And he wants the health courses dropped,” Finn said,
glancing at Bosco disgustedly. “As we’ve won national awards for
our innovative health program, I’m not of a mind to alter anything.
And New York State mandates that certain things, including AIDS
education, be taught in our schools. So he can’t get rid of that.
Of course, he won’t be able to run Planned Parenthood out of town,
either. The question we needed to ask is did the school’s Life
Issues course and the new teen clinic do anything to give the board
or the council grounds to investigate further?”

Zoe shot Kurt an I-can’t-believe-this
look.

Seth frowned.

“Excuse me,” Kurt said, “but this sounds like
a witch hunt.”

Finn sighed. “I have no choice but to address
Mr. Bosco’s complaints.”

“I think they should be addressed. Zoe and I
have nothing to hide. I’m just shocked by this backward
attitude.”

Bosco straightened to an impressive height.
“You should have advised Ashley to tell her parents.”

“We did.” Kurt’s voice was implacable.

“Innumerable times,” Zoe added. “She refused.
Ashley can confirm that.”

“Yet you hid the girl’s pregnancy and intent
to have an abortion from her parents.”

Kurt felt the anger rise inside him, but
tamped it down. “It’s legal for minors to get contraceptives and
abortions without their parents’ consent.”

“But it’s not moral.”

Zoe slapped her hand on the table. “And who
appointed you the moral watchdog of Bayview Heights, Jerry?”

“I was elected to the board and the council
by the citizens of this community.”

“Not to decide right and wrong for them.”

“I want a board vote on this issue.” Bosco’s
tone was firm.

“No!” All heads snapped around to Mr.
Emerson. Ashley’s father looked determined. “I want to say
something.”

The superintendent nodded encouragingly. “Go
ahead, Mr. Emerson.”

The man turned to Kurt. “Ashley finally
talked to us about this. She said she didn’t tell us she was
pregnant because she was ashamed and didn’t want to disappoint us.”
He slid his arm around his wife. “Isn’t that right, Susie?”

Mrs. Emerson nodded. “She also said...” Tears
clouded the woman’s eyes. “She said that if Dr. Lansing hadn’t
guessed she was pregnant and convinced her to tell Ms. Caufield,
she wasn’t sure what she would have done.”

“She might have told
you
,” Bosco
interrupted. “She might have had that child and taken
responsibility for her actions, instead of finding an easy way
out.”

Mrs. Emerson drew up in her seat and faced
Bosco, a mama bear defending her cubs. “No, Mr. Bosco, she told us
she was thinking about committing suicide. But she said the two
adults she confided in helped her to see alternatives.” Again the
woman’s eyes teared. “She says she doesn’t know if she would have
gone through with an abortion, but she
does
know she
didn’t harm herself because of Dr. Lansing’s and Ms. Caufield’s
support.”

“They should have told you, her parents.”

Mr. Emerson sighed. “I’m not as smart as my
Ashley, and I don’t have a college degree like you, Mr. Bosco, but
even I can figure out that if they told us, the next student at the
school who faced the same problems wouldn’t have told
them
.” She nodded at Kurt and Zoe. “And she might do what
Ashley thought about doing—hurting herself.” His voice broke on the
last words. He faced Kurt, then Zoe. “I don’t know why my little
girl couldn’t tell us, but I’m damn glad she could tell you
two.”

Kurt’s heart broke for the parents. “Mr.
Emerson, I have a daughter a year older than Ashley. She might not
have told me, either. Sometimes kids can’t share things with their
parents that they
can
share with teachers.” He gave them
an easy smile. “We’re all in this together.”

“Then I thank God for teachers and doctors
like you.”

Kurt breathed a sigh of relief.

Across the table he caught Zoe’s eye. She
gave him a meaningful smile.

He returned it.

o0o

AT HER CONDO DOOR, Zoe watched Kurt park in
her driveway and walk up the front path. His shoulders slumped with
weariness, and she knew his face would be lined—with fatigue and
anger. She still knew him so well.

“Invite me home for a drink,” he’d said with
a disgusted glance at Bosco, who was conferring with the other two
board members at the end of the meeting tonight. “I’m upset. I need
to be with you.”

She’d agreed, not only because she could see
the need in his eyes, but because she felt the same.

When he reached the house, she stood back
from the door; he gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and stepped
inside. He was still dressed in his suit and she in her teaching
clothes. They didn’t speak as he followed her into the living room.
Lowering himself onto the pretty green-and-tan-flowered sofa, he
looked big and very male She’d always thought that about him when
he lounged among her feminine things.

She fixed him a Manhattan, poured herself a
glass of wine, kicked off her shoes and joined him on the couch.
She waited until he took a sip, then said, “That was awful, wasn’t
it?”

“I felt so sorry for the Emersons. Doesn’t
Bosco realize how much harder he’s making it for them?”

“Bosco doesn’t care. He never did, and that’s
his tragic flaw.”

Kurt sighed. “There can’t be anything worse
than hearing your child is suicidal.”

“Mrs. Emerson told me after the meeting that
Ashley’s seeing a counselor.”

“I hope she was just having suicidal
thoughts. Those are very different from attempts.”

“I know.” Zoe sipped her wine. “I’ve had
suicidal students.”

“Anybody try it?”

Her heart clutched. “A couple over the years.
One succeeded, or at least we think it was suicide. He walked in
front of a car on the expressway.”

“Traffic accidents are often covers for
teenage suicide. Louise has had a lot of sad cases.”

“Kurt, you know that the clinic is doing a
good job, don’t you? That we need it and you’re helping the town.
And the school.”

He leaned back and rubbed his eyes wearily.
“I guess I do. It’s just that Bosco and his ilk make me question
how much good I’m doing.”

“Don’t. You’re working wonders down
there.”

“Seth seems worried.”

Zoe remembered the principal’s words of
caution.
The issue’s been tabled, but we need to be careful
that we don’t give Bosco any more ammunition
.

“He’s supposed to worry about the school.
He’s got a tough job balancing everything.”

“How about you? Does this whole thing make
you question your classes?”

“Not a bit. I know Bosco, and I refuse to let
him get to me.”

As natural as summer rain, Kurt grasped her
hand and held it. His was muscular and hard. “Then give me a little
of that confidence, will you? My emotional fortitude is
depleted.”

She said huskily, “You’ve had a rough
year.”

He stared straight ahead, then said, “What
are we going to do, Zoe? You said we’d take it slow. What exactly
did you mean?”

Intuitively she knew he needed something from
her tonight. In the midst of Bosco’s irrationality and
self-righteousness, and the stark desperation of the Emersons’
situation, he needed something to hang on to.

“What did we used to do for fun, Kurt?”

He thought for a moment. “We went sailing. We
loved picnics. Remember that time we were in Central Park and it
started to rain? We huddled under a tree and watched the drops fall
into the pond. I’ll never forget how pretty it was.”

“Too cold for both of those things, now.”

“You loved Broadway plays. Have you been
recently?”

“Pierre and I spent a week in England over
the summer. We saw several shows there.”

He went still.

“Kurt?”

Slowly he sat up, leaned over and set down
his drink on the coffee table. Facing her, his eyes were earnest.
“I have to say something. I’ve promised not to push you about the
two of us. I’ll let you take your time for everything else, but I
can’t sit by and watch you date other men. Not Pierre, not Alex
Ransom, not any of the other of the hordes of guys drawn to you
like magnets.”