Count on Me (Bayview Heights Trilogy) (19 page)

Tears formed in her eyes. “I didn’t want to, I didn’t want to,” she repeated.

He steeled himself against the fear that she might have taken things into her own hands. Whipping off his suit jacket, he stuffed it under her head. He crooned soft words to her and waited for the gurney.

Johnny burst through the door in minutes. His face was composed, but his eyes were worried. “What happened?” he asked Kurt as they went into action. Behind him stood Shondra, along with Julia.

“I don’t know. She’s about two and a half months pregnant. Or at least she was.” Kurt filled Johnny in as they lifted Ashley onto the gurney. Behind them, the girls gasped.

Quickly Johnny covered Ashley with a sheet. “Miscarriage?” he asked Kurt.

“I don’t know.” Placing themselves at each end of the gurney, they headed out. “I hope so.”

Luckily the hallway from the clinic connected directly to the hospital’s ER. Shondra and Julia held hands and followed.

Curled into a fetal position, Ashley was sobbing by the time they arrived.

“What’s her situation?” the attending nurse asked as she came around to the front of the desk to check Ashley.

“Pregnant seventeen-year-old. Miscarriage or induced abortion. We’re not sure.”

“Abortion?” the admitting receptionist asked. Vaguely Kurt recognized her.

“We don’t know. Just get her inside and find an ob-gyn to examine her.” He nodded to the girls. “Her two friends can give you the necessary information.” As the steel-gray swinging doors opened and Kurt and Johnny pushed the gurney through, he glanced over his shoulder. “Call her parents, would you, Jules?”

Kurt heard the woman at the desk harrumph.

Then the swish of the closing doors shut out the rest of the world.

o0o

ZOE SAT IN A CORNER of the emergency-room waiting area clutching Julia’s hand, talking softly with her, Shondra, Erica and Rachel. The other two girls had arrived shortly after she did and, amidst the smell of stale coffee and antiseptic, they’d all been waiting about thirty minutes.

“I didn’t even know she was pregnant,” Julia said tearfully.

“Me, neither.” This from Shondra.

Rachel was stone-faced and silent. Zoe was most worried about her, since she and Ashley were like sisters.

Giving them all a brave smile, one Zoe hoped was convincing, she said, “We have to have faith she’ll be all right.”

“Did she have an abortion?” Julia asked.

“She was going to.” Rachel finally spoke. Her tone was cold, her eyes flat. “Over the long weekend, so she wouldn’t miss any school.”

Zoe sucked in a breath.

“Son of a bitch.” Erica fidgeted on her seat, then her eyes widened. “Dr. Lansing wouldn’t have done an abortion on Ashley at the clinic, would he?”

“Oh, my God.” They all turned to find Ashley’s mother standing over them. She was an older version of Ashley, with sky-blue eyes and streaked blond hair. Her lower lip trembled as she spoke. “Ashley had an abortion at the clinic?”

Zoe heard a startled gasp from the woman at the reception desk. “No, of course not.”

“Is...was...is my daughter pregnant?”

Zoe faced the overwrought mother. “Yes.”

“And you knew?” She scanned the group. “You all knew?”

“No, not all of us,” Zoe said. “But she confided in me.

Mrs. Emerson’s eyes filled with tears. “In you? Not me?”

Reaching out to the mother’s arm, Zoe squeezed it and began to speak just as Kurt strode through the swinging doors. His face was pale but composed, and he looked strong and dependable. He gave Zoe a grateful look as he approached them.

“Kurt, this is Ashley’s mother.”

He addressed the woman. “Mrs. Emerson, I’m Kurt Lansing, director of the clinic.”

The worried mother nodded.

“Ashley’s had a miscarriage. She was ten weeks pregnant. Apparently, she miscarried this afternoon.”

“Miscarried? Not...” The mother of four girls, her hand slid to her stomach. “Not an abortion?”

“No.”

Mrs. Emerson swayed and gripped Zoe’s arm.

“Here, sit down.” Zoe indicated the vinyl chair, but Mrs. Emerson resisted.

“Is she all right?”

“Yes.”

“I want to see my daughter.”

“You can go back momentarily. They’re prepping her to go upstairs for a D&C.”

The woman sank onto the chair. “A D&C?”

Kurt explained the necessary procedure to rid the uterus of what it didn’t expel by itself. Julia and Shondra went white, Erica listened intently and Rachel’s eyes clouded.

Kurt glanced at the clock. “Come on, I’ll take you back.”

As she walked toward the patient area, the mother asked, “How could I not know about all this?”

“My question exactly,” came a voice behind them.

Pivoting, Zoe stared into the mottled face of Jerry Bosco.

o0o

JULIA STUDIED the man. He looked like Ernest Borgnine, but even uglier and all puffed up with self-importance. He watched Ms. C with a look that chilled Julia.

“What the hell is going on here?” Bosco asked.

“What are
you
doing here, Jerry?” Ms. C wanted to know.

“I was alerted by the ER receptionist to a situation involving the clinic and a student from our school. As a member of both the town council and school board, I came to investigate.”

Cowed, Julia stepped back. So did Rachel and Shondra. Only Erica stood by Ms. C’s side without shrinking from the pushy man. Ms. C faced him squarely. “I can’t imagine what you hope to accomplish coming here like this.”

“That fancy clinic of yours performed an abortion on one of your students. This is sick.
Sick
.”

“Jerry, you have totally incorrect information.”

The outer door to the ER flew open, interrupting them. In rushed Evan and Rob. “Oh, God, what happened?” Evan asked. “Did she...did she something go wrong with the abortion?”

Bosco whirled on Zoe. “Incorrect information?”

Ms. C said, “Yes, it’s incorrect.” She grasped Evan’s hand and spoke directly to him “Ashley had a miscarriage.”

“Is she all right?” the boy asked.

“A lot you care, you bastard.” This from Rachel, who dragged Evan around. “You wanted her to get rid of it. You wouldn’t stand by her.” She accented each accusation by pounding her fists on his chest. “This is all your fault.”

Gently Rob pulled Rachel back. She turned, crying, into his chest.

Julia pivoted in time to see Dan enter the ER.

“I just finished at the nursery and came right over.” He stared at her for a split second, then drew her to him.

Erica watched Julia and Rachel for a minute, then faced Bosco, Ms. C and good old Evan. Her hands began to shake uncontrollably, so she stuffed them in the pockets of her skirt.

“This is a zoo,” Bosco was saying as he scanned the kids.

For once Erica agreed with the jerk.

“Jerry, you’ve walked into a very difficult situation. You’re just making it worse.”

“Worse?” His voice raised. “You think this is bad? You haven’t seen anything yet. I’m going to close down this damn clinic.”

Erica caught sight of Dr. Lansing coming through the gray doors again. For a minute he blurred, then came into focus again.

“You say one false word against my clinic,” he told Bosco, “and I’ll sue you for slander.”

 Way to go Dr. L
, she thought. She didn’t know he could be so tough, but she liked it.

Even Bosco stepped backward. “I’ll consult the town’s lawyer first, then.” The creep scanned them all. “Meanwhile, I’ll have the board yank these students from working with you.”

Ms. C stood up as tall as she could get, which wasn’t much. “And if you do that, Jerry, you’ll have me to contend with. I’ll fight you with every resource I have.”

Well, well, well, everybody was getting tough today. It was kinda cool to watch.

Dr. Lansing came up behind Ms. Caufield and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I suggest you sit down with us or with the ER doctors and get your facts straight, Mr. Bosco. Don’t cause unnecessary trouble.”

Bosco’s beady eyes leveled on him. “I haven’t even started yet, Dr. Lansing. I haven’t even started.”

The asshole stomped out of the emergency room. Erica watched Ms. C lean back into Dr. Lansing and release a huge breath. He squeezed her shoulder and said, “Whew.”

Erica shook her head. She sank onto a vinyl chair, thinking about Ashley’s miscarriage and Dr. Lansing touching Ms. C. She wondered how soon she could have another upper. She knew she shouldn’t take more, for she’d been overstepping the limit she’d set for herself. Also, she’d gone to great lengths to hide any symptoms from Ms. C & Dr. Lansing, so she shouldn’t pop one now when they were around. But she needed a pill. And she’d cut back just as soon as things got better in her life.

o0o

“ARE YOU SURE you still want to do this?” Cassie’s face was drawn with fatigue as she asked the question. Zoe noticed again that her friend had lost weight since September, the pressures of school and raising a family obviously wearing on her. “What with Ashley’s miscarriage and Bosco’s being on the warpath?”

Behind her, Mitch placed his hands on Cassie’s shoulders and sighed. His green eyes were weary. It was clear they both needed this weekend away from their kids.

“I’m sure. It’ll take my mind off what happened with Ashley yesterday.”
And off Kurt
.

Cassie shrugged. “There’s more. Alexandra’s got a cold. She slobbers all over Camille, so the baby might come down with it, too.”

“I think I can handle the sniffles.” Scowling, Zoe teased, “Doesn’t she want to go away with you, big guy?”

Mitch looked a little lost. “Sometimes I wonder. These kids take up so much time.”

To Zoe’s shock, tears formed in Cassie’s eyes. “No, of course it’s not that.” She turned Mitch. “How could you think that?”

Rolling his eyes, he pulled her close. “I don’t, really. We’re both drained. We need to get away, love.”

“Uh-huh,” Zoe said dryly, “you do. Look I can handle the girls. Did you leave medicine for the cold?”

“Yes, along with the pediatrician’s number. And a letter authorizing you to seek medical treatment.”

“I’m sure that won’t be necessary. Now go. The girls are down for a nap, so this is a perfect time to escape.” She gave the couple her best stern-teacher look. “After the great friends you guys have been to me this last year, I’d like a chance to do something for you.”

“You’re a godsend.” Cassie scrubbed at her face impatiently, leaned over to hug Zoe and started out.

Mitch hugged her, too. “Thanks, Zoe. I want her to get away, get some rest and some perspective.”

“Then go,” Zoe whispered. “We’ll be fine.”

“If you need any help, my brother’s great with the girls.”

Zoe eyed Mitch. “
Go
.”

The Lansing children slept another hour. Zoe wandered about the house, glad to give her friends the opportunity to spend the weekend in the city, envying them their bond and the life they’d built together. In the living room, she picked up a picture of them on their wedding day.

On either side of them, she and Kurt smiled glowingly.

 I was going to tell you that night...I was going to ask you to marry me.

Sighing, she sank onto the couch, picture in hand. She hadn’t allowed herself much time to think about Kurt’s admission the night they found out about Ashley’s pregnancy. He’d said he’d wanted to marry her. And for the intervening two weeks she’d buried the notion she could be pregnant, although her period was two days late. Not uncommon, she thought. She’d be fine.

 You want to be pregnant
, a voice inside her accused.

Zoe gripped the picture. “Of course I don’t.”

 It would give you an excuse to let him back in your life.

“I don’t need an excuse. If I wanted him back, I’d—”

The Banshee wail interrupted her. Quickly she replaced the picture and mounted the steps two at a time, hustling into Camille’s room. Zoe had helped Cassie pick out the yellow-daisy wallpaper and matching green-with-daisies quilt and bumper for the crib. The baby was alternately crying and sucking her thumb.

“What’s the matter, love?” Zoe asked as she picked up the child.

Camille quieted and stared at Zoe with huge green eyes. When she realized her rescuer wasn’t Cassie or Mitch, she started to wail again, big tears rolling down her cheeks. “Come on, sweetie, it’s Aunt Zoe. You know me. I’m your godmother. We’re buddies.”

The baby continued to cry.

“Hey,” Zoe said as she placed her on the changing table, “we’re gonna have a great time when you get older—reading books, watching movies, playing games.” As she changed Camille’s diaper, Zoe noticed she felt warm. But babies often woke up from naps warm, she remembered Lacey saying. Just to be sure, she found a thermometer in the girls’ bathroom and took Camille’s temperature—a feat in itself. It read ninety-nine. Juice would help, Zoe thought, trekking downstairs with the now-whimpering child.

Camille fussed through the bottle of juice. Zoe walked her, sang, “I’m a Little Teapot” in French, then headed upstairs again and rocked her.

Until Alexandra woke up. The four-year-old wandered into Camille’s bedroom.

Zoe gave her a big smile. “Hi, Alexandra. How are you?”

Cheeks pink, her braid messy, the child rubbed her eyes. “Don’t feel good.”

“Uh-oh,” Zoe said, and got up to find the thermometer again.

At ten o’clock that night, Zoe called the pediatrician’s after-hours number. She spoke with the doctor on call, who assured her both girls sounded as if they had symptoms of the flu he’d seen lately, but to bring them in the next morning. Meanwhile, she should give them lots of liquids and a pain reliever every four hours.

The medicine had a marginal effect; Alexandra didn’t go to sleep until midnight. Zoe rocked Camille till 2:00 a.m., when the baby finally conked out.

Zoe fell asleep on the twin bed in Camille’s room, surrounded by a veritable zoo of animals. A huge giraffe stood guard over her head.

She was awakened four hours later by a soulful cry. Bolting up, she rushed to Camille. The infant felt hotter than last night, Zoe noted as she struggled to change her diaper. “Come on, love,” Zoe said, holding her while she fixed a bottle of formula. “Please drink some.” Camille took about an ounce, then spit out the nipple.