Fires of Autumn (49 page)

 Sitting
over against the wall to their left was a woman in a rocking chair, draped in a
surgical gown and singing softly to an infant in her arms.  Colt had no idea
who she was until Russ walked up to her.

“Ms.
Cleburne,” Russ said softly, watching the woman turn around. “This is Colt
Sheridan.  He’d like to meet his son.”

Janice
looked up at Colt with big, wide eyes.  Colt gazed back at the woman who looked
vaguely like Casey, torn between the awkwardness of their introduction and then
huge desire to see his child.   He wasn’t sure who to look at, Janice or the
baby, but the baby won over.  He just stared at the perfect little face,
feeling as if every fear, every care or every sorrow he’d ever had just washed
away.  The tears came again and he didn’t even notice.

“Oh, my
God,” he breathed. “He’s beautiful.”

Janice
didn’t even know the man, but she’d heard plenty about him. She felt like she
knew him but, unlike Riley, didn’t feel the same animosity.  She didn’t know
why not, but maybe it had something to do with the way Casey had talked about
the man, and the way the boys had described him.  Clearly, he was adored, and
although he had been gone for about six months, Casey would only say that it
was because of his job.  She never seemed angry about it up until the last few
weeks when despair overtook her.  Therefore, Janice found no animosity as she
gazed at him.  She was just glad to see him.

“It’s nice
to finally meet you,” she said after a moment, swallowing down her shock at his
appearance. “Sit down and you can hold him.”

Colt moved
to the rocking chair and sat, holding his arms up awkwardly for the baby as
Janice deposited the child neatly into the crook of his elbow.    The moment
Colt got a close look at the little face all wrapped up in his big arms, it was
as if the sun suddenly came out from behind the storm clouds. His face lit up
as the tears streamed.

“Hey,
buddy,” Colt spoke to his son for the first time. “Look at you; you’re a
monster. I’m so glad you’re here.”

Janice
smiled over at Russ, who was struggling with his own emotions. It took him back
to the time when he had been presented with his sons, boys that were no longer
with him.   But he managed to return Janice’s smile, turning for the door of
the nursery because he really couldn’t take it.  He had to leave.   Janice
watched him go before returning her attention to Colt.

“He’s nine
pounds, two ounces,” she told him. “He’s four weeks early but perfectly
healthy. I’m kind of glad Casey didn’t carry him to term; he would have been
enormous and she’s not that big of a woman.”

Colt just
stared at the baby. “He’s got her lips,” he said, snorting through his tears.
“She’s got the most beautiful lips.”

Janice
smiled faintly. “I think so.”

Colt tore
his eyes away from the baby long enough to look at Casey’s mother. “Ms.
Cleburne, no matter what you’ve heard or what’s happened, I want you to know
how much I love your daughter,” he said hoarsely. “She means the world to me.”

Janice’s
smile faded. “You mean the world to her, too,” she whispered. “Colt, I don’t
know you but I feel like I do. You mean so much to Casey and Hunter and Brody. 
I don’t know where you’ve been or why you had to go; Casey would never tell me.
She never seemed bitter about it but it was very apparent how much she missed
you.  All I ask… all I ask is that you not hurt my daughter or my grandsons,
okay? If you really love them, you’ll stay with them, no matter what, but if
you’re not sure how you feel….”

She
trailed off and Colt looked at her seriously. “I’m very sure how I feel,” he
told her. “I always have. I want to make a life with Casey and the boys, and
now that I’m back, we’re going to get married as soon as she’s feeling better. 
Please believe me when I tell you I didn’t go away because I wanted to.  It was
all in the line of duty, but that duty is done. I’m back to stay.”

Janice
patted his broad shoulder. “I hope so.”

She turned
and left the room, leaving him alone with the baby, who was sleeping like an
angel. Colt held his son close, drinking in that perfect little face.

“You
already had a name before you were born,” he whispered. “You come from a long,
proud line and you’ll carry the same name we all have, Philip Henry Sheridan. 
Someday I’ll tell you all about your great-great-great-great-great grandpa.  He
was a very famous man.”

The baby
made little sucking noises in his sleep and Colt grinned, falling more deeply
in love with the child by the second.  He began to rock slowly in the chair,
cuddling the baby, watching his little face as he slept. All of the grief and
terror was gone for the moment as he focused on something he never truly
thought he’d have; a son.  Somehow, it made his whole life worthwhile just to
look at that sleeping infant.  It was the best feeling in the world.

He lost
track of time as he sat there and rocked, his gaze on the baby as if nothing
else in the world existed.  Then he heard the nursery door open behind him and
he caught a glimpse of someone in scrubs entering the nursery. Glancing up to
see who it was, the smile vanished from his face.

Scott was
gazing steadily at him.  There was instant tension in the air, thick and
uncertain.  Seeing the man here, it began to occur to Colt that perhaps Scott
had made his presence known to Casey during his absence.  Not that Colt didn’t
trust Casey; he did without question. But Dane had been trying to pull her away
from Colt since nearly the beginning. Feeling extremely territorial, Colt
struggled not to lash out.

“I heard
you’d come back,” Scott said after a moment. “I’m honestly surprised to see
you.”

Colt
regarded him coldly. “What are you doing here?”

“I’ve been
here every day since Casey entered the hospital,” he told him steadily. “Unlike
you, I came to see how she was and if she needed anything. I care about her.”

Colt
struggled with his composure but he realized he couldn’t get too angry with the
baby sleeping in his arms.  He labored to remain calm.

“Look,
Senator,” he said quietly. “I appreciate that you’ve shown concern towards
Casey.  But that’s going to stop now, is that clear? I’m back and I hope you
understand when I say that I don’t need or want your concern or interference. 
Casey and I are going to get married and that’ll be the end of it.”

Scott
didn’t rise to the challenge.  He was, if nothing else, persuasive and
cunning.  He put that talent to work.

“I’m
wondering what Mr. Meade thinks about that,” he said quietly. “He wasn’t too
pleased with your relationship with Casey in the first place.”

Colt
lifted an eyebrow. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

Scott
smiled thinly. “Yes, you do,” he said, “but your training demands you deny
association or knowledge. I get that. But you should know that I’ve been
responsible for making sure the Core received funding through the Ways and
Means Committee for the past eight years.   One little line item that feeds
into the Defense budget, which in turn feeds into the Scientific Endeavors and
Research budget.  Difficult to trace the funds or find a trail.  I’ve known Mr.
Meade for about fifteen years and, as such, I know all about you.  I know about
your trip to Columbia. Congratulations on your success.”

Colt
remained stone faced but his mind was whirling.  Having been in survival mode
for the past six months, all he could think about was snapping Dane’s neck. 
There was a threat against him and he had to do away with it.  He struggled to
stay on an even keel.

“Casey
said you told her about my past,” he rumbled. “I should have known there was
more to it.  The things you told her were things no one but inner Core members
would have known and still you were unable to turn her against me.  I’m not
sure how much clearer I can be; Casey and I love each other and nothing you do
or say is going to change that. Back off or you’ll be very sorry.”

Scott
watched him, refusing to admit that perhaps the man was right in some respects.
In Colt’s arms, the baby stirred and mewed, and both men turned to look at him
as he settled back down.  Scott looked at the child, wishing with all his heart
that it was his baby and not Colt’s. He began to wonder if it was because he
really loved Casey or if it was more a competition between him and Colt to see
who could capture the prize of Casey’s heart.  He was competitive, that was
true, but somewhere along the line, he wasn’t sure if his motives got twisted
up.  Still, he couldn’t give up. Not yet. 

“I want
you to think about something, Colt, and then I’ll leave you alone,” he began to
back up in the direction of the nursery door. “I know that the Norte del Valle
has its sights on you.  You’re a wanted man and they’ll stop at nothing to get
to you.  Even if you resume your life as the President’s Special Agent in
Charge, they’ll be gunning for you and you know it. That will put everyone
around you in danger, including the President, Casey and the baby.  Is that
what you want? Would you really be so selfish that you would knowingly
jeopardize Casey and your son? The fact is, Colt, that you can never have a
normal life with her and the baby. You’ll always be looking over your shoulder
for an assassin.  What happens if they go after Casey? Could you live with
yourself if they killed her and not you? Stop being so damn selfish and let the
woman have a normal life. Let your son grow up without the threat of a
Columbian assassin lurking around every corner.  When you went to Columbia, you
signed your death warrant.  You did it to save the President but you ended up
killing yourself. You’re dead already only you don’t know it. If you love her
as much as you say you do, you’ll leave this hospital and disappear.  That’s
the best thing you can do for Casey and your son.”

Colt sat
there looking at the baby, listening to the senator’s words and feeling more despair
by the moment. Nothing the man said was untrue; Colt had thought the same
things himself only he didn’t want to verbalize it.  To speak the words made
them real.  As he sat there, staring at his sleeping son, the nursery door
opened and Janice appeared.

“Colt,”
she said, looking nervously between Scott and Colt. “Casey’s out of surgery. 
You need to come.”

Colt stood
up immediately and very carefully put the baby back in his bassinet. A nurse
wandered in to take over at that point and, without a glance to Scott, Colt
followed Janice out of the room. He pulled off his scrubs before exiting the
nursery on Janice’s heels, following the woman back through the waiting room
that was still crowded with the President and others, and into another
antiseptic smelling corridor.

Janice and
Colt were about half-way down the hallway when a woman in scrubs emerged from a
pair of  big double doors.  Janice headed straight for her.

“How is
she?” Janice asked.

Dr. Steele
sighed as she pulled the surgical mask off her neck. “Lucky,” she said frankly.
“We were able to stop the bleeding but she’s still lost a huge amount of
blood.  Honestly, I’m surprised she’s still alive. The next few hours should
tell us which direction she’s going to take. She’s stable right now and that’s
the best I can hope for.”

Janice
reached out and took Colt by the hand. “This is Colt,” she told Dr. Steele.
“This is the father of the baby.  He needs to see my daughter.”

Dr. Steele
looked at Colt with some shock, the enormous man with piercing dark eyes. 
After a moment’s surprise, she shook her head. “So you’re Colt?”

Colt
nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

Dr. Steele
continued to shake her head, looking him up and down. “I don’t know whether to
slap you or hug you.  You caused her a lot of grief, you know.”

Colt
sighed faintly. He didn’t know what to say to that. “Can I please see her?”

Dr. Steele
nodded wearily. “Come on,” she pushed her way back through the double doors.
“It may do her some good to hear your voice.  She wanted to die because you
weren’t around, so maybe hearing you will give her the will to live. Let’s give
it a shot.”

The
recovery room was beyond the double doors. It was dimly lit, very quiet, with
several bays, sectioned off with curtains.  A few were occupied but most were
empty.  As a nurse brought out another surgical gown and helped Colt put it on,
Dr. Steele proceeded into one of the recovery bays.

Colt
followed the woman, hesitantly,  seeing a myriad of Machines and I.V. stands
before his gaze came to rest on a very pale woman lying on the gurney.   Casey
looked like she was dead already; her beautiful face was devoid of color and
her luscious caramel-colored hair was pulled back and tied up with a surgical
mask. 

Colt’s
eyes filled with tears and his jaw dropped with shock; he had to make a
conscious effort to close his mouth, so very startled at the sight of her. As
Dr. Steele motioned him to the edge of the gurney as she backed away, Colt
couldn’t help the tears that began to flow with a vengeance.

Colt took
a good, long look at Casey and the sobs began to come.  She was so ashen and
unmoving.  He dropped to his knees, collecting her right hand as he did so.
Pressing her fingers to his lips, he wept deeply.