The Bounty Hunters: The Marino Bros.: Box Set (18 page)

Nikko picked up a very spent Ronnie, and carried her to the bed.

*     *     *

Ronnie was beat
by the time she returned home. And, she had an early day. She needed to use her mom’s car, and therefore, she needed to rise early and take her to work. She was also nervous, expecting a call from her attorney as he would watch the tapes today.

Waking up when her phone alarm chimed, she was still quite tired, and sore, she admitted to herself. Nikko was unlike her past experiences. She was definitely learning some new things, new things she quite liked.

Ronnie grabbed a pair of sweat pants and threw them on quickly. Knowing she had to wake up early and drive her mom to work if she wanted to keep her mom’s car for the day to run some errands, she showered last night, with Nikko. Brushing her hair to get the tangles out, she was still smiling with those memories, as she clipped up her hair into in a messy knot. She would take care of it later, before she ran her errands, but definitely after taking her mom to work.

She could hear her mom in the kitchen. Louisa had always been an early riser. Not wanting to make her mom late, she came out of her room to grab a quick cup of coffee for the road; she would eat later, but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw her mom sitting at the table. She looked green.

“What’s wrong?” she asked going to her.

“Not feeling well. It must be the flu,” Lou mumbled, foregoing her usual cup of coffee for ginger ale.

“The flu?” she questioned, touching her hand to her mom’s forehead. It felt cold, and clammy, not warm. “You’re not still going to work are you?” she probed with concern.

“No, sweetie. I’ve already called in. I’ll just tough it out.” Her mom sighed and picked up her glass of ginger ale taking a small sip.

“You should see a doctor.” Ronnie voiced her opinion.

Lou heard it from Jay earlier, before he had gone into work. She nodded her assent and took another sip before speaking. “I will call when the office opens up later.” Lou stated, taking yet another sip of her flat ginger ale to settle her stomach. Jay had been out the door practically, when she had lost her cookies, and returned at the sound of her retching. She wouldn’t be able to keep her pregnancy from him and Ronnie for too much longer. Someone was bound to figure it out sooner or later. And she’d rather tell them than let them figure it out on their own.

Jay’s worry was apparent, and she hated not telling him. But her concern for Ronnie overshadowed that. After seeing the doctor today, ensuring everything was fine, she would tell him tonight first, and then her daughter. She made her decision this morning when another bout of morning sickness had her running to the bathroom.

After convincing and promising Jay she would go see a doctor, and letting him witness her calling in to take a sick day, he had finally gone into work. Normally, he had the day off, but had been called in when his boss announced the Blackhawk choppers at the airfield would be performing afternoon drills, and he was needed to finish some routine maintenance before the pre-flight routines could be handled. Two others had called in sick, and since he was low man on the totem pole he really needed to go. But, he also made her promise to call him after she left the doctors. He wanted to know what was wrong right away.

“I think you should just go, and be there when they open,” Ronnie suggested. Her mother looked pale.

“Yeah, that might actually be a good idea. Jay is so worried, and I hate for him to worry when he has so much going on at work today. They open at nine. I’ll go get ready, but unless my stomach settles, I don’t think I should drive myself,” she informed her daughter, silently asking her to take her.

“I’ll drive you, Mom. We’ve got time. I can always do the things I need to take care of after I bring you back, and see you settled down and resting.” Ronnie was relieved her mom was agreeing so easily. She wasn’t one to miss work, or go to the doctor. She hoped it was a simple flu bug like her mom thought. But, she had a niggling suspicion this, whatever it was, wasn’t a simple flu bug.

*     *     *

With her mom
getting ready in her room, Ronnie retreated to her own bedroom to make herself look more presentable. She needed to go to the bank, and take care of some things her attorney asked her to do. She also needed some money, and had a bit left in her savings account. She didn’t want to ask her mom for money for personal items, and didn’t expect Nikko to always treat her. Then, she wanted to do a bit of shopping since her luggage still had not been returned to her from evidence.

Within an hour the women were off. Lou suggested Ronnie complete one of her errands so as not to waste her day while her mom waited at the doctor’s office to be seen. Leery of leaving her mom, who still looked unwell, she eventually agreed when she saw how agitated her mom was becoming, and because she was insistent. Reluctantly she agreed to drop her off at her doctors, but promised to be back within the hour, only going to Walgreens on the corner to shop for some essentials with what little cash she had. She would need to go to the bank for more, but thought that would take longer, and wanted to be done by the time her mom was ready to go home.

At Walgreens, she purchased a bit of make-up to replace her own that had yet to be returned, some feminine hygiene products, a hair brush, and curling iron, and her own toiletries. Her mom was waiting outside on a bench when she returned and to her relief looked much better.

Her mom walked to the car just as she pulled into a parking spot. “What did she say, Mom?” Ronnie asked with concern.

Her mom gave her a bright smile. “Everything is fine. She did blood work here in the office, and all looked well. And she gave me something for the nausea.”

“But what’s causing it?” Ronnie asked not convinced. There was something her mom was not telling her.

“It could have been flu, my nerves,” she shrugged. “But she gave me some tablets to take until it passes.” Lou didn’t mention the prescription for pre-natal vitamins she had given her. She was further along then she had thought. The doctor did an ultrasound to calculate how far along she might be, and that’s why the nausea was so bad. Four months. Even with Ronnie she hadn’t started showing much until her fifth month. She’d fill her prescription tonight after she told Jay, have him get some ginger snaps, not wanting to take the tablets unless absolutely necessary. The morning, noon, and night sickness would soon pass. She stopped being sick with Ronnie when she started her second trimester, and according to the doctor she was there now.

Ronnie gave her mom, a suspicious look, out of the corner of her eye, hoping her mom wouldn’t keep something from her just because of her own circumstances. Her mom didn’t notice though as she seemed lost in her own thoughts.

The ride home didn’t take long and Lou, feeling even more revived, encouraged Ronnie to go finish her errands. Even though Ronnie felt weird about it and still felt strange leaving her, she really needed to take care of some things. She did promise to hurry.

Lou promised to settle in on the sofa, and rest, enjoying her day off. She would text her if she needed anything. Ronnie wasted no time. She wanted to return as quickly as she could.

*     *     *

Unfortunately, as quick
as she could took much longer than Ronnie hoped. The bank took hours, but she had her eight thousand bond cashed, and for good measure she took five hundred out of her savings knowing she might not get a second trip to the bank soon. Plus, she needed to turn the eight grand over to her attorney, Mr. Stimson.

After the bank, was Wal-Mart for under garments, and the mall for a couple of outfits that fit her a bit better than those she borrowed from her mother. She also made a quick detour into Victoria Secret. She wanted to treat herself and Nikko to something new.

Then, on her way out of the mall, she ran into Margaret, her one and only friend in the area, and also her hairstylist when she was in town. She and Brad, one of her employees, hung out a few times last summer and had hit it off.

The pretty young blonde, just twenty-three, had started her own salon, called Mavericks, on the four corners in Spring Hill, and catered to people who wanted a unique style, blending new with the classic. The name of the salon was just one indication this woman went her own way. She liked her, a lot, and had always managed to spend a couple of days with her whenever she was in town. They had a cup of coffee and caught up. Margaret, was a sweet woman, professed her faith in Ronnie’s innocence, and told her to come hang out at the shop if she was bored, or just needed to vent. She even went so far as to offer to be a character witness for her.

By the time she returned home, it was four, and she was surprised to find Jay was home early. He never arrived home from work before six. Figuring he had probably come home to check on Lou she didn’t think anything of it at first, but then fear set in. Perhaps her mom had gotten ill again, and called him instead of her. She rushed to the door, but stopped dead in her tracks, when she heard a strange sound coming from inside. It sounded like a pained animal crying out, but somehow she knew it was not Missy making that sound.

Tentatively, Ronnie turned the handle on the front door and it gave way. The sight she was met with was even more frightening to her than anything she could have expected. Her mom was still seated on the sofa, Jay perched on the end, and tears were streaming down his face. That sound was coming from him as a look of pure pain crossed his face, and his sobs were gut wrenching. Staying absolutely still, the door only slightly open, she heard Jay croak out after several more fearful moans, in a guttural whisper. “The doctor told you that. Really?”

“Yes, my love.” Lou stroked his arm, giving him encouragement, strength. Ronnie remembered all the times her mother had done that for her when she was upset, trying to instill the courage in her to get through a difficult time.

“Four months?” he questioned. His back was to Ronnie now as he had pivoted on the edge of the sofa to fully face Lou. She saw her mom nod with a sad smile, watching for Jay’s reaction. She didn’t notice Ronnie at all. A lump formed in Ronnie’s throat, and her imagination ran wild with what her mom could possibly mean by four months.

“She’s sure,” Jay croaked out. The earlier cries of anguish had subsided to soft moans.

“Yes, Jay. Darling. She ran the test twice.” Louisa reached out to cup his face. He reached out and held hers. “Darling, please tell me what you are thinking.” Lou broached tentatively. Knowing this news shocked him, he had lost his wife and his only child just weeks before birth. He hadn’t ever expressed a desire to have children, even indicated he felt having another one would be disloyal to the baby he lost.

“Oh my God, Lou. I love you so much. I don’t know if I can handle this,” she heard him say between his gentle sobs.

Ronnie wanted to cry too, knowing all Jay had been through. Now, this. Her mom, sick. Just four months
to live?
Panic set in. She wanted to run to her mother, comfort her, comfort them, but the scene before her was too poignant, too painful for her to watch. She needed to give them this time alone to figure out how they would cope, and so her first thought was Nikko.