And Never Say Goodbye: A Town of Destiny Novel Page 20

  “Really? He’s mentioned having them.”

  “Then he’s changed because the old Lawson wanted nothing to do with them. I think he’d change for you, which is why I love you. You bring out the best in him, something we’ve never seen.” She stood. “Thanks for this. I needed it more than I knew. I’ll call you if any news, and you better call me with yours. I’ll be waiting. Hey, if you do go through with having Scott’s baby, we can be mothers together. I’m sure Lawson wouldn’t mind that.”

  She chuckled. “We’ll see.”

  She kissed Mallory’s cheek and strutted away in her work heels, looking the glamorous lawyer that she was.

  Pulling out her phone and finding her calendar, she counted the days but still couldn’t figure it out. She’s had no symptoms, so there was no way she could be. She’s never felt better in her whole life, actually. She laughed and shook her head.

  The only thing strange she could remember after Lawson leaving the next day was a pain on her left side. She chucked it off to pulling a muscle because it was so brief. She knew any day she’d ovulate, was just thrown off from the stress she was under. That only happened a few times before, and she had been sure she was pregnant, buying pregnancy tests only to get a negative, to her relief. She’d end up ovulating later that month.

  After her last consultation, they talked about injecting the eggs with the sperm and how it all worked. They had frozen twelve of her eggs, which, after being thawed, waited to be fertilized and would turn into embryos after transfer—baby Scott embryos.

  A pregnant woman waddled down the sidewalk, holding her little girl’s hand. She looked alone, but in reality, her husband was probably working, something she’d never have. Nope. It’d be her and her, hopefully, one child, not twins…dear God no, but it’d be them living in that big old house forever, hiding down in the shelter when the tornado tried to find them.

  There was no going back once the eggs were thawed, due to having to pay by then—a whopping five thousand dollars. No going back. She’d do one more checkup to be sure everything was healthy and ready for transfer of her and Scott’s embryos. Being thirty-five, she needed to get it done, only allowing up to age thirty-eight for success. Nothing like leaving it to the last minute. And Scott had left money to pay for all the medical bills, so she couldn’t use that as an excuse.

  Her appointment was Monday. She needed to be a big girl and get it over with. Just pull it off like a Band-Aid, because every slow peel would be tortuous. Every trip to the RE was peeled painfully slow. It was only Saturday and would need to get through the weekend. No cases on the board so far, but working would help right now. Get her away from her thoughts on a runaway train headed for disaster.

  ***

  After making a cup of hot tea, she sat down to find something on TV. Some Saturday night. She used to have dates, used to have a life. Now, all she thought about were baby names of a child she didn’t know if she even wanted.

  If Scott were here, she’d love to have a child with him. Would have been her dream, but sometimes fate interjects. Was she meant to meet Lawson “Wolf” Gallagher? No, make that fall madly and deeply in love with him? Did she ever love Scott like that? Her head said of course she did, but her heart screamed no.

  She loved Scott, no question, but it was a different kind of love. A safe love. With Lawson, there was passion. Scott never twisted her insides into a devil’s knot, salivating at the mere sight of him. No…that was for Lawson. Just thinking about the man gave her chills and bubbling in all the right places. Her heart beat faster, and her body turned to mush. And she knew it developed even more each time she’d see Lawson work, especially with the children.

  That was how love was supposed to feel. Would Scott understand her need to follow her heart? Knowing Scott, yes he would. When he asked her that life-altering question, he never thought that maybe, just maybe she’d meet someone else. It was always Mallory and Scott from the get-go. Always.

  But in her heart of hearts, she knew he’d be happy for her. Some part of her wanted to even believe he sent Lawson to her. Her mother always spoke of signs from angels and how after death, they’d still watch over their loved ones, guiding them. She’d like to believe that now.

  The TV flickered, making her sit upright. She stood and darted to the window to see trees blowing with wild fury and debris fly in the front yard. After flipping to the news, there it was—another tornado warning. Feeling sick and holding her hand to her mouth she ran upstairs to the bathroom and fell to her knees, emptying her stomach contents.

  She leaned back on her heels, wiping her mouth and taking a deep breath. These damn storms always made her nauseous. Her body reacted violently by either throwing up, getting hives, migraines, whatever, which didn’t happen before her parents’ death.

  All she knew was she wanted to get out of there, go to Lawson’s where the tornados didn’t seem to hit as much, maybe because the houses were built so close to each other. She was in the boonies part of Destiny, where you only saw cornstalks and flat lands for farming. Their power lines were not underground like his were, either, always losing electricity.

  She texted Lawson to let him know she was coming over, but it didn’t show as delivered. He must be in a hospital that was not giving him service. He’d get it when he was finished.

  Grabbing a few things and throwing them into a bag, she headed for her car before it got worse. It just seemed like a regular storm right now, which she could handle. The rain started as she drove down the path leading to the backroads.

  “It’s only a little rain and wind. Nothing you haven’t handled before. Get to Lawson’s in fifteen minutes, just fifteen minutes.” She took a deep breath and listened to upbeat music on her iPod, singing to the music.

  As she drove down the dark road, no other cars in sight, trees bent, almost touching her car. A tire flew in front of her, making her swerve to the side so as not to hit it. Blackness swirled around her from the forest preserves to the right. She looked up through the window.

  And that’s when she saw it—coming right at her.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Lawson broke scrub and headed to the doctor’s lounge to change when he heard someone talking about the bad storm. He ran to the nurse’s station. “What’s going on, ladies?”

  “A few tornados were spotted in Yorkville and Destiny…talking F2, maybe 3. It’s all over the news to stay where you are…”

  But he already began to run to the lounge and grab his things. His phone began to spit out messages from earlier, Mallory’s being one of them. “Jesus, no.” He tried texting her back and then tried calling, but got her voicemail.

  His heart raced as he threw his bag over his shoulder and pulled his cart out to the reception area. Looking through the large windows, all he could see was pure blackness.

  “I wouldn’t go out there if I were you,” the receptionist said. “There’ve already been some fatal injuries.”

  “Thanks.” He ran to the elevator and hit the up button, pounding it when it took forever to come. “Come on!” He was happy the organs had already been transferred via planes to the states they were going, leaving only paperwork for him to do. He left that to David who was still training.

  “Oh, you can’t use the elevators during a storm. Stairs are that way,” she said, pointing down the hall.

  “Shit!” He ran down the hall, dragging his cart and through the door leading to the stairs. Lifting his cart, he trudged up the stairs until he reached the fourth floor. He hit his key fob to locate his truck and threw his cart in the trunk before jumping inside.

  When he spoke to his sister last night, he learned what happened to Mallory’s parents. And he was not about to let the same fate happen to her. She had to be terrified. The thunder rumbled the roof of the garage as he plowed down the slopes at a death speed, praying no other cars would be traveling the same way.

  He wanted to call her last night to talk about her parents, but he’d rather do it to her fac
e, planning on going to her house tonight after work. The case had dragged on longer than it should have, keeping him away from her longer than he wanted.

  While in the OR, his thoughts kept returning to Mallory, wanting to hold her and keep her safe. Julia told him about her final appointment on Monday to make sure she was healthy and ready for the procedure. He didn’t care anymore. Whether she had Scott’s or his, it didn’t matter. He just wanted to be with her. He’d hold her hand during the whole process if he had to, knowing she would be impregnated with another man’s child. It just didn’t matter anymore.

  And now she was driving in this hellish storm to get to him.

  He flipped on the radio to hear an update. The announcer said there were eight fatalities in the town of Destiny, but no more sightings of any twisters. The rain mixed with hail rattled the truck as he raced down I55.

  After trying her phone again for the hundredth time, he threw it on the floor when there was still no response. His hands shook on the wheel as he drove at a speed way over the limit. His wipers did nothing for the hail that smashed against the window—useless pieces of crap.

  His own voice sounded foreign to him as he spoke out loud. “Please be okay, McShane. Please, please, please. Your baby is counting on you. Scott, if you’re watching, don’t let her join you just yet. If she lives, I’ll help her raise your child. Just don’t take her from me, man.”

  ***

  Sirens blared all around the area, piercing through her brain. It was like a battlefield but without the gear. The sound of a train roaring through shook her with violence as she lowered herself down into the ditch as deeply as she could get. Her car had already dropped into the rows of cornstalks, after hydroplaning fifty feet in the sky.

  Creaking gates and crashing furniture against barns and farmhouses alarmed her, knowing one of them could easily decapitate her. The wicked winds howled above her, whipping her hair into a wrathful coil. An eerie whistle circulated her trembling body, keeping her face down and not looking. She didn’t dare look the monster in the eye.

  Finding it hard to breathe, like it sucked the very air from her lungs, she coughed and inhaled as much air as she could drag back into her lungs, taking in dirt. Blood ran down her arm from some unseen wound.

  She shut her eyes and prayed, blotting out the monstrous growl without fangs.

  Memories of her father throwing her up in the air and laughing at her giggles rushed through her as tears burned her eyes. And then his strong voice booming in her head, “Mallory, I want you to handle yourself like a warrior. A storm warrior. Don’t let it know you’re scared, or it’ll destroy you.”

  Exhaling with a shaky breath, she lifted her head and turned to watch a picnic table spinning in the air, clothes, shoes, brooms, a barn door. She ducked when a tree branch flew her way. Trying again, she lifted her head and stared at the beast that took her family. After she became too tired, she relented and let her head fall back down onto her arm before she closed her eyes.

  An unnerving quiet enveloped her. She glanced up to watch it cycling down the corn rows until it disappeared into the earth. Victory shined in her eyes. She made it. She made it.

  Only wind and hail remained, thudding hard against her body. But she didn’t care. She’d take the welts; they’d be her battle scars. She could take it. She could take anything now because she was a storm warrior. Smiling at the heavens, she knew her dad would be proud. And she also knew Scott would be proud of whatever decision she made.

  Lights from an oncoming vehicle blinded her, forcing her to cover her eyes with her arm.

  “Mallory?”

  In a croaked voice, she said, “Over here.” And then dropped her head.

  ***

  Thank God he was a nurse. After checking her vital signs, he felt secure in knowing she’d be fine. He placed her in his bed after soaking her in a bubble bath, washing the cuts and cleaning them with peroxide. Scratches covered her face, making her wince as he wiped gently at them, but nothing serious. Nothing deep needing stitches.

  “I’ll be right back,” Lawson said, as he tucked her in.

  She reached out to grab him. “No, don’t leave.”

  “I’m heating up leftover soup. You need to eat.”

  “And then we’ll get a puppy and name it Stormy.”

  He raised his brows and smiled when she closed her eyes. Still delirious but mostly coherent, which was all he cared about.

  In the kitchen, he stirred the chicken noodle soup in the pan and remembered finding her in that ditch. A vision he’d never get out of his head. She must have passed out just as he got there.

  While he drove home, she said her car took a ride in the sky and was somewhere in the corn. He’d have to send a tow truck as he was sure it was contorted. He only thanked God she wasn’t in it.

  Before he had run the bath water, he cradled her in his arms while sitting on the couch. He just wanted to hold her to him, feel her heart beat against his. As he rocked her, she opened her eyes and smiled, telling him she loved him and then closed her eyes again.

  Was it real? Could he trust she meant it or was it part of the trauma? Did she know it was him? Questions he’d probably never get an answer to. He poured the steaming soup into a bowl and placed it on a tray.

  He carried it up and sat on the bed. “Mallory, wake up. Come on…you need to eat.”

  She opened her eyes and stretched, rubbing her sore head and sitting up. “How’d I get here? How’d you find me?” She steadied the tray on her lap and allowed him to feed her.

  “Because I was meant to. I would’ve taken Destiny apart to find you. You’re pretty brave, you know that?”

  She slurped the hot soup and sighed, enjoying the taste of the broth. “I just did what they always tell you to do—find a ditch and bury yourself in it. I remember it now. I’ve never seen one up that close, and there it was, screaming in front of my car.”

  “I know what happened to your parents. I’m so sorry, babe.” He put the spoon to her mouth again.

  After she swallowed, she said, “I wasn’t letting it do the same to me. When they found my parents, my dad was on top of my mom—broken and bleeding. He tried to save her to the end.”

  “I’d do that for you. You know that, right?”

  She nodded, wiping a tear. Laughing, she said, “What am I wearing? Your shirt?” She glanced down at the purple softness, trying to discern the letters.

  “Yes, ma’am. An old shirt from college…says Northwestern. Probably goes to your knees.”

  “I love it. It’s mine now.”

  He leaned in to kiss her. “You can have whatever you want of mine.”

  She raised her brows up and down. “Oh, really? Hey, did you wash me? I smell like spice, like that Axe stuff…like a man.” She chuckled.

  “Believe me, there’s nothing manly smelling about you. And I did wash you. You were awake but a little disoriented. Don’t worry…I was a perfect gentleman.”

  “Damn.”

  He laughed. “I can make up for it later. I don’t mind holding you all night.” He removed the tray and undressed to his briefs before turning off the light and sliding in next to her.

  “I’d like that.” She crawled into his arms and laid her head on his shoulder.

  He played with her hair and rubbed her arm, his heart bursting beneath his chest.

  She turned her head up toward him and touched his face. “I love you, Lawson,” she whispered.

  Tears welled in his eyes as he lowered his mouth to hers. “I love you, too,” he murmured against her lips. “I want to be there for you on Monday.”

  Smiling, she pushed against him, her skin merging with his as she closed her eyes.

  ***

  Mallory smiled when he squeezed her hand, reassuring her he’d be there for her no matter what. The waiting room was a little quiet today, making her more jittery. She tapped her toes against the floor, wanting to run out and never come back.

  “You okay, babe?” he a
sked, kissing her hand.

  She shook her head. “No, I’m not. My stomach is killing me.”

  “Maybe it was the eggs.”

  “I’m just nervous. I want this over with. Thank you again for coming with me.” She squeezed his hand back.

  He touched the scratch on her forehead. “Already healing.” He withdrew his hand and slid it around her back to pull her closer, kissing the side of her head. “Yesterday was nice.” His other hand held hers on her lap.

  Nodding, she said, “It was. Thank God for your endless supply of condoms.” She laughed, feeling lighter. She thought he’d never get enough of her or she him. They must have christened every room in his house. She liked leaving an imprint of their love there so he’d never forget her.

  He chuckled. “Yeah, good thing. I didn’t want to use them at all, but I understand.”

  “Mallory McShane?” a nurse called out, the same pregnant one, only bigger.

  “Here.” She stood and held his hand.

  “You sure you want me in there?”

  “Yes. I’d like Dr. Jackson to meet you.”

  He followed her into the examining room and sat on the chair as she sat on the papered table.

  After the nurse took her vitals, she smiled. “Dr. Johnson is running a little behind but should be in soon.”

  “Thank you.” Her eyes drifted down. “How far along are you, if you don’t mind my asking?”

  “Eight months. It’s fun in the beginning, but now I just want to have him already.” She glanced at Lawson before returning to her. “How about you?”

  “Oh, I’m not pregnant yet. Working on that.”

  The nurse cleared her throat and smiled. “I’m sorry, it’s just that you have that glow like I did when I first found out. Good luck.” She closed the door.

  She laughed. “Glow?”

  “Must be all that loving I gave you yesterday and this morning in the shower. I have that way.” He raised his brows up and down.