Marty
When Cowboy shoved his box of equipment toward the door, I realized I’d gotten so caught up in my conversation with Holly, we were circling the drop area already. A couple of the guys smirked knowingly at me, and Gable gave me a thumbs-up, then jumped. I watched him land, then said my goodbyes, ready for my own launch. As it was, I’d almost enjoyed the hurly-bird ride that preceded our jump into hell.
I hadn’t pushed my luck and nagged at her about working for Smoke, Inc. I’ll do that later when I call. Cowboy had our equipment out of the boxes and setup in the clearing he’d targeted by the time the rest of us landed. We’d been slated to relieve a hotshot crew, but they stayed on the ground with us when the fucking wind shifted, threatening to obliterate all their work.
We spelled the local team while they took a much-needed break. The Smoke crew fought side-by-side. Drought conditions had left the underbrush nothing more than dried tinder; heat lightning set off new patches of flames as thirty mile-an-hour gusts kept the blaze from being contained.
It was easy to lose track of time as we fought the flames. But every moment of the battle, I thought about the call I’d make to Holly when I took a break at the end of the second day. Am I going to be a dad?
Holly
I woke early, showered, dressed, and left the house to avoid any of Marty’s crew. I made it to the bus stop unscathed and hopped off at the corner next to the correct medical building.
With an hour to kill before my doctor’s appointment, I found a coffee shop for breakfast. I didn’t eat much since my stomach was too full of what-ifs and anxiety flutters to allow for hunger. I stalled as long as I could, and finally made my way into the building.
Plush carpet, soothing music, and a receptionist whose main concern seemed to be to make me comfortable, greeted me when I stepped into the physician’s office. She ushered me to a private room, and got the blood pressure, weight, and paperwork out of the way.
I needn’t have worried about paying. Elaine had sent ahead the insurance information, and all I had to do was confirm and sign. This I did, feeling queasy as I shared information again.
“Remove everything and slip into this for your exam. Dr. Spencer will be right with you.” The receptionist handed me a soft, terrycloth robe, and left.
“Well, la dee da,” I muttered. The robe, the kind expensive spas and five-star hotels provide for their guests, impressed me more than the office.
As soon as I removed my clothes and put on the robe, the receptionist returned. Evidently, she was also a nurse.
“The doctor will be with you in a moment. I’m just going to draw some blood for your preliminary lab work.” She whipped out her equipment, slid my sleeve above my elbow, found a vein, and took her sample before I could muster a squeak of surprise.
Dr. Spencer arrived, introduced herself, and proceeded with the examination. She asked me questions about my diet, work habits, sleep patterns, menstrual cycle, sexual activity, and feelings about having a baby.
“What was your first thought when you found out?”
Really, that was a tough question. I’d had a lot of incoherent thoughts but…
“I wondered if my baby would inherit my grandmother’s green thumb.”
She smiled at my answer and pointed at the examination table. “Time for the dreaded probe,” she announced. But I must admit, the cringe part of the appointment didn’t turn out to be that bad.
“So, what do you see?” I asked when she’d donned her head lamp and peered up inside me.
“We’ll talk in my office,” she answered, patted my hip, handed the nurse the swabbed material she’d collected, and left. After I redressed, the nurse/receptionist ushered me into an elegant sitting room circa 1800.
Oak floor, heavy drapes open on each side of high mullioned windows, velvet covered reclining couch, and a mahogany table with three chairs. A basket holding a variety of rolls adorned the middle of the table. A tray of cookies and a silver urn sat beside it.
“I hope you like hot chocolate,” the nurse said and invited me to sit. My earlier scanty breakfast betrayed me as I stared at the delicate cup decorated with whipped cream and a cherry on top.
“Make yourself comfortable. Dr. Spencer will join you as soon as your lab work is complete.”
“Oh. I didn’t plan to stay for hours.” I didn’t mean to be churlish but my shift at the sports bar started at four, and I had other things to do before I went to work. “You can call me with the results.” I gave the hot chocolate a regretful last look and started to turn away.
“We have our own lab. Fifteen minutes. Have a cookie,” the nurse urged.
I was on my third crescent when the doctor arrived, diagnosis in hand.
She sat in the chair across from me, poured herself a cup of hot chocolate from the silver urn, and smiled with pleasure as she sipped from the dainty cup.
“You’re going to have a baby.”
In spite of my warning them away, both Jack and Elaine were waiting when I came out of the building.
“Well?” Elaine asked when I approached the car on her side.
“What Dr. Spencer had to say is my business and Marty’s,” I told her.
“He’ll be in the field. Doubt you can raise him on the phone tonight,” Jack offered.
“He said he’d call me. If he doesn’t, he won’t know whether he’s gonna be a dad or not until he does.” I glared at them and turned toward the bus stop.
“Aw, for fuck’s sake,” Jack snarled. “Get in the car and we’ll drive you home.”
Geez, I barely knew Marty, but his family had already adopted me—whether I wanted them or not.
* * *
“I can’t talk long, baby doll. What’s the verdict?” Marty asked when he called that night.
“I’m pregnant,” I told him, feeling unexpectedly breathless. Silence greeted my announcement, and my inner warmth began to chill. I guess it had been easy for him to be supportive when the baby was theoretical.
“Okay,” he finally said, his voice raspy. “I don’t want to be pushy, but I’m laying down some rules.”
What now? I braced myself for an argument.
“I’m going to take care of you. That means you’re giving up working three jobs, starting with the manual labor gig at Humble Homes.”
Well, the fierce words I’d been about to spew, withered on my lips. “Uhh, I already did that.”
“Did you get your vitamins?”
“Yes.”
“How are you feeling?”
“Tyrannized. Explain to me how to rid myself of your office pest.” Marty’s laughter was my answer.
“Elaine is my personal assistant. She organizes all the company’s information into nice manageable bites a dunderhead like me can comprehend.”
“She doesn’t take direction well.”
“Funny, she said the same thing about you. Don’t scare her off. I couldn’t run the company without her. I know she’s a royal pain in the ass; nevertheless, she’s necessary.”
“I don’t need her organizing my life.”
“I don’t know. She signed you up for company insurance and nagged you into seeing a doctor. So, how do you feel?”
I’d forgotten how single tracked and focused Marty could be. When his focus was keeping me comfortable, it was almost endearing.
“First off, I found out pretty fast that morning sickness isn’t restricted to mornings,” I grumbled. “And your family, as in Jack and Elaine, are both…” I couldn’t find the words to describe the unrepentant busy-bodies.
“Yeah, they’re all that,” Marty agreed and laughed. “Welcome to my world.” Then he added, “Wish I could be there to hold you while you puke.” His unromantic offer made me grin.
“What’s that noise?” I asked as the dull roar became a loud roar in the background.
“That’s why I’ve got to go, sweet cheeks. Breaks over. Behave.”
“Be safe,” I whispered after he disconnected.
* * *
There were so many changes going on in my life, I couldn’t keep up with them all.
After my condition was confirmed, Elaine began showing up at my house every day like clockwork. At first, I resented her presence. But, after the first barfing event, it didn’t take long for me to understand Marty’s loyalty to her.
“If men had to go through this, humans would be extinct,” she’d said grimly when I hadn’t made it to the bathroom in time and had puked all over the kitchen floor. She’d cleaned up my mess while I’d been sitting on the closed lid of the commode, too weak to do more than rinse my mouth and wipe off my face.
After I’d staggered back to the kitchen, she’d mothered me. It was hard to get uppity with someone who rubbed my back.
Not that Elaine and I were suddenly sisters under the skin. But, after that, we managed detente. Unfortunately, having let down my barriers allowing Marty’s secretary access to my life, my unfettered existence quickly became entangled.
For the first visit, when I’d accepted Jack’s ride from the doctor’s office to the house, I’d sat in the back and left Elaine and Jack to talk to each other. After that, though, I’d rejected his regular chauffeur services when they were offered.
“No. Just no. I prefer walking to the bus stop.” And when Marty gave me flack in one of his calls, I said, “Medically speaking, I need the physical activity since I’ve had to quit most of my jobs where I got plenty of exercise.”
I’d not yet made peace with Jack. Him being Marty’s father-in-law, I felt awkward around him. It wasn’t exactly like Marty was stepping out on the old guy’s daughter, but I still felt like a scarlet woman when he was near.
Having turned down a ride for the second visit to the doctor’s office, I thought that was the end of the matter.
Not so. I took the bus on the day of my appointment and arrived without a problem. Afterward, when I left the medical building, I walked to the light at the crosswalk and waited for the light to change. I was thinking about baby stuff, Marty stuff, work stuff, and stuff in general, instead of paying attention. Okay, sue me.
Anyway, the light changed, I started to cross the street, and the next thing I knew, someone grabbed the neck of my shirt and hauled me back onto the sidewalk.
Being assaulted that way scared the bejesus out of me. I reacted by pivoting and plowing my fist into my attacker’s face. Jack’s face.
I couldn’t believe he’d been following me and I hadn’t even known he was there.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I yelled. I’d been in the path of the vehicle and I had that hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach a near death experience tends to bring. So, my voice reflected my panic as well as my being pissed.
“Damned minivan almost got you,” he’d snarled back, rubbing his jaw.
He didn’t like it that I’d caught him off guard and popped him in the face. I didn’t like it that he’d grabbed me, and I hadn’t even known he was there.
I let him drive me home because we were both shaken. But I told him I’d be walking in the future, just the same. I didn’t realize Jack spent his day loitering outside the edge of my property until the first time I took an Elaine-break to walk to the store.
“Want a lift?” There he was, leaning against his Ford Explorer.
“No thank you. I need the exercise.”
He nodded. Instead, he crept along in the SUV, driving at a snail’s pace beside me and speeding up to remain parallel when I jogged.
I finally walked to the vehicle and knocked on the window. He rolled it down.
“Why are you following me?”
“Security detail.” And he said that with a straight face. “You’re accident prone.”
“I don’t need a bodyguard.’”
“I’m not guarding you.” He glared at me.
“Then go home, wherever that is. Not back to my house.”
“You almost got run over,” he reminded me. “I’m not guarding you. I’m babysitting Marty’s kid.”
“I can’t believe you just said that.” I gave him the evil-eye, guaranteed to make the meanest seventh grade hoodlum squirm in his seat. Jack’s face got red.
“Aww, come on. Get in. If you don’t let me give you a ride, Elaine will report to Marty I’m not earning my keep.”
I seriously doubted that Elaine would tattle on Jack. Then again, I glanced over my shoulder at the house. Even from this far up the street I could see her staring out the window at us.
“I’ll ride back with you,” I promised, then turned to jog up the street at a faster clip than I’d been going. It felt wonderful. I’d really been slacking off and this was my wake-up call to get in shape before…
I slowed down. Dr. Spencer had recommended exercise, I’d have to check with her to find out how much was allowed. Still… I rested my hand on my belly hoping the baby would feel the excitement and not the jarring as I jogged. I cut through the park to lose my tail and arrived at the store long before Jack arrived. I’d already picked up bread, milk, and Elaine’s lottery tickets when he pulled up.
I slid into the SUV, set the bags on the floorboards, and buckled up. He backed out of the parking spot and nodded.
“I knew your granddad,” he said without warning.
“You don’t know who my grandfather was, so I doubt that.”
He gave me a sideways look. “You told Marty your granddad owned the house before you. Being curious, I did a title search and bingo. Took me a while because that house is fifty-two years old and it’s been through a lot of hands. But, as soon as I saw the original owner, I knew. You’re Cap Carpenter’s grandkid.”
Yep, that was me. I didn’t say anything. I didn’t share my personal business. Jack on the other hand, didn’t mind discussing it with me. He’d been digging all right.
“Holly Anna Carpenter. Only child of William and Anna Smith Carpenter. Parents deceased, killed when a tractor-trailer jackknifed and crushed their car.”
I closed my eyes, trying not to think about that time.
“You were nine. Tough time for a kid to be orphaned.”
“Well actually Jack, any age is a tough one to be orphaned.”
“Happened to you twice, didn’t it?”
“You seem to know everything. You’re welcome to my memories. I don’t visit them often.”
“Well that’s the thing, Holly. You should. I knew Cap when he worked for the Pittsburgh Fire Dept. Hell, Elaine knew him. She used to sit in on the firehouse poker games.”
I snorted, trying to suppress my laugh.
“I lost track of Cap. He retired, I found work outside the state. We lost touch. But, he was a good man. You should be proud of him.”
“I am proud of him. Granddad was a wonderful man. I lived with him for five years until he had a heart attack. He was walking out of the bank up town. People forgot I lived with him. It was a couple of days before anyone remembered and thought to tell me why he hadn’t come home.”
“How old were you?”
“Jack, I’ve put the past behind me and I’m happy to let it remain there.”
He pulled into the driveway and parked before answering me.
“The way I see it, you’ve got the same problem as Marty. You lost everybody who you loved, and decided you weren’t going to go down that road again.”
“Works for me,” I told him. I hopped out, grabbed my bags, and walked into the house before he could deliver some more opinions.
* * *
Jack had the street covered and Elaine sat in my kitchen running the company and barking orders over the phone like a drill sergeant. Twice a day, she paused in Smoke business, long enough to roll out a spreadsheet, study the odds, and place a call.
From my eavesdropping, it became clear the other party on the line was Elaine’s bookie. Her mood usually depended on the news delivered during the afternoon conversation.
“Organize these.” That was Elaine’s directions one afternoon, after she’d scowled through her bookie call. When I half-heartedly protested, she said, “You’re on the clock. I need this done, you need insurance.”
I’m not a weepy woman. But, her remark reminded me that I’d lost control of my life. I teared up so much I had to leave the room. I didn’t feel comfortable climbing into my closet with Elaine so nearby, so I opted for the backyard and the swing.
My life has been hijacked. The thing is, I knew that I needed better insurance to cover the cost of the baby. I squirmed on the seat of the swing, embarrassed, as I considered, all the belligerent antagonism I’d heaped on Marty.
At the same time, I wanted to march into my kitchen and unload on Elaine. Accustomed to being out and about, the switch to homebody left me feeling smothered.
Count your blessings, numb-nut, I told myself. This is for the baby. Marty could have said, ‘tough shit’ and ‘goodbye,’ Instead, he’s… super-pain-in-the-ass-expectant-dad.
“I should be grateful for all his help.” Inevitably my mind returned to my grievance. He’s a bulldozer disguised as a man. Elaine isn’t even disguised. Geez. How did I get myself into this?
Oh yeah. I had sex with a virtual stranger. Now said stranger’s entourage was taking over my life. I wanted to scream at everyone to leave me the fuck alone, at the same time, day by day, I shared more parts of my life.
Both the weather and my condition limited my freedom these days. Even before Marty’s edict, I’d given up my Humble Home job because of the lifting part. Sadly, I hadn’t earned enough to make a dent in my kitchen remodeling plan. The school holidays as well as the mostly good weather with spring sunshine, albeit, occasionally offset by snow flurries, reduced my substitute teaching time.
Fuming at Elaine from the comfort of my backyard swing, I acknowledged the incredible dent Marty’s rent check had made in my financial worries. So much so that I switched from being panicked at a looming money crunch, to being concerned about developing dependence on him.
Yeah, the after part just loomed bigger in my mind all the time. I mean, I wanted the baby to have a mom and dad. I just didn’t want to lean so much on dad right now that I wouldn’t be able to survive later on without him.
For having only been here a brief time, Marty had already marked his territory outside as well as in. He’d mown the grass before he left, but it had begun to look shaggy again. I debated mowing it, or nagging him about it when we next talked. The potential opportunity to scold Marty made me grin. I’ll give him a reason to come back.
I skittered past that thought, and examined the flowers struggling in the corner of the yard. Not much to see yet. I left the swing to investigate what I remembered to be grandma’s tulip bed.
I squatted on my heels to get a better look. Green tendrils were pushing through the soil, and a hint of yellow crocuses had already appeared. The trees had buds showing but leaves hadn’t unfurled yet. Mother Nature seemed to be as indecisive as me this year.
My sojourn in the yard turned into a great therapy session. After I had my temper under control, I did what I should have done from the beginning—went back inside and sorted.
If I ever got fed up with Marty’s spy, I’d evict her. As it was, any time we had weather fit enough for me to be outside, I escaped Elaine to spend time in my flower garden, watching the plants grow. Gestating. Gah…
But after Marty had been gone almost two weeks, it became apparent that Elaine heard from the crew before anyone else did. I’d had three brief calls from him, each bordering on contentious as he requested detailed updates on my health.
“What was your blood pressure?” he’d led off with.
“One fifteen over seventy-five,” I answered. “Why?”
“Just checking,” he answered. “What about your blood work? Did it all come back normal?”
“Yes. No problems there.”
“You’re sleeping and eating okay? No indigestion? Insomnia?” Marty continued, pausing after each question as if recording my answers.
“Did Garret supply your list of questions,” I finally asked.
“It pays to have a doctor in the family.” His answer neither admitted nor denied his long-distance health monitoring. The first time it happened, I thought, okay, he’s the baby’s father and of course he has a right to know this stuff.
The second call repeated the same questions. As did the third. No time for conversation other than one clinical health check after another.
“He’s overdue taking a break,” Elaine groused at me on Thursday morning of the second week. “Tired men make mistakes,” she continued, glaring at me as if I had some power to make him behave.
“Well, tell him to come home,” I answered.
“Hah. Like he’d listen to me.” Her meaningful stare suggested I had some power to make Marty mind. “You should ask him to come home.”
I laughed out loud. “Elaine, I don’t think you understand. My association with Marty is strictly business. He’s a tenant in my house, we don’t have a relationship.”
“Yes, you do.” Her gaze shifted to my stomach. “Use it.”
My name didn’t have to be Sherlock for me to deduce Elaine’s responsibility when Megan and Harley-Jane descended on me that afternoon. My friends shared Elaine’s opinion. Both had fire in their eyes.
“She’s right. The Smoke, Inc. crew should come home,” Harley-Jane agreed immediately. “They’ve got to be exhausted. Tired men make mistakes.”
“It was Teague’s turn on the SAT-phone last night. He said Marty’s been talking to a local agency about extending the Smoke, Inc. contract.” Megan studied her nails and added, “Teague says with the baby on the way, Marty’s suddenly all about making money.”
Why is this my fault? I whined mentally. My closet called to me as I faced them. I told myself that I wanted to veg and think. I needed the darkness to calm my nerves. I craved quiet time alone.
“I may have misremembered the date and told him you were going to see the doctor today,” Elaine murmured innocently.
“You lied to Marty?”
“Whatever. He’ll call.”
“And he’ll ask me my blood pressure, if I’m retaining any fluids, last time he asked if I’d started to gain weight yet. I can’t wait to hear–”
“Promise him sex,” Elaine interrupted.
Reluctantly or not, in a totally weird way, I’d been pulled into the Smoke, Inc. family. And as the boss’s-baby’s-gestating-mama, they expected me to make him mind and reward him with sex.
“You know,” I drawled, grinning at them. “I’m not promising Marty squat. He’s driving me nuts. Because of him, I’m under-exercised. And, and no offense, Elaine, but I’m totally, freaking-bored out of my mind.”
I had their attention. “We need an intervention,” I announced. “I’ll call Roger.”