“Excuse me?”

Drake opened his eyes and saw a man looking at him.

“I’m looking for Cade Burke.”

Drake lifted his head and looked for Cade.  When he saw him, he pointed for the man, who moved to Cade.  Drake closed his eyes again and tried to go back to sleep.

“My name is Jeff Ocala,” Drake heard as he drifted off to sleep again.  “I’m with the FBI.”
At this, Drake’s eyes snapped back open and he sat up, wincing.  Two hours sleeping in a waiting-room-chair obviously did not do good things for his back.

Cade’s eyes darted to Drake’s, as if asking him what to do.

“My name is Drake Burke,” Drake said as he moved.  “I think you’ll probably want to be talking to me.”

“You are supposed to be in California right now,” the agent said.

“Plans changed.  What may I do for you?”

“We need to talk in private.  Mr. Burke, you need to come with us.”

Cade stood up and followed Drake and Agent Ocala.

They went down a floor and stopped at a room about half way down the hall.

“In here,” Ocala said.

The three men walked into an empty hospital room.  When they were all comfortable, the agent started talking.

“I’m not going to waste any time here, guys, so I’ll cut right to the chase.  We have a Marilyn Bassey and a Mark Burke in custody right now.  Right now, we are only holding them for carrying a concealed weapon.  I believe you have the evidence we need to keep them for awhile.  Where is it?”

Cade looked at Drake, who felt rather foolish at that moment.

“Okay,” Drake started.  “This is going to sound really lame, but all I have is a tape.  I don’t have anything that can help you right now; Dru has it all.”

“Am I correct in assuming this Dru is Druscilla Bassey?”

“Yes, you are.”

“The Druscilla Bassey who is in surgery right now?”

“Yes?  What?  In surgery!”

“I believe she is undergoing a cesarean section right now.”

“How did you find this out?”

“I was told an hour ago.”

“Why were we not notified?” Cade asked.

“That is not my concern.  Right now, I need evidence.  Do you have any idea where I can locate it?”

“I’m not giving you anything until?“  Drake yelled as he stood up.

The agent pushed him back down into his chair.  “She’ll be out of surgery in fifteen minutes, and you can see her then.  You need to give me the information I need right now or I will be forced to declare you hostile!  Is that clear?”

“Yes,” Drake glowered.

Cade said,  “All of Dru’s things are at the house.  I can give you directions is you would like.”

Agent Ocala pulled a phone out of his jacket and dialed a number.  Very soon, he said,  “Now, where is this house?”

Cade gave the directions and the agent relayed them into the phone.  After that, he shooed Cade and Drake out of the room.
 

“I told you already, mister, you have to wait!  Now, go sit down over there.”

Drake regarded the attendant with a cool stare, then, finally set down.

In the last ten minutes he had learned a great deal of information.  Dru should have stayed with Amy, Drake thought.  She would still be safe if she had.

“I told you it wouldn’t help,” Cade said.

“Shut up, Cade.  Sitting here doesn’t help, either, does it?” Drake snarled.

Cade was silent for a moment, then said,  “Do you care about Dru at all?”

“Yes.  Yes, I do.”

“I don’t think she would want to know you were creating a scene, Drake.”

“What do you know about what Dru wants!”

“Just think back, Drake.  All Dru wanted was to stay out of the way.”  Cade stared at the pastel-shaded green wall in front of him.  His mouth was starting to hurt from clenching and unclenching his jaw all the time.  “Dru never wanted all the attention she got.  She was always comfortable sitting and watching everybody else.

“The last person this should have happened to is her,” Drake agreed.  “I hope her mother pays for this.”

“She will,” Cade resolved,  “she will.”
 

“Yes, Amy, Dru delivered a healthy girl!”

“She still had a month and a half to go!”

“Well, the baby didn’t exactly decide to come.”

“What do you mean?  Is Dru okay!”

“She is still under anesthesia right now.”  Drake did not mention the baby was born over three hours ago, and that Dru should have been awake by now.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

Drake sighed.  Trust Amy to voice my thoughts!

“She should have been awake two hours ago, but the doctors think it’s because of all the stress she’s been under lately.”

“You’re sure she’s okay, then.   If she isn’t, I’m coming out there!”

“Amy!  You just had your own child two weeks ago!  She’ll be fine without you.”

Amy changed the subject.  “What is the girl’s name?”

“Right now it’s Baby Bassey.  Dru hasn’t named her yet.”

“Name her Chloe.  Dru wanted her to be named Chloe.”

Drake’s face moved into a half-smirk.  He remembered Dru’s three choices of names.  Ashley, Chloe, and Monica.  He had told her he did not like Ashley or Monica.  Maybe she had actually considered his opinion.

“I think we should wait for Dru to give the final word.”

There was a moment of silence.

“Drake?” Amy finally said.  “The times I have been in your company, I’ve gotten the impression that you don’t live in fantasy worlds.”

“What do you mean by that!”

“You came off as a realist.”

“So?  What does that have to do with anything?”

Amy paused for a moment, not quite knowing how to say this.  “Have you considered,” she finally said,  “the possibility that Dru won’t be able to give her answer about that issue?”

“Wh-what do you mean?” Drake  stuttered.

“Dru may not be around to give her opinion.”

“Of course she will.”

“Drake, there is always the possibility, with everyone, that they may not come out of anesthesia!  The chances are slim, yes, but, yet, they are still there.  And with Dru, the chances are even greater, what with all the stress she’s been under lately, and the fact that she’s susceptible to begin with.”

“Susceptible?”

“Didn’t you know?  She’s one of those people where a little goes a long way.  She always fell asleep after one aspirin, and I’m sure she would have gotten drunk off of one beer!  You remember how long it took her to recover from a concussion, right?

“And not only that, she is associated with criminals.  Look at all the danger she is in right now!  She told me all about the information you left her.”

“What are you saying, Amy, just spit it out!”

“You have to accept the possibility that Dru may not be living much longer,” Amy said, though it pained her to say it, because now she, also, had to accept the fact.

“No!  Dru is alive, she is going stay alive, and I won’t have it any other way!”

“Drake?“

“No, Amy!  Dru is going to be fine!”

Drake hung up the phone and again sat in the waiting room chairs.

“What was that all about?” Cade asked him.

“Nothing of importance.”

“No, it was important.  You were yelling; I could hear you all the way down here,” Cade persisted.

“I called Amy to tell her about Dru’s baby.”

“Oh, so you know Amy, too?”

Drake nodded.  “What do you mean, too?”

“Dru mentioned her quite often.”

“They’re great friends.”

Drake stood up, as if to signify the conversation was over, and wandered around, eventually ending up in the doorway of Dru’s room.  He stared at her, all the while thinking about Amy’s words.

What if Dru did die?  What would happen then?  A shocking thought came to Drake’s mind.  What about the baby?  What would happen to her?  God knows, I’m not able to take care of her on my own!

Drake smiled thinking about his daughter.  She was beautiful, with her full head of dark, almost black hair, and blue eyes.  Her hair was curly, like Dru’s, but the eyes had come from him.  Bright eyes they were, which was different than his.  His were a dull, ice-like blue, but hers were bright, shining out of her body, almost emanating.  Dru’s daughter found a way to shine as her mother once did.

The thought was provocative.  Dru should be happy again.  Above all, she needs to be happy.
With Marilyn Bassey in the custody of the FBI and his father being chased down by agents right now, there was a glimmer of hope that everything would turn out all right in the end.

The baby should be happy, too.  Would she be happy without knowing her father?  And if Amy is right, without her mother, too?

Drake wandered back to the waiting room, where Cade was, with his head crowded with disturbing questions.  He sat down and buried his head in his hands, not even noticing Cade was doing the same ten feet away from him.
 

Cade tried to push the awkward thoughts away, but it could not be done.  He could not ignore reality forever.  And what he had just seen only proved that.

He had stood up to follow Drake and continue his interrogation about the phone call when he had seen Drake standing in Dru’s doorway.  Even seeing only Drake’s profile could not disguise the look of tenderness and affection he was giving to Dru.

What had happened earlier that day, or rather, the day before, he realized, continued proving he had to face reality.  He didn’t remember exactly what it was about, something small and insignificant, no doubt, but it had remained imprinted in his memory.

He had asked Dru a question, and she had paused, and turned to Drake, as if to seek his approval, before answering.  Almost as if Drake’s opinion mattered to her.  Two months ago Dru would have done the exact opposite of what Drake wanted, just to spite him.  What happened between the two of them? Cade wondered.

Cade knew he would probably never know a specific moment.  After spending so much time together, Cade realized, the two had grown to first tolerate each other, then like each other.
Of course, Cade had always known Dru had held a certain interest for Drake.  After his declaration that he would never follow his orders to get Dru pregnant, and then what had happened not two weeks later, Cade had wondered what changed his mind.  When Drake had begged Ivey to tell him everything about Dru, Cade had figured Drake was attracted to her.  When Drake had agreed she could travel with him, Cade knew Drake was infatuated with her.  And just recently, he realized Drake was in love with her.

But is Dru in love with Drake?  Or is it just friendship and respect on her part?

Cade knew how he felt about her, and he remembered telling her over two months ago.  She had never come right out and said how she felt about any of them, excluding Ivey.  Ivey was her best friend, she had said many times.

I’m not going to stand in the way of what Dru wants.  If she’s in love with Drake, I’m not going to say anything, Cade made his decision.

Out of the corner of his eye, Cade saw movement from where Drake was sitting.  In less than two seconds, Cade was sitting in front of him, his expression serious.

“You were asking why I was yelling on the phone,” Drake stated.

“Yes, I was,” Cade replied, confused.

“Amy brought something to my attention.  She said that Dru may not make it, and that got me to thinking,” Drake said, and then paused, searching Cade’s face for his reaction.

“Thinking what?” Cade prompted.

“Thinking about the child.  What would happen to her if Dru died?”

Cade had not thought about that, never really giving the possibility close thought.

“Very few people know that I’m the father, and certainly the authorities don’t.  I want her to feel loved and wanted, and even if Dru lives, I don’t think the baby would feel completely loved and wanted, because she would not know her father.”

Cade nodded, seeing Drake’s point.

“Right now, I’m going to take responsibility for my daughter,” Drake declared.

“And when Dru recovers, as she most likely will?”

“Then Dru and I are going to have a long talk.  What do you think?”

Cade thought for a moment before answering.  Right now, he held the power in his hands.  He could tell his opinion really mattered to Drake, and that if he shot the plan down, Drake’s confidence would waver heavily.  Not only would Drake think again, Cade could ruin Drake’s plan in another way, by telling the FBI what really happened between Drake and Dru.

Cade said,  “I think this is the most grown-up thing you’ve ever done.”

“Thanks, Cade.  And I mean it.  I know things haven’t been great between us lately, but I wouldn’t be able to do this without your support.”

They were both silent for a moment, unable to think of what to say after that.

“May I ask you a question?” Drake asked Cade.

“Shoot.”

“What’s going on between you and Dru?”

Cade stared at him in surprise.  Was that not what he had been thinking about less than five minutes ago?

“I don’t really know.  For awhile, I thought maybe there was something, but now?“

“Now you’re not sure.”

“Exactly.  What about you, though.  What about the two of you?”

“I love her.”

“And her?”

“I’m in the same boat as you.  I have no idea what she thinks of me.”

He paused before saying,  “Ever since she threw her dinner at me that time in the hospital, I was convinced she hated me.  When we were traveling together, the same.  She never talked to me in a tone other than anger or coldness, and one time even threatening.

“And then, a few weeks ago, right after Amy had her baby, she was different.  Heck, we played Monopoly one afternoon, and laughed the whole time.  We even had a nice, adult conversation every now and then.  When I told her about her mother, she didn’t blame everything on me like she did before.”

“But you still don’t know how she feels,” Cade stated.

“No, I still don’t know how she feels.”

They both stood up at the same time, feeling very inept after spilling out their feelings.

“We should probably check on Ivey,” Cade commented.

An orderly rushed down the hall, and then backed up to tell them,  “Hey, guys, the girl’s awake!”

Drake and Cade burst into Dru’s room, out of breath.  They were confused by what they saw.  Dru was lying serenely on the bed, eyes closed, same as she had been for the last while.

“But who?“ Drake stopped.  “Ivey.”

“I’ll check on Ivey, you stay here.  I have a feeling Dru’s going to wake up soon,” Cade said as he dashed out the door.
 

“They have no idea what happened to her.  She just woke up,” Cade said.

“I don’t care what’s wrong with her!  I’m just glad she’s finally out of the coma,” Drake returned.

“Well, the doctors say she can go home in a few days if nothing else happens.”

“Of course, with our luck?“

“Don’t even say it, Drake, don’t even say it.  Maybe our luck is finally turning around.”

“Maybe it is,” Drake mused.

Two hours ago, when Ivey had come out of a coma, for what everybody hoped was the last time, Drake had thought maybe their luck really was changing.  But, Dru was still under anesthesia, and Marilyn was refusing to say anything to the FBI.

“I know what you’re thinking, Drake,” Cade said.  “You have a beautiful daughter, so don’t even think about how bad your life is right now.”

“You’re right,” Drake thanked Cade.  “I have a lot to look forward to right now.  I’m going to see Ivey.  Do you think they’re done with the testing?”

“I hope so!”

Drake left the room and Cade took the chair next to Dru’s bed, which Drake had just vacated.

“Hey,” Drake greeted Ivey when he saw her.

“Hi,” she said, not knowing how to talk to him.  The last time she had seen him she was ready to strangle him!

“Where’s Dru?” She asked.

Drake was startled.  “Didn’t Cade tell you?”

“No.  We only got to talk for a little while before I was hauled off to those machines.  Every time I mentioned her, he changed the subject.”

“Dru’s still under anesthesia.”

“From what?”

“She just had her baby.  They had to perform a c-section.”

Ivey smiled sadly.  “I didn’t even know she was pregnant.”

“It was a girl.  Her name is Chloe.  That’s what Dru wanted her named.”  Drake had done what he decided to do, he had taken responsibility for Chloe.  As far as the hospital was concerned, or anyone else for that matter, he was the father.

“Can I see her?”

“Will the doctor let you?”

“Probably not.  So, then, tell me what she looks like.”

“She has lots of hair, dark hair, curly.  Her eyes are blue.  They’re really bright.”

“How big is she?”

“Eighteen inches tall.  Five pounds, eleven ounces.”

“Not that small,” Ivey commented.

“No.  She’s healthy, too.  Nothing wrong with her.  She’s beautiful, Ivey.”

“All babies are,” she said.  “What about Dad?  What’s going on with him right now?”

“I honestly don’t know where he is, but the FBI is close behind him.”

“The FBI!”

“You missed a lot this summer.”

“Can’t you give me a quick summary?”

Drake thought over her request, trying to figure out how to make it quick.

“Dru convinced me to take her along finding Dad.  Cade went back to Tennessee, where we are now, and had you transferred to this hospital.  After a few days, Dru decided finding Dad was not what she wanted, and she’s been staying with a friend of hers in San Francisco ever since then.”

“Amy,” Ivey said.

“How did you know?”

“Long story.  Get on with it.”

“Dru decided she wanted to come out here and see you, so she did that about two weeks ago.  She’s been under a lot of stress since then, which resulted in her passing out and the doctors having to deliver the baby, who wasn’t getting enough oxygen.

“Meanwhile, while Dru was at Amy’s, I was traveling all over the country trying to find Dad.  I found out later that the FBI was following me and getting basically the same information I was.”

“Which was what?”

“That Dru’s mother is in the same operation Dad is.”

Ivey grimaced.

“Not only that, but she is even more powerful than he is.  She has apparently been giving all the orders for about two years now.  Everything that has happened is because of her, but Dad has been carrying it out.”

“When Dru wakes up, I want to see her.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thanks, Drake,” Ivey said.  There were tears in her eyes.

“You don’t mean for telling you all this, do you?”  He asked her.

“No, I don’t.  I mean for taking care of Dru.  I have the feeling you’ve been doing that all along.”

Drake was silent.

“You have, haven’t you?”

“I’ve been paying for it, if that’s what you mean.”

Ivey stifled a yawn.

“You’re tired, Ivey, you should try to sleep.”

Ivey nodded, and Drake left the room.  Before going back to Dru’s room, he found Dr. Fraker and asked him if it would be possible to put Dru and Ivey in the same room.

Ivey will be happy with the answer, Drake thought.
 

“I don’t get it,” Drake said to himself.  He was sitting at a table in a restaurant not far from the hospital.  He had needed to get away from everything.  For the last ten minutes he had been pondering an idea.

If Marilyn was smart enough to run this whole operation without anyone really knowing that it was her, then how could she be so stupid?  How could she let herself get caught?

Drake took another bite of his meal.  It was some kind of chicken with a creamy sauce on it.  It was the special, so he had ordered it, but it wasn’t pleasing him very well.

There were only a few possibilities.  The first was that she had been so desperate, she simply stopped covering her tracks.  The second possibility was that she did it on purpose.

“On purpose?  What would that accomplish,” Drake said to himself.

Of course!  She’s lolling us into a sense of security, hoping we’ll forget about Dad.  And then, at the right time, they hit.

Drake signaled to the waitress for his check.

In less than forty minutes, he had explained his theory to Agent Ocala.

“Already thought of it,” he retorted.

“Aren’t you going to do anything about it?”

“We already have.  Both Miss Burke’s room and Miss Bassey’s are secured.”

“You’ve got them guarded!”

“Not so loud, now, we don’t want the whole world to know.”

Drake agreed with him, and then excused himself, heading for Ivey’s room.  When he peeked in and saw her sleeping, he changed his course and went to Dru’s room.

She was stirring when he entered the room, and no one else was in the room.  Almost immediately, she opened her eyes, as if she had been waiting for Drake.

Drake contained his relief and inquired,  “How are you feeling?”

Dru gave a half-groan and said,  “My neck hurts.”

“You fell, so that isn’t surprising.”

At that moment, Dru figured out she didn’t have the baby anymore.

“Shh!  Don’t say anything!” Drake said.  He didn’t want anyone else realizing she was up, because he wanted to explain everything himself.

“But, where’s?“

Drake started talking right away, seeing the apprehension in her eyes.  “You had a c-section, because the baby’s oxygen was being cut off.  Don’t worry about anything, she’s fine, very healthy.  When I called Amy, she said you wanted her to be named Chloe, so I took care of that.  The only thing is, there’s some rule about having to be either the father or the mother to name the baby, unless it’s under special circumstances, and they didn’t consider this special circumstances, so?“

Dru’s face had been steadily getting more and more tense during his explanation.  “Tell me you didn’t,” she said in a very calm and controlled voice.

“They know I’m the father.”

“We’ll talk about this later.  I want to see my baby.”

While Dru was saying this, Agent Ocala walked into the room and stood at the foot of her bed.

“Ah, wonderful!”  He exclaimed.  “You’ve come out of it.”

“Out of what?” Dru asked.

“You’ve been under anesthesia for over seven hours longer than you were supposed to be,” Drake explained.

“Get the doctor, Drake, I want to see my baby,” Dru demanded.

Drake complied and left the room, thinking, Dru sure got her strength and attitude back quickly!  She’s not tired and groggy at all!

Drake quickly found the doctor that had been handling Dru and explained Dru was up and awake as ever.

When they walked into the room, Dru was saying,  “I’m not going to answer anything until I have Chloe with me!”

The doctor checked Dru over quickly, as if it was the most routine thing in the world for him to have a patient that had been under anesthesia for almost half a day!  After that he told her that they needed to run some tests on her after she saw her baby.  He paged a nurse and asked her to have someone from the maternity ward bring the baby up to Dru.

Five minutes later, a woman walked into the room with Chloe in her arms.  The doctor, which had still been doing simple reflex tests with Dru, stopped as Dru took Chloe in her arms.

“Oh, she’s beautiful, Drake,” Dru mumbled as her eyes teared up.

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