Chapter 64


"Okay, Lucy. You ready?" Mary's voice was upbeat and cheerful, considering she'd been up all night making arrangements and constantly checking on Lucy while she slept.

"I can't believe you did all this for me." Lucy stared at her. "I mean you hardly know me."

"I know Victor loves you very much. I know you're going to have his grandchildren, and, quite frankly, I'm perfectly happy to have what my sons would call ‘another victim'." She laughed. "They tend to get cranky when I try to mother them."

Lucy shrugged. "It takes some getting used to, but I kind of like it."

Mary stared at her for a moment, then sat next to her. "Do you mean to tell me that when you were a kid, and you were sick, or hurt, that your mother didn't take care of you?"

Staring at Mary for a moment, Lucy finally bit her lip and shrugged again. "My mother took off when I was a baby."

"Oh, honey, I'm sorry. I had no idea." Mary felt terrible, and it showed on her face.

"Don't. You had no way to know. Besides, she left me with my aunt. Charlene was good to me. At least she tried. I've never been the easiest person to love."

"Oh, nonsense. I haven't known you that long, and I already love you. Like I said, Victor absolutely adores you. I could tell how much Luke cares about you. And," Her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. "I know, for a fact, that Kevin still cares a lot about you."

It was the wrong thing to say to her. Tears came to her eyes, and she nodded. "He cares."

It hit Mary like a slap across the face. "Oh, Lucy. You really love him, don't you." It wasn't a question.

"I always have. But I blew it." Wiping her eyes, Lucy took a deep breath. "I know it. He loved me. And I hurt him. So now, he's going to raise my babies, and Eve will probably be their stepmother, and I have to deal with it, because it's the best thing for them." She put her hands over the babies growing inside her. "So I have to deal with it."

She didn't fool Mary for a moment. Gently, Mary reached out to her, and pulled her into an embrace.

"I don't know why I keep doing this, Mary. I can't seem to stop crying every time I even think about him. It's stupid, I know."

"It's not stupid. Right now, your hormones are going crazy, and anything could hurt your feelings. Much less the fact that you're very much in love with a man that doesn't feel the same way. That hurts, and it would make any woman cry, let alone one who is very pregnant. Not to mention what you've been through. So don't feel stupid for how you feel. There's nothing wrong with it." Smiling, Mary pulled away from her and pushed her hair off her face. "Now, let's not think about Kevin. Let's concentrate on you. Dr. Newman has said it's okay to take you home, Victor is already there, and everything should be done by the time we get there. Okay?"

Lucy smiled and nodded.

****************************

"Are you sure everything's ready?" Kevin asked Victor for the tenth time.

"I'm sure. The refrigerator is full, all her prescriptions are filled, and Mary's bringing her. She's fine, Monk. The doctor said so. We just need to keep her calm, and make sure she's safe." Victor stared at him. "In order to keep her calm, we need to stay calm."

"I know. That's why I've gone along with Luke's plan. Because I think his friends will make sure she's safe. I know Lucy has faith in him."

The way he said it almost made Victor smile. With each day, Victor was becoming more certain that Kevin's feelings for Lucy were getting more confusing for him.

Any reply Victor was going to make was interrupted by Kevin's cell ringing.

"Hello?" Kevin smiled. "I know, I'm on my way. Bye." Hanging up, Kevin looked at Victor. "I have to go. I promised Eve I'd have lunch with her before she went on duty. I'll be back later, and if she needs anything, call me."

"Oh, if she needs anything, we'll take care of it. Now go, don't worry about Lucy." Victor hustled him out the door. He knew Kevin would call to check on her. He couldn't help himself.

**********************************

"Victor?!" Mary's voice rang through the house when she opened the door. By the time Lucy had followed her inside and sat on the sofa, Victor and Luke had appeared.

Sitting next to her, Luke smiled. "How you feeling, babe?"

"Tired. I just want to sit here. But I'm dying to know what's going on. Mary wouldn't tell me. She just kept saying that she'd worked everything out with Dr. Newman and I was coming home."

Victor sat across from her and grinned. "It's a great plan, actually. And we didn't even need a yarn chart. The only thing that Dr. Newman was worried about was that you wouldn't stay down and calm. So, we decided to take turns. The object was to make sure you weren't left alone long enough to get in trouble."

"My first suggestion was to tie you down, but that would just excite you." Luke shrugged. "You know, leave you a bowl of water and food, I saw some of those fur lined handcuffs, and I immediately thought of you. It would-"

"I get the picture. Gee, thanks." She slapped his arm. "Nice to know you'd go to such.... strange lengths to help me." She looked around the room for a moment.

Victor, Mary, and Luke looked at each other. They all knew she was wondering where Kevin was, and that she didn't want to ask.

Standing, Luke touched her face for a moment. "I have several things I actually have to do that have nothing to do with you. Victor will show you how to use the security system we put in, and there are a couple of friends outside, just to be sure. They were courtesy of Sonny, by the way. You might want to give him a call. He wants to know how you are. I'll give you a call later, see if you need anything." With a quick goodbye to Victor and Mary, he was gone.

Before anyone could say a word, the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hi. Just wanted to know how you are."

The sound of Kevin's voice made Lucy smile. "Better. Victor and Mary have thought of everything. Including a huge stack of catalogs with lots of things for me to buy. What are you up to?"

"At the moment, I'm having lunch with Eve."

A small stab went through Lucy, but she wouldn't let anyone see it. "Good. If we're going to make this work, you need to make sure she knows you love her."

Victor and Mary looked at each other. Kevin didn't see it, but they did. Her feelings for Kevin were taking their toll on her.

"I'll call you later, and I'll try to get by. I'm glad you're home. Call me if you need anything."

"I'm fine. Bye." She hung up, and took a deep breath. "I would love something to drink, do you mind?"

"Not at all." Victor headed for the kitchen.

**********************

Ryan hung up the phone and smiled. He'd seen Kevin and Eve leave the lighthouse together, and knew the last thing on Kevin's mind at the time was Lucy. The only thing he had to do was continue to remind Lucy of that fact.

He still wondered if there were something more going on than what he'd seen. Why had Kevin run to Lucy's rescue, only to turn around and run back to Eve, leaving Lucy to raise his children? Ryan was sure there was another piece to this. Lucy had barely lasted two days with him while she thought he was still with Eve. Demanding that he throw Eve out of the lighthouse. This had been going on for months, and Lucy still seemed okay with the little bit of attention she'd managed to get out of his brother. As did Eve.

It wasn't exactly working for Kevin. Eve had been downright furious with him on more than one occasion while Ryan had been watching. Apparently she didn't share as well as Lucy did. But Eve was still in the lighthouse, Lucy was still living alone, and Kevin went back and forth at will.

The only thing Ryan was sure of was that he had to find out what was going on behind this arrangement Kevin had with the two of them. Something just wasn't right.

*******************

Finally Kevin and Eve returned to the lighthouse, and went inside. Ryan wished he could hear what was going on between them. They weren't exactly smiling, but neither were they fighting. Strained was the word that popped into Ryan's mind. He knew he had to get to Eve or Lucy to find out. And with the amount of security that Lucy had around her, Eve was going to be his best bet. He decided to watch the two of them until he had his chance to have a talk with her.

Chapter 65

The phone rang, and Lucy picked it up.

"Hi! How are you?"

"Still fine." Lucy wondered what was really going on in Kevin's mind.

"I'm on my way over. Do you need anything?"

Lucy sighed. "No. Victor and Mary are still here, and I've pretty much got everything I need. You're welcome to come over, if you want, but I'm fine. How was lunch?"

He hesitated for a moment. Victor must have told her. "Fine. I told Victor I'd come by later to see how you were."

"Well, like I told you before, I'm fine. I go back to the doctor in two days, and if she says it's okay, I go back to Lamaze until they're born."

She was shutting him out again. This time he was going to tell her what was on his mind. "I'll be over in a little while." Hanging up the phone, he turned to Eve. "I'm going to Lucy's for a while."

"I knew that." Eve sighed. "I didn't mean that the way it sounded. I knew you wanted to go check on her. But I've also told you a few times to not expect me to be happy about it. I'm leaving for the hospital in an hour. So I guess I'll see you later." Without another word, she went upstairs and shut the bedroom door.

*****************

Mary let Kevin in and made it a point to tell both of them that she was going to help Victor in the kitchen.

Sitting in the chair, Kevin stared at her. "You look tired."

"I am. I feel like I could sleep for a week." She finally met his gaze. "You don't look so wide awake yourself."

"I could probably use some sleep. But I'm worried about you."

"Kevin," Lucy sighed. "I've told you I'm fine. I was scared. But everything's fine right now. Mary and Victor are going to spend the night here, Luke's coming back in the morning, Sonny loaned me a couple of his guys-"

"I met them. Big. Not too patient waiting for I.D., and, I'm assuming, big guns."

Smiling, Lucy nodded. "That's them. Sorry about that. I'm afraid manners and civil rights aren't very high on their priorities."

"But keeping you safe is, and that's all that matters." His eyes met hers. "I'm glad they're here."

The silence that followed was uncomfortable.

"So, how is Eve with all this? Is she better now?"

"Yes. I'm not going to say she's thrilled, but she understands." He leaned towards her. "We're going to make this work, Lucy. We have to."

"I know. I think we can."

Lucy looked like she was about to say something else, but Victor came into the room, carrying a tray. "Lucy, you need to eat. Part of the deal with Dr. Newman was that we made sure you ate. So here you go." He sat on the sofa and put the tray between them. Mary had loaded the tray with fruit.

Lucy smiled at Victor. "Thanks. I am hungry."

"You need to say something. Don't wait for us to read your mind." Victor spoke to Lucy, but his eyes met Kevin's.

"Lucy, look," Kevin stared at the ground for a moment. "I want to be part of this. I can't shake the feeling you're shutting me out. I wish you wouldn't. I don't know what you want me to do."

Fighting tears, Lucy shook her head. "Neither do I, Kevin. I'm trying to not make you feel like every move you make is wrong. I mean, when you called me today, I felt like it was to tell me that you were at lunch with Eve. I know that wasn't it, but it was how I felt. You have your life, Kevin. I need to have mine. We need to work out something for the babies, but it's about them, not you and me."

"I called you to TELL you I was with Eve?" Kevin was confused.

"I know, you didn't mean it that way. I just took it that way. I'm just more emotional than normal. Which should be enough to send everyone running for cover." She smiled. "I know it. I really do. I'm overreacting, getting hysterical, and basically not knowing what's going on in my own mind right now."

After thinking for a moment, Kevin stood. "I need a drink myself." As he walked behind Lucy, his eyes met Victor's and Victor knew something was wrong.

"What do you want to drink, Lucy?"

"Tea would be great, thanks." She started to eat the fruit on the tray.

Victor followed Kevin in the kitchen. "What's wrong?"

"I called Lucy this afternoon, but I didn't mention lunch. I called her from the lighthouse."

Silent, Victor stared at Kevin. "I was here. You called, asked her if she was okay, told her you were having lunch with Eve, and that you would call her again later. Then you called her a second time before you came....." Realization showed on Victor's face. "You didn't call her, did you."

"No." Their eyes met, and they both came to the same conclusion.

"Oh, good heavens. What do we do?"

Kevin turned away, and found Mary staring at both of them. "The one thing we DON'T do is tell her. She's under enough stress. I'll get caller ID for her phone." He shook his head. "But that won't help. If she knows he's calling her..... I need to find him, Victor. Ryan needs to be found and put away."

"Why would he be calling her?" Mary finally spoke. "It doesn't make sense. I mean, he's already done everything he set out to do to her. Unless he suspects something."

Both men stared at her.

"I know you both are thinking it. Somebody had to say it. Ryan probably suspects Kevin isn't the father of those babies."

Her words hung in the air, but neither man answered her. They knew she was probably right.

"I'm going back out to her. You two figure out what to do. The last thing either of us want is for her to suspect something's going on." Tossing the towel she'd been wiping the counter with on the sink, she left the kitchen.

After she was gone, Kevin looked at Victor. "I have no idea what to do. I keep hoping he'll make contact with me. I don't know why he's waited this long."

"My guess is that he knows that contacting her, not you, will hurt you more. What really doesn't make sense is the subtlety. From everything I've been told about him, this is not his usual style."

Turning to the window, Kevin stared out into the yard. "There's never been children that could be his involved. I'm beginning to wonder if he's waiting for her to have them to make his move. He knows he can't take her while she's pregnant. She'd never cooperate, and it would be too risky. If he wants the twins, it's not because he wants to hurt them, at least that wasn't the case with Georgie." Shaking his head, he looked at Victor. "I think he's keeping tabs on her. Waiting for the babies to be born. That's when he'll make his move. I'm sure of it. We need to find him before she gives birth. And, given her medical history, that could be almost any time now. A few more weeks, and Dr. Newman will let her deliver the next time she has a contraction."

Victor recognized the deadly calm look on Kevin's face. "How do we go about it?"

"Victor, this is between Ryan and me."

"I'm part of this, too. I know that. I'm not going to let him destroy you or hurt Lucy or those babies."

Knowing it was pointless to argue, Kevin shook his head. "It doesn't matter. We can't do anything until HE decides it's time for the games to begin."

*******************

What Kevin didn't know was that Ryan had already begun the final game. From a safe distance, he followed Eve to the hospital, and waited for her to go on her break. Hearing her announce she was going to the cafeteria, he ran down two floors of stairs and hit the down button.

When the doors opened, Ryan smiled at her and got on the elevator.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were going to spend the evening at Lucy's."

The way she said it told Ryan she didn't like it.

"I figured you and I needed to talk more than Lucy needed me to hover over her. She has a house full of people. Victor and Mary are there."

Smiling, Eve stepped closer to him. "I've told you I understand this, but, Kevin, it still bothers me. Ever since the first time she was admitted, people have been staring at me like I'm crazy. Everyone knows about you, Lucy, and the babies, and me. It's gotten to the point that I'm really starting to hate even coming here. The gossip is awful."

Taking her hand, Ryan nodded. "I know. Everyone wonders why you'd forgive me." It took everything in him to sound casual. "Why did you? I don't deserve it." He tried his best ashamed look, and was rewarded by Eve sighing and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Because I understand. I don't want anything to happen to the twins. I really don't. And you're right, gossip just annoys me, it doesn't physically hurt me." Leaning away from him, she shrugged. "I just have to keep reminding myself what's at stake here. You have no idea how hard it is to not tell everyone that you're not the cheating lover, and I'm not the total idiot they think we are. I just wish we could tell everyone the truth."

"You can't. You know what would happen." Ryan hoped Eve would at least tell him the truth, but he couldn't let on to her that he had no idea what she was talking about.

"I know. Believe me, I know what would happen if Ryan found out about the twins. I would never do that to Lucy. Or you. Or the babies. You have to be their father. I know that, Kevin. I just wish.... I don't know what I wish. I'm not blaming you. Or even Lucy, for that matter. It's Ryan's fault. I know that."

Ryan could barely breathe. Lucy was pregnant with twins. His twins. Kevin wasn't the father. Kevin was taking his babies, and making sure he never even knew. His head started to pound, and he knew he had to get away from Eve quickly, or Eve would figure out what was going on.

"Eve, I didn't come here to upset you. I came here to try to make you feel better. I know this is the last thing you need at work. Look, I'll see you when you get home, okay?"

"You mean you're actually coming home tonight?"

"Yes. I'm coming home. I'll see you there." The elevator doors opened, and Ryan got out. He couldn't get out of the hospital fast enough to suit him. A total rage took over, and he sat in the car for almost half an hour, screaming. His babies! Lucy was going to have his children, and she was going to give them to Kevin. Not if he took them first. A smile crept over his face, and he started the car.

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