A Matter of Blood

Part 13

by N.R. Levy

The sound of a creaking truck door woke Jarod. He was startled, and he fought the urge to jump out of bed when his eyes fell on the figure lying next to him. She was on her side, her eyes closed, her left arm still draped lightly over him. The sight warmed him and brought a smile to his face as he relaxed back down into the bed.

She had stayed. He vaguely remembered Parker coming into his room last night, her voice making its way through the haze of the nightmare that had gripped him. It was only the sound of her voice that had allowed him to let go of the ghastly images in his mind of Damon and of Parker – no, he wouldn’t think about it again. She had come and chased the demons away and he would not let them come back.

He remembered her voice, warm and soft, as she had promised to stay with him. Then he had slept, a deeper, more relaxing sleep than any he could remember in his life.

Now he watched her. She was always beautiful, but in slumber, relaxed and free of the burdens she carried around with her every day, she was spectacular. Jarod sighed, his eyes staying on her as he thought of his own responsibility in creating the heavy weight the bore down on her all of the time. The last few months, such thoughts had plagued him constantly.

He had never thought of his actions as harmful to her. Instead, he had always seen himself as her savior. After all, it was he who gave her the truth, who fought to open her eyes and free her from the Centre’s tyranny, wasn’t it? Then she had almost died. It was still so odd to him, sort of mystical, that both he and Parker had almost lost their lives on the same day, albeit in very different ways. He remembered the cold of the mountain in Wyoming – the cold and the deep sense of dread he’d felt when thinking about her. His throat had gone dry when, two days after his own rescue, Sydney had told him about Parker’s ulcer hemorrhaging and about how close she’d come to dying.

He’d called her, and they had talked and had perhaps the most civil, most heartfelt conversation they’d shared since his escape. They both knew that somehow, Faith had saved their lives, though why and how were still unclear to them. He’d hung up the phone after speaking with her, his heart filled with relief that she had survived her close encounter with death.

It was a few days later when he was first asked to face his own culpability in Parker’s situation. He’d called her house, expecting to hear her voice, but instead he had been greeted with a deep, warm hello from a male voice. For some reason, it has surprised him that Thomas would answer, and Jarod had sat silent for just long enough to allow the other man to reach a full understanding of who was on the phone.

“Jarod, is this you?”

He didn’t answer. Still, he wasn’t sure what had caused his silence, but clearly it had irked Thomas because his next statement was short and tinged with anger.

“I know this is you. Why don’t you answer me?”

“Sorry, I, uh, I was just surprised...”

“Why, that I’m actually doing what I’m supposed to be doing?”

“Thomas, I -“

“Look, just let me take care of her.”

“I was just calling to talk to Parker.”

“She’s sleeping. Can you please just leave her alone?”

“Um, sure, I’ll call back.”

“No, Jarod.” Thomas’ voice had filled with force as he spoke, and Jarod remembered the immediate sense of jealousy that had filled his own body at hearing it. Before this moment he’d had nothing but respect and good feelings toward Thomas, but now - just who the hell did Thomas Gates think he was anyway?

“What do you mean, no?”

“I mean, leave her alone. I thought you cared about what happens to her. She almost died, Jarod. I almost lost her. I’m not going to let that happen again. Just stay away from her.”

“You don’t know anything about us, Thomas, not really.”

“I know that half the time, when she finishes talking to you, she can barely keep herself from crying. Every time she gets one of your little “gifts,” time bombs more accurately about something from her past, it tears her apart. Don’t you ever even think about that? Or do you just not care that you’re destroying her a piece at a time?”

Jarod could tell the man was fighting to keep his voice down and his temper under control - probably worried about waking Parker. Jarod had no such concerns, though, and his voice boomed over the phone.

“Don’t you presume to tell me anything about Parker. You’ve known her what, five minutes?”

“I love her. More, I think, than you or anyone else around her can say.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. You have no idea -“

“I’m not a fool, Jarod. I see what her family is like. I see what it does to her to go to that place every day. That’s all bad enough. Then she has you on top of all of that. You’ve taken away everything she ever believed in, Jarod. How much more of that do you really think she can take? You think you’re doing the right things, but you’re not. You care about her? Stay away from her.”

Thomas had hung up then, abruptly, and Jarod felt himself choking back the angry words he wanted to yell at the man who was walking around Parker’s home right now, acting as if he owned it. Parker was his best friend, his, and no one needed to tell him what was good for her. To hell with Thomas Gates and his opinions.

It was only after Thomas’ murder, after her shooting, that Jarod had again replayed that conversation in his mind, and now he saw what clearly what the man had been trying to tell him. Just who the hell was he to decide what was good for Parker and what wasn’t? In the past four years, she’d nearly lost her life three times, and each of those incidents could be directly attached to some involvement on Jarod’s part. The ulcer rupture was, in part, from all the pressure had put on her to face the truth about her family, the shooting in North Carolina had only happened because he had kidnapped her father, and now, Damon.

He had pledged after his second escape from the Centre to take more care in the way he handled the truth, at least, where it concerned her. He had admittedly suffered a small relapse into old behavior when he’d trapped her in that damn box with Lyle, and looking back, he was lucky she hadn’t held that against him more. It had been a mean prank –- and who in their right mind would want to be stuck with Lyle anywhere for 24 hours?

He’d made certain that his warnings about Cox and her father’s dangerous situation came in more subtle ways, and hoped that he would be able to keep helping her without adding to the pain she already faced too much of every day.

Then Elizabeth had tracked him down, and he’d learned about Centre horrors even he had never imagined, and they’d had to decide whether or not Parker should be told. Elizabeth had been certain she did, but Jarod, having seen everything she’d been through, had been unsure. After Damon’s attack, he had almost changed his mind about sending her here. She needed to recover, to get strong. It was again Elizabeth who swayed him. Parker needed the truth, she argued, needed all of the facts once and for all so that she and she alone could decide what her next stop should be.

Now here she was, sleeping next to him, her own problems having been pushed aside so that she could come to his rescue last night. So far, she seemed to be handling the information her aunt was giving her. Still, the worst was yet to come, and he knew it. He wished there was some way to keep her safe from it. He wanted her to be free, but more than anything, he wanted her to be whole again.

Jarod heard footsteps making their way from the house toward the barn, and he carefully slipped out of the bed, moving toward the door. Glancing back, he saw her reach out for his pillow and pull it close to her, her arms wrapping around it.

After making his way downstairs, Jarod pulled on his coat and headed out to the barn. As he reached the door, he caught sight of Harry near the stable, and headed that way.

“Good morning, Harry.”

“Mornin’, Jarod. What are you doing up at this hour?”

“Just ready to get up I guess. What happened? I thought you were coming home last night.” Jarod waited for his answer, annoyed at himself for forgetting last night that Harry had been due home. Elizabeth had not mentioned him being delayed, and in all the excitement of Parker’s arrival and her subsequent encounters with her aunt, Jarod had completely let it slip his mind.

“Oh, I was on my way back and I got a call ‘bout some patients, so I ended up at the Brucker farm all night. Got themselves one nice set of pups, but they were having some troubles. We got ‘em back on their feet though, except for one.”

“What’s wrong with it?”

“He’s just the runt. A little slow, too. Don’t know if he’s going to make it. Too bad, too, ‘cause he’s a sweet little thing.”

Jarod nodded and automatically began to mix the feed that Harry would dole out to horses.

“So, how the girls doing?”

“Well, I thought we were going to have trouble last night, but they seem to be getting along okay. Parker can be quite a handful.”

“And Lizzie can’t? Believe me, Jarod, that young lady of yours hasn’t seen ornery like Lizzie’s ornery before.” That brought a smile to Jarod’s face, and a laugh to Harry. Soon, however, his mood darkened.

“How’s Lizzie handlin’ all this, Jarod. I mean, she hates talking about the past. I know she thinks she needs to do this, for Parker’s sake, but...well, I know it’s got to be hard on her, and she wouldn’t say nothing to me about it.”

“She’s okay, Harry. You’re right, it’s not easy for her, but she’s hanging in there. I think she just keeps her mind on Catherine, on doing what she can for her sister’s little girl – that seems to be getting her through. I am sorry that all of this is coming up, though.”

“Had to happen sometime. No one can hide from the past forever.”

Parker made her way downstairs, a little nervous about what the day might bring. She was still shaken from the night just past – about the sorrow she’d heard in Jarod’s voice as he called out to her, the way he’d clung to her in his sleep – it was all a bit overwhelming. When she’d first woken and found him gone, a sense of panic had filled her. Had he gone away? Had he hurt himself? Immediately she’d sprung from the bed ready to run off in search of him. Only when she heard his laugh filter in from the horse stalls had she been able to breath easy. He was all right – not perfect, but he was still here and from the sound of it, he was having a far better morning than the night just past.

Now, as she walked through the house, she forced herself to move her thoughts away from Jarod. The subject was bringing things up inside of her heart that she would rather not think about just now. She had other worries, other questions that needed attention first.

She entered the kitchen and found Elizabeth working on dough with a rolling pin. The older woman looked up to acknowledge her presence, but said nothing to Parker as she made her way to a stool and sat down. Silence stood between them for a while, and then Parker closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and asked the question that had been in her mind ever since she’d gone up to her room last night.

“Elizabeth, why didn’t you come for me after mama was killed? You must have known they killed her. How could you have left me there?”

The older woman drew in a long breath and slowly released it. She had been dreading this question, not because Parker didn’t have the right to ask it, but because she felt her answer was so woefully inadequate. She glanced up and looked at her niece, her brain trying to find a way to make the insignificant answer seem more plausible.

Parker grew impatient waiting for the reply. She wanted an answer. In fact, as each moment passed, her need for one grew more and more intense. Suddenly no other question had ever seemed so important in all of her life.

“You said she came here. She must have known what they’d done to her. You knew. I just don’t understand how you could have stayed away.”

“Little Cat –“

“Don’t call me that.” Parker’s eyes blazed with anger now, and Elizabeth knew the anger was directed at her.

“I’m sorry. I did know what they’d done, of course, and, yes, by the time she came here, so did your mother. She’d started remembering me, our childhood, and she asked a friend of hers, Charles, to help find me.”

“Jarod’s father?” This news managed to momentarily break through Parker’s fury, and she leaned against the hard brace of the stool backing in order to ground herself.

“I didn’t know that then, but yes. He didn’t really know the whole story, only that I was someone Cat needed to find. He actually found Harry, and I told him to tell Charles he could send her.”

“So you were hiding?”

“It took me years to find any kind of peace, Lit— Parker. I became a doctor to help children because it was the only thing I could think to do, but at night, once I left...well, let’s just say I didn’t lead the happiest of lives. I drank, smoked, and slept my way through ever bar in the city.”

That struck a cord, one a little too close to home, and Parker looked away. Her life had been just like that before Thomas had shown her she deserved more.

“When I met Harry, he saw through all that. He brought me here and he gave me peace. I was terrified of losing that.”

Parker said nothing, only nodded. She understood better than Elizabeth could ever imagine.

“When Cat came and I saw her, saw you, and realized everything that she’d gone through, I was determined to help her. We planned everything. She had someone she trusted on the inside, and they were going to get Jarod and another boy out, and then the four of you were supposed to meet me here. We were going to drive through Canada to a preserve that Harry knows and hide out there long enough for Charles to meet us. Of course, that never happened.”

“But that still doesn’t answer my question. Once you knew what had happened, why did you leave me there?”

Elizabeth’s eyes rose up from her work and turned to her niece. So much like her mother – and yet, she had such a core of steel in her, something Elizabeth knew neither she nor Cat had ever had.

“Because I’m a coward. I didn’t have the guts to come in there and take you. So, I betrayed my sister, and her memory, and I just tried to forget you.”

The words sank in and Parker closed her eyes, willing herself to listen and not react to what she was hearing. Jarod told her that often enough – listen to the words. But still, as they usually did from him, these words hurt so much, and she wanted to turn her hurt into anger. She opened her eyes and focused on Elizabeth, ready to let her feel all of the pain she felt, then she saw that it was too late – her aunt was buried in the pain that Parker had carried with her for a lifetime.

“When I see now what it cost you...oh, Little Cat, I’m sorry. I should have been stronger. I wish I’d been...but I can’t change what I did. What I can do is offer you a safe place now...a place where Angelo can be free to live without the Centre poking and prodding him – a place that you can call home.

“That’s why I found Jarod. I started thinking about you, wondering how you were, and I used some contacts I still had to find out where you were. That was right around when your friend Thomas was killed. I knew I couldn’t hide anymore, even if it meant you’d hate me.”

Parker felt herself speechless and she finally dropped her gaze from Elizabeth. Could she do this? Could she be strong enough, be the woman she knew her mother would want her to be, and give Elizabeth a second chance? So many people had failed her in her life. Only in the last year had she come to see that. Only a handful – Thomas, Jarod, Angelo and Broots -- had stayed true to her, even when she’d hated them for it. Could she trust someone else?

“I need to think. I’m sorry. I know you need to hear something else from me right now, but I-I can’t.”

Elizabeth only nodded as Parker rose from the stool and headed upstairs. Quickly she pulled on fresh clothes and shoes and a heavy jacket and in moments, she was on her way to where she’d heard Jarod’s voice earlier.

She found him in the barns with an older man and Angelo. Despite her ill mood, a smile crept on her face when she rounded the corner and saw Angelo beaming with pride as he milked a cow who stood patiently allowing him to do so.

She had been there only a moment when Jarod’s eyes fell on her. He could see instantly that she was troubled, but he did not push her. That was not what she’d expected. Usually he was all over her to talk about her feelings, but she was grateful that this time, he could see what she needed was just to be close to him.

“Sister, look.” Angelo stood up from the milking stool, and as he did so, he picked up the steaming bucket of milk he’d just produced with his milking efforts. Carefully, he made his way to where Parker stood so she would inspect his accomplishment.

“Angelo, that’s fantastic. You are a farmer at heart, aren’t you?”

He laughed at her statement, and then looked back at the older man for further instructions.

“All right, son. Let’s get that up to the house before Lizzy comes looking for it.”

The man stepped closer to them and as he did so, he tipped his hat toward Parker and then extended his hand.

“Morning, miss. I believe I’m your Uncle Harry.”

His tone was warm and gentle, and he instantly reminded her of Sydney on the days he was “mothering” her. He, too, managed to bring a smile to her face.

“Nice to meet you, Uncle Harry.”

“Well, I better get this boy and his milk taken care of. Come on, Angelo.”

Harry slipped a protective arm around Angelo, and to Parker’s amazement her brother not only allowed the contact, he seemed happy to have it. The two headed off toward the house, and soon she felt Jarod standing just behind her. She turned and saw the concern in his eyes, concern she knew was mirrored back in her own. Without thinking, she reached out and placed her palm against his cheek.

“How are you doing this morning?”

He stood there, a little stunned by the fact that she’d voluntarily touched him – again. Slowly, he brought his hand up to hers and he clasped her fingers in his own. She did not pull her hand away.

“Better. Thank you for staying with me.”

Parker stared at him a moment, her usual self wanting to toss out a well-placed barb to show him that she didn’t really mean the concern she was displaying. The only problem was she did mean it, and so she bit her tongue and moved to sit down on a bale of hay. He followed and sat beside her.

“Jarod, please do something for me.”

“What?”

“Let Damon go. It wasn’t your fault, none of it. Not what he did to those women, and not what he did to me.

“Of course it was my fault. You were there to help me.”

“So I’m supposed to feel guilty for the rest of my life because you spent three hellish weeks at the Centre after you stayed behind in North Carolina to help me?”

“That’s different.”

“No, Jarod, it’s not different. We both sacrificed ourselves a little bit for the other, end of story. It’s over, for both of us.

Jarod opened his mouth to say something else, but he had no argument to give her that didn’t make it sound like she had owned him for the airfield, which she did not, at least in his opinion. After a moment, he closed his mouth. That got a laugh from Parker.

“Have I finally managed to win an argument with you? Oh, Lord this may be a miraculous Christmas after all.”

That made Jarod laugh, and the two enjoyed a good chuckle until Jarod saw that her laughter was about to leave her dissolved in tears. He reached out his hand instantly to push back her hair, and Parker’s hand followed, pressing his against her shoulder.

“I can’t talk about it yet, okay? Please, just not yet.”

“Whenever you’re ready, Parker.”

They sat there in the quiet of the morning for a while. Finally, Parker stood and extended her hand to Jarod.

“Do you know what we need to do today? We need to go Christmas shopping.”

“Christmas shopping?”

“Well, excuse me, but Christmas is two days away and I haven’t bought anything for my brother yet. This is his first real Christmas and I want to make it special for him. Besides, this is your first Christmas with Emily – don’t you want to buy her something nice?”

“If you help me pick it out.”

“You don’t need my help, Jarod. You pick great gifts.”

Jarod stood and took her hand and the two headed back toward the house, his smile the only thing that betrayed the tumult of emotion she was causing him. She had given him help without his asking, had taken his help without fighting, and now, she was complimenting him? Just what in the world was happening between them?

Sydney packed up the last of the files he was taking with him and closed his briefcase. His flight left in an hour, and soon, he would be spending his first Christmas with Michelle and Nicholas. He couldn’t wait to see them, and only his concern over Jarod and Miss Parker kept his mood from being extremely high.

Neither of them had called since Parker’s arrival. That meant that either they had killed each other, or they were getting along, which in itself brought up a whole new set of worries for Sydney. He knew the two had far deeper feelings than they’d ever acknowledged before. The incident in San Diego had proven that. Still, he did not know if either was ready to deal with them.

Knowing they would call if they needed him, the doctor picked up his briefcase and his gift for Broots and headed out of the door. He was just closing it when Mr. Cox appeared in front of him.

“Dr. Greene, headed out for the holidays?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact. Will you be going away?” Sydney fought to keep a smile on his face. This man gave him the creeps almost as badly as Lyle did – almost.

“My father is close by, actually. I was wondering though, will Miss Parker be returning before the holidays?”

“I don’t believe so. Did you need something?”

“Just curious.”

The man stared at him just a little too long, and then he headed down the hall as Sydney let go of a deeply held breath. Maybe he did give him the creeps as badly as Lyle after all.

Cox returned to his lab, his body melting into the contoured chair he kept there for moment just such as these. He had plans to make. White had located Jarod’s father and clone, though he would not reveal how. They could move now, and secure the Pretender’s interest while Miss Parker was away. That was their best move certainly. The Centre had long suspected Miss Parker for having a soft spot where Jarod was concerned, and she would not be here to get in the way of his recapture.

That served Cox’s personal interest as well. For reasons that still cloaked themselves in mystery, his initial assignment to watch Miss Parker had turned into a personal desire to watch over her. She intrigued him in a way no living creature ever had. The feelings weren’t romantic or sexual. They were almost familial, at least, in the narrow understanding of that word’s definition that Cox knew.

No, having Jarod return during Miss Parker’s absence was the best way to keep her out of harm’s way. If she were inclined to help him, this would nip that action in the bud, and the Pretender would be back under lock and key before she knew what had happened.

Then it was almost time to move. Christmas day would certainly be a good time. No one with a curiosity problem around the Centre, and Major Charles would be too busy doting on the boy to notice their approach until it was too late.

Christmas day it was.

The little town reminded Parker a great deal of the village in Blue Cove. Though it was devoid of the upscale restaurants and shops that her hometown had put in to appease its wealthier citizens, it was filled with family owned specialty shops that offered just about everything you could want.

Harry had driven them into town, and Emily, Jarod and Parker had gone off to shop. They had wandered for over two hours, each picking up small things here and there for each other and for their hosts. Parker had been careful to pay for everything in cash so the Centre could not trace her, and she was grateful she’d had the foresight to bring enough with her.

Still, the trip was ending unsuccessfully in Parker’s mind. She had found a few interesting gifts for Angelo, but she had yet to find him something really special.

Harry had driven Elizabeth’s station wagon to accommodate the large group of shoppers more comfortably than his truck. They met him back at the car, and he chuckled at the look of consternation on his niece’s face.

“Didn’t find what you wanted, Parker?”

“No, not really.”

“Well, there’s still another day left. Maybe tomorrow.”

She shrugged and the group climbed into the car. They had driven for nearly three miles when Harry spoke.

“Y’all mind if I stop by the Brucker’s place? I want to check on them puppies.”

The group replied unanimously that they did not mind, and so Harry turned another half mile down the road and headed for a large farm in the distance.

They arrived, and the group climbed out of the wagon. Since they had nothing better to do, the trio of shoppers headed after Harry. They stopped at the open doors of a large barn, and as Harry entered, he waved them in.

Emily was immediately delighted with the sight of the five yapping Labrador pups who seemed fully recovered from whatever had ailed them the previous night. They jumped excitedly as the young woman leaned over into the pen that housed them, and as Harry reached in and picked each up for a closer inspection.

It was then that Parker heard the whimpering coming from the other side of the barn. She headed there, her eyes seeking the source of the noise. Finally, she found the culprit curled up in a discarded box. It was another puppy – this one smaller than all the rest, and when he finally looked up at her, she could see that he had a slightly misshapen face.

“Harry, why is this one all by himself?”

Harry heard her question and walked over, another of the puppies still held in his arms.

“Herself -- That little lady had some trouble being born, and Brucker thinks she ain’t worth the trouble of taking care of. I tried to tell him he was a being an ass, but he won’t listen. Says if she lives, he’ll just let her run wild. Says she’s an freak.”

Jarod first, then Harry saw the spark of anger that flew through Parker’s eyes at the word “freak.” Harry thought she was feeling defensive of the little, lonely puppy, but it was Jarod who knew exactly what she was thinking. Angelo – a cast off, a freak – at least as far as Raines and the Centre were concerned.

Defiantly, Parker reached into the box and pulled the little puppy out. The dog instantly curled into her arms, grateful for the warmth of whoever was finally holding her. Then she turned and looked at Harry.

“How much is he going to sell the other dogs for?”

“$1,500 a piece.”

“Tell him I’m taking her, and I’ll pay full price.”

With that Parker turned and began walking back to the car. Harry turned to look at Jarod, a quizzical look on his face.

“Damn stubborn thing, isn’t she?”

“Harry, you don’t know the half of it.”

Jarod followed after Parker, reaching the car in time to find her hand extended with the money in it.

“Take this, will you? I might shoot that man if I see him.”

“I thought you left your gun at home?”

Her rolled eyes told him the obvious – Miss Parker went nowhere without her gun.

“So what are you going to do with her? Take her back to the Centre?”

Parker picked the puppy up again from the seat of the car and snuggled against her.

“Nope, she’s going to be Angelo’s. She can watch over him for me when I’m not around. You can do that, can’t you girl? You can do anything.”

Jarod watched her shower the little dog with attention, even allowing it to lick her face, and his heart began to pound. There she was – the woman he’d known was inside of her all along –

The woman he loved.

That thought moved like molasses through Jarod’s brain as it seeped into the crevices that had tried to deny or push away the simple fact in the past, but it was a losing battle. He loved her, not a friendly, I-worry-about-you kind of love, but a real, true love that had, he now realized, driven him for most of his life.

He was staring at her. Parker couldn’t imagine what was wrong with him, but suddenly he had the strangest look on his face, and his eyes were locked on her. Something about the gaze was slightly discomfiting to her, and she snuggled the puppy closer as she furrowed her brow and glared at him.

“What?”

“Uh, uh, nothing. I better, um, I better go pay for you, I mean, the puppy, pay for her for you, I mean.”

With that he turned and stumbled away toward where Harry stood talking to a man Parker assumed was Brucker. For the life of her she couldn’t imagine what had gotten into Jarod, but she was glad to be out from under the heavy scrutiny of his stare. It made her feel things she wasn’t ready to feel – things she was only allowed to feel in her dreams.

Emily watched the whole scene play out. Jarod’s sudden change in demeanor, the discomfort it caused Parker, and the utter silliness of Jarod’s escape from the situation. Smiling, she returned the puppy she had been playing with to the rest of its family and headed toward the car. She was going to have to pay close attention to this. Something told her that things were about to change – and for Jarod and Parker, it was going to be a change for the better.