Drifter's Bar 3

She is so out of my league, he kept thinking, but couldn’t stop hoping she’d take a liking to him.

He had a few more of the tequila marinated shrimp from the cocktail and let himself relax. She was perfect company for him. He didn’t know how he knew that but he did. “How long have you been a nurse?” he asked her, feeling that it was the best question to ask as well as the most stupid one. “Are you specializing yet?”

“Surgical nurse,” she nodded. “I finished nursing school almost two years ago.” She started to really giggle then grabbed for her head. “I almost feel drunk.”

He blinked at her. “You don’t drink, do you?” Of course she didn’t drink, you idiot! She’s an angel. Angels don’t drink!

“Not usually,” she breathed, her skin looking flushed. “But I haven’t had anything to drink.”

“There’s tequila in the shrimp cocktail,” he informed, taking a bite of another one. “I’m sorry. I thought you knew.”

She shook her head and looked at the bounty of shrimp at their disposal. They’d eaten most of the marinated crustaceans from the giant glass. “Maybe if we add more to the drink, it’ll dilute it.”

“I don’t think that’ll work,” he confessed but she dumped a whole plate of shrimp into the cup and used a fried shrimp from another plate to push them all under the liquid of the glass. “But we can try it anyway,” he nodded, watching her take a bite of the fried appetizer. “Food usually does help metabolize the alcohol.”

“That’s the theory,” she laughed, swaying close to him. “Shhh,” she whispered, “don’t tell. Dad doesn’t like when I’ve been drinking.”

“I like to live,” he answered, feeling a tingle when she pressed her shoulder next to his. Noticing Hardy being lifted up to the top of the giant ladder and onto the diving board, he pointed her toward her brother. “Is he crazy?”

“Hardy’s a champion diver,” she answered, clapping at her brother before grabbing up a shrimp from the glass. “Oh, these are good. We should get more.”

“Why don’t we get more of the fried ones?” he suggested waving to the waiter to come over. He pointed at the plate with the fried shrimp and then at the bowl with the stuffed mushrooms in it. “Do you like mushrooms, Patricia?”

“Call me Trisha,” she answered, her eyes still on her brother. “You gotta see his lay up, Xander. Hardy’s got great form.”

The crowd went quiet as Hardy waddled to the edge of the diving board. Spreading his arms out, he took a deep breath and after a bounce he was in the air, twirling his way down to the water below. There was a loud cheer and everyone clapped when Hardy came out of the water much like a large fish might. He waved at everyone as he put on the harness to get carried back up to the top.

Xander couldn’t fathom doing something that insane, taking a drink from the cocktail without thinking. He swallowed, staring at the glass in his hands.

Oh, I’m going to pay for that later.

Jackie took a deep breath, exhaling sensual warmth against his chest. If not for the crowd, he’d take her right there. She giggled, kissing at his neck. “I love that little growl, Fen,” she whispered. “Do it again.”

And he did but not because she asked for it. He did it because the feel of her lips gracing his skin drove him insane with want.

Another spout of laughter had them both glancing up to the mermaid lagoon where Patricia’s gentle soul was keeping company with the new doctor Fenton hadn’t made the time to check out completely. Noticing the flush of his daughter’s cheeks against the lazy eyes of the young man sitting half-dressed next to her, Fenton started to wonder if that was a mistake.

Still…it was nice to hear her laughing again.

Jackie crowded closer, her hand grabbing at his butt. He grinned down at her and kissed her nose. “You’re not concerned?”

“I’m too busy being elated,” she smiled. “She hasn’t laughed like that since she was….” She shook her head, grimacing at what she must have remembered. Fenton didn’t like her bad memories, refused to allow her any regrets. “It’s been too long, Fen. I want my children happy.”

“She’s drunk,” he whispered, looking over to see Patricia leaning against the man’s bare chest before pulling his face to hers. “I should put a stop to this.”

Jackie squeezed his left buttock and became very still. “Fenton,” she breathed, her breasts brushing his chest, “she’s not Vanessa.”

“Exactly,” he nodded, starting to feel torn between taking care of his child who happened to be a grown woman and the woman he’d grown to love more than life itself. “She’s not prepared to deal with this sort of situation.”

Jackie stepped into the tiny gap that had been separating them, nuzzling against him. “Her brothers are here and so are we. What can they do?” She kissed at his neck. “Besides, he’s a doctor, Fen. Finally, I’ll have something to shove into Suzanne Corrington’s face.”

Fenton chuckled. “Suzanne Cornwallis-Corrington is supposed to be your dear friend, Jackie,” he reminded. “You just told me so last week when I asked about blowing up Grant Corrington’s yacht.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “That’s because she is a dear friend,” she answered. “But that doesn’t change the fact that half the time I can’t stand her.” She pouted against his shoulder. “Just before we left to come here, she called to tell me about young Felicia’s climb up the social ladder, like my girls had failed because they weren’t making a name for themselves at the club.”

Fenton chuckled, shaking his head. His dear, loving wife had only gotten involved with the country club lifestyle as a means to appease his mother. Pressuring their children to do the same never became an issue since the children went to only the best schools and looked perfect on paper. Also, agent life was dangerous enough without all the backbiting involved in such elitist social circles.

“And our daughter getting tipsy with a doctor? That’ll stick it to Suzanne?” he teased. “Are you sure?”

Jackie pulled away just enough to wrap her arms around his neck and stand on tiptoe to kiss him. “Darling Fen, the man’s a surgeon. Felicia couldn’t compete with that unless she found herself a senator or something.”

Fenton looked again to the younger couple, seeing Carter start to take notice. Some pride welled up in him as he watched the concern in his son’s eyes. I did something right with those boys, he mused, knowing they’d always protect their sisters no matter what, just as they always have.

“How long do you think we need to chaperone this party?” he whispered against her ear as he pressed her closer while the song changed to an actual slow melody. “I have to say, beautiful, I’m not sure how much longer I can wait before having my way with you.”

She chuckled, slipping her hand somehow under the vest of his costume. “Didn’t you know, dear?” she breathed, her voice husky and scintillating. “I’m waiting for you to hit your boiling point. How else can I know you’ll ravish me properly?”

Fenton chuckled, kissing her softly. “Then I suppose we should dance a little more.” Tilting her face to his, he claimed a kiss and then a few others.

“Don’t ask,” she told them. “They’ve been up there since just before Luke left.”

Carter stared with amazement. “She’s…laughing. Really laughing.” He shook his head. “I want to be pissed that she’s drunk off her @$$ but she’s laughing.”

Cammi raised an eyebrow at him, looking to the other girls to see if they heard that. “She doesn’t laugh or something?” she asked when she found she was the only one in earshot. They were probably drawing straws to see who won Hardy. “She seems friendly enough.”

“She’s sweet like Kara,” Carter nodded, moving closer to her. “Xander. He being a gentleman?”

“Pretty much,” she shrugged. “He’s been ignoring all of the girls’ attempts to seduce him. I think they’re talking shop. He mentioned something about a scalpel getting stuck somewhere unpleasant not too long ago.”

“That was a joke he was telling her,” Sin appeared, swimming up to them. She smirked at Carter. “Your brother is dangerously naughty.”

“It’s hereditary,” Carter nodded. He sighed, looking at Cammi. “I’m sorry if I’m sounding like a putz of a brother, but my parents are starting to take notice and I’d hate for us to have to order a new doctor. If he tries anything, drown him until he’s sober?”

“You’ll notice she’s the one leaning on him,” Sin broke in. “I don’t think there’s anything to worry about.”

Cammi met JJ’s eyes. “The girls were noticing your cutlass, sir.”

His eyes darkened and Carter chuckled. “Don’t tell me,” Carter grinned, “they want to know if it’s to scale.”

“Something like that,” Cammi chuckled. “Really, sir,” she addressed JJ again, “couldn’t you have picked a less noticeable outfit.”

JJ muttered and grumbled.

“That’s like asking the Incredible Hulk to show reason,” Sin snickered. “It’s a good look for you, sir,” she smiled. “I would be right behind you if you decide to keep it.”

JJ grunted at her, a very unhappy sound. Cammi waved Sin away. “Hey, Carter, you know the Bodaways pretty well, don’t you?” As soon as he started to nod, she asked, “She fired Ginge and Mercy. Something to do with one of the babies, I don’t know what. But, they were wondering…can she really do that? Fire one of us?”

Carter laughed, shaking his head. “That was her way of telling them they’re no longer trusted to take care of the boys. They still have their day jobs.”

“Oh good,” she sighed. “Mercy was ready to cry until Hardy cheered her up with all his flirting.”

A splash from behind preceded Mercedes appearing from under the water. “Hey,” she gasped for air, moving up against Cammi to smile at the men. “Are we still training tomorrow?”

“First thing,” Carter nodded. “This party is a stress reliever slash celebration, not an excuse not to report for duty.” JJ grunted at his ear. “Except for those who attend a house of worship,” he amended. “Everyone needs to report in before they leave for that though.”

“Cool,” she smiled. “Thanks.”

She swam away and Cammi had the feeling that she didn’t want to know what that was all about. “When is the party over then?”

“The band turns back into field mice at midnight and the caterer stops serving at two.” He shrugged. “I’m thinking we’ll be done by then.”

Cammi shook her head. “You’re an optimist, aren’t you?”

“Yeah,” he sighed. “That’s hereditary too. And it sucks.”

Blinking at the dim light overhead, she mumbled, “Drugs. Gimme.”

“That’s a good sign,” she heard Blake mumble.

Turning her head slightly, she groaned at how even that much movement sent a ripple of unbearable pain through her entire body.

“A good sign of what?” she grumbled, her voice sounding like gravel to her ears.

“You can feel something,” he grinned, taking her hand.

“I can feel every damn thing. What happened to the good drugs they gave me before? I couldn’t feel a d@mn thing.”

His smile faltered a bit and she wondered at it. “They wore off,” he replied simply.

Libby came into view and Jana tried to smile. Even that hurt.

“You don’t remember anything, do you?” her aunt smiled gently.

Jana tried reaching for her aunt but her limbs felt awkward and useless. It was almost as though they had been rewired wrong. Frowning at her aunt, she mumbled, “No. What the hell happened, anyway? Where are my babies?”

Blake’s grin widened and his eyes seemed to glow. “They’re resting up in the nursery. They’ve both decided that they’ll need all the energy they can in order to properly terrorize their mommy.”

“Ha. Ha,” she gritted and tried again to move her arm. It felt so clunky and didn’t go where she wanted it to. “What the hell is wrong with my arms?”

Blake’s smile faltered again and he looked down at her. “I don’t know, darlin’. Maybe it’s the drugs wearing off. The doctor said you’d feel sluggish for a while.”

“If there are any drugs left in my system I can’t tell it from the pain,” she growled, fighting the urge to sob. She knew it would only hurt worse.

“Hey there,” a big burly nurse seemed to bounce in. A male nurse, she thought and grunted. “I think I’ve got the golden ticket for a certain little mama,” he grinned, waving a hypodermic. “Just a little shot of Morphine for now. If things get worse we can get you a pump to release mild doses of Demerol as you need them but we usually try to put that off for as long as possible.”

“Whatever works,” she grinned and the nurse laughed.

He came around the other side of her bed and lifted her hand to insert he needle into the IV tube. “It’ll take a second or two to kick in but once it does you should feel like gold,” he winked. Pulling the needle out of the tube, he disposed of it in the hazardous waste bin before removing his gloves and patting her on the shoulder. “That should do you for now, cutie, but don’t hesitate to give me a call if it doesn’t seem to be working. Sometimes it takes a bit of the good juice to knock out the worst of the pain. The good news is that you’re able to feel the pain.”

“Why does everyone keep saying that?” she asked. It didn’t seem like much of a blessing to her that she felt as though her guts had been rearranged.

The nurse looked from Blake to Libby and then back down to Jana. “The doctor will be in to speak with you in a little while,” he told her cryptically and seemed to practically sprint from the hospital room.

“What the hell is going on, Blake?” she tried to shout but it came out more of a whisper. Her throat was so dry it felt like sandpaper.

He instinctively reached for a cup and poured water into it but then set it back down. “D@mn, nobody said whether or not she can have anything to drink,” he muttered to Libby who patted his shoulder. “I’ll go ask.”

Once her aunt was gone, Jana clumsily reached for Blake’s hand and gave it a squeeze. He looked down at her hand on his and then looked away. “What’s going on?” She nearly cried. Fear swept through her coldly and she bit her bottom lip. Something was wrong. Something bad, she feared.

“I don’t know, darlin’,” he admitted, his voice low and pained. “I don’t know. They said that one of the babies was pressed on a nerve before you delivered but beyond that, I don’t know.”

“I’m scared.” Scared of what, she couldn’t decide. She hadn’t known going in that she’d need to be afraid. Gina and Pet had both breezed through childbirth. No one had told her that things might be different for her.

Leaning down to kiss her, he nuzzled against her hair. “Everything’s going to be fine. Whatever happens we’ll face it together. And we’ve got an army of family to help us, too. Just hold on to that.”

“Blake,” she breathed and awkwardly reached for him, her hands fumbling. She gave up and took in a deep breath to stave off the anxiety that threatened to eat her alive. Instead, she tried to focus on the joys of the day.

“The babies. Tell me about the babies. Gosh, I don’t even know what we had,” she sighed. “Boys? Girls?” The pain was starting to ebb and fade to a mild ache and her eyes were starting to get heavy.

He leaned up and grinned broadly at her. “Better. One of each.”

“A boy and a girl?”

“I got to hold them a little while ago. Twenty fingers, twenty toes. And at least one of them has a healthy set of lungs.” His eyes misted up as he stroked her hair. “They’re so beautiful, darlin’. Both of them.”

Libby returned just then with a plastic pitcher of ice chips. As she rubbed Jana’s lips, she smiled at her and then turned to Blake. “Did you tell her what you want to name the little boy?”

“You’ve picked out a name without me?” she quirked her eyebrow at him.

Grinning sheepishly, he settled in the chair beside the bed and nodded. “I hope you’re okay with it.”

“Depends. What did you come up with?”

He looked at Libby who grinned. Looking back to Jana, he shrugged, “Brady Archimedes.”

“For your dad and Papa,” she breathed feeling her own eyes grow misty. “I love it. It’s absolutely perfect. But what about the little girl?”

“Don’t know,” he admitted sheepishly. “Hellion would be fitting, judging by her temperament already.”

He chuckled and described the way their little girl had hardly stopped screaming since she’d come out of the womb. “Looks like we’re in for it, huh?” she mumbled, her lips heavy.

“I’ll say,” a cheerful voice called into the room and Jana lifted her head drowsily.

“Waggie,” she grinned stupidly, her body feeling warm.

“Don’t go to sleep on me now, little bug. Your Papa gave me strict orders to make sure you’re in tip top shape.”

“Papa’s sweet,” she mumbled and closed her eyes.

“Jaaa-nnnaaa,” Wag sing-songed and Jana opened her eyes with a pout. He grinned at her as he removed her chart from the foot of the bed and began glancing through it. His frown didn’t sit well, though. “The little weasel didn’t mention the paralysis,” he grumbled.

“Paralysis?” she cried. “I’m paralyzed?”

Blake shook his head and gripped her hand as Wag looked up, surprise on his face. “Oh hell, I’m talking out loud. No, sweetheart, you’re not paralyzed. You just had some temporary paralysis during labor.” He clicked the chart shut and replaced it before rounding the bed and coming to stand near her. She let him pick up her hand as he counted her heart rate. “Libby said you’d noticed some problems with your motor skills?”

“If you mean my d@mn arms and hands won’t do what I tell them to, then yeah.”

He nodded as he removed his pin light from his front pocket to check her pupils. “I don’t want to scare you, little bug, but I think there’s a little more going on than a pressed nerve here.” He looked to Blake and her husband tightened his grip on her hand. “Unfortunately, I won’t know anything for certain until we’ve done some tests, though." He leaned his side against the rail of her bed. "Now, no pouting," he ordered. "I know you're tired, so for now, I want you to rest. While you sleep, I'll do the worrying about what’s going on. I’m going to order a CT scan and an MRI first thing. We'll wake you when we need you to back talk us. Do you think you’ll be okay with that?”

Trying very hard not to cry, Jana nodded. “I guess.”

“You’ll be brave for me, won’t you?” he asked with a comforting smile as he patted her shoulder. “I’m going to take excellent care of you, you know. I value my arse too much not to,” he winked.

“Where’s Bridget?” she thought to ask. She was a little surprised that her cousin hadn’t made an appearance. Or her sisters, for that matter.

Wag grinned a little and shrugged. “Couldn’t tear her away from those two stunners in the nursery. You’ve got yourself a couple of little heartbreakers. I pity you, man,” he smirked at Blake. “How you’re going to keep the boys away from that little looker down there is not something I’d care to have to deal with.”

“Yeah, you have enough trouble fending off admirers of your nurse,” Blake quipped.

Their chatter faded to a dull hum in her mind as she thought of her children who were waiting to meet her. A boy and a girl, her heart sighed. Brady Archimedes and—her mind blanked for a second on the girl and then it came to her in a blinding flash. “Ryleigh Elizabeth,” she whispered out loud and looked to Blake who had hushed mid-sentence when she’d spoken. “I want to name our daughter Ryleigh Elizabeth. Ryleigh for the sister I almost missed knowing and Elizabeth for your mother.”

Libby nodded from the foot of the bed. “Sounds perfect, love.”

“You’re sure?” Blake murmured. “Ryleigh—“ his voice trailed away and he looked to Libby and Wag as though unsure whether or not to go on.

But she already knew what he didn’t want her to know. “She’s at peace now,” Jana told them, knowing fully in her heart that what she spoke was true. She hadn’t dreamed her meeting with her best friend’s wife. Ryleigh had been as real to her as Blake was sitting beside her hospital bed.

“It happened while you were in delivery,” Libby sighed and hugged Wag as he passed by to excuse himself.

“I know,” Jana sniffed.

Blake looked at her oddly for a moment before leaning over to rest his forehead against hers. “I’m glad you came back to me, darlin’.”

But holding Bridget and telling her what she wanted to hear was better than forcing her to glare at the grizzly truth of the worst possibility. No, that was his job and his alone. She wouldn't be able to pull herself emotionally away from the situation, not this time.

"Oh hell," Pet's voice complained. "What did I miss?"

Wag looked over to see her holding one of the boys. "I wondered where you went," he grinned. "Where's Rook?"

"Diaper change," she answered. "I have Hunter," she smiled, bobbing the baby in her arms, "he took Walker." She waved her finger in his direction and then at the departing family members. "What's going on, Wag? And don't try to brush me off like Daddy did. It's big, isn't it?"

Bridget sniffed, turning to face Pet. "There's a possibility that Jana had a mild stroke," she informed. She straightened her shoulders. "We're going to do everything we can."

Wag smiled, again thinking of their future together. She'd look beautiful in white, he mused before noticing the look on Pet's face. "Pet?"

"We weren't careful with her diet," she said, hugging Hunter close. "She was on bedrest for that last bit and I didn't even think about clots or atherosclerosis."

"No one could have predicted this, Pet," Wag reminded, almost amused at how easily she called the medical term for plaques building up in the veins by excess cholesterol and lipids. "Every pregnancy is different. Look at yours compared to hers."

"Right," she nodded. "I should have known to help take better care of her. All I did was scare her half to death most of the time and feed her everything she shouldn't have had." She slapped her hand over her eyes. "Blake's going to hate me and never let me near those babies."

"Hey," Rook cheered, stepping up just as she was about to really start crying. "Love?"

Pet wept something at him that Wag couldn't make out. Rook turned to stare at them. "Jana had a stroke?"

Bridget grinned. "You understood all that?"

"Love is it's own language," Rook chuckled, holding Pet while the boys reached for her hair. "How bad is it?"

"We don't know yet," Wag answered.

Pet said something else that had Rook shushing her. "You didn't do this," he whispered to her. "Blake won't hate you."

Wag shook his head, starting to reconsider asking Bridget about them having their own family one day. "Looks like she's having a long post pardum," he frowned. "She been like this a lot?"

"On and off," Rook answered, grinning. "We'll go home and she'll sleep. She'll be fine."

Pet slapped at his chest, sniffing herself calm. "This," she waved at herself, "is all your fault, Rook Bodaway," she scolded. "Don't you dare poke fun of me."

"Yes," he smiled, "I know." Bridget giggled while they watched Rook kiss Pet's forehead. "Won't happen again, love."

Pet pulled away from him, pausing only to untangle Walker's hand from her hair, to give Wag a kiss on his cheek. She looked at Bridget. "Post pardum can last up to eighteen months. And Jana hasn't even started up yet."

"Be nice," Wag scolded, waving her back to Rook. "You're not allowed to scare my girl away."

Pet cackled and Rook took her by the hand to lead her away. "G'night," he called, leaving them alone.

Bridget turned to face him, blinking up at him. "I remember what I read about strokes, Reeves," she said to him. "There's almost always some sort of permanent effect."

Wag nodded. "It all depends on the type of stroke, honey," he reminded.

"Dr. Wagner," an orderly waved to him from down the corridor. "The room's yours, sir."

He smiled at her. "I hope you're ready to see the inside of your cousin's head, honey."