Page 44 of Good Girls Don't Cry
Changing his sweater for a T-shirt and jacket before sitting down to change his boots, he went to Jenna and took her hand. “I don’t want you to worry. I’m going to be with you every second of the way.”
“I’m not worried.” Jenna squeezed his hand. “I’m excited. The contractions are stronger than I imagined. I’m glad I rested up for a time.” Her cheeks pinked. “Oh, this one is five minutes.” She panted through it and sipped water. “Time to go.” She struggled out of bed and pulled on her gown and slippers. “Hand me that pile of towels.” She pointed to the nightstand. “I had them ready.”
Without thinking, Kane gave her the towels and then swept her into his arms. He headed for the front door. As they passed the security alarm, he held Jenna so she could set it before they left. He set her down beside the Beast and covered the seat with towels. Soon, he had her safely inside and they were on their way. He drove fast and soon they arrived at the hospital. Nurses dashed out and swept Jenna away, leaving him at the counter to give them her details and fill out forms. Once done, he tried to follow her but doors had locked, barring his access.
He went back to the counter and looked at the weary nurse. “I need to be with my wife.”
“Take a seat. The doctor will come and get you.” The nurse waved him away.
He’d promised to be with her. What the heck was happening? This wasn’t in the plan. He paced up and down, his boots sounding loud in the quiet area. He hated hospitals. The smells reminded him of his long stay after the car bombing. Staring at the locked double doors to the inner sanctum, he willed someone to come out. It had been twenty minutes. Jenna needed him. Relief flooded over him when Wolfe walked through the glass doors. He hurried toward him. “They’ve taken Jenna. I don’t know where she is. They went through there and no one will open the door for me.”
“I’m sure glad y’all didn’t threaten anyone, Dave.” Wolfe smiled at him. “It’s all good. The nurses are just getting her into a gown and into the birthing suite.” He patted Kane on the back. “I figure your baby will be along soon.”
Kane shook his head. “She said it will take hours.”
“We’ll see.” Wolfe led him into a room along the corridor and handed him a pair of scrubs. “Fathers come here first to change. You can leave your things in the locker.” Wolfe pulled off his jacket and dressed in scrubs. He went to the sink and scrubbed his hands and then pulled on examination gloves.
Kane copied him and they left the room by a backdoor. They walked along corridors and into a large room with bright lights. To his relief, Jenna was sitting up in a bed, face red and puffing. A nurse was holding her hand. He went to her side. “I’m here now. They wouldn’t allow me to come in.”
“They were waiting for Shane. They won’t call in the obstetrician unless something goes wrong. So far, everything is looking good. Contractions are three minutes now.” Her face reddened. “Here we go again.”
He took her hand and she squeezed it so hard his bones ground together. The classes he’d taken with her fell into place and they worked together. From that moment on, things went so fast he lost track of the time before Jenna started to push. “This is really happening, Jenna. You’re on the last mile.”
“That’s easy for you to say.” Jenna gripped his hand. “I’m exhausted.”
Sometime later, with Wolfe’s encouragement keeping Jenna going, Kane mopped the sweat from her face. She’d worked so hard. “Come on, Jenna. Our baby is almost here.”
“One last push, Jenna.” Wolfe smiled at them. “Dave, you need to be here.”
Kane moved to the end of the bed and stared in wonder as Jackson Daniel Shane Kane, a mop of black hair standing up in all directions and his red face defiantly angry for being so rudely disturbed, screamed his arrival. His hands trembled as Wolfe wrapped the wiggling baby and handed it to him. Once in his arms, Jackson stopped crying and looked up at him with huge blue eyes. Overflowing with love and cheeks wet with tears, Kane grinned at Jenna and laid the bundle in her arms. “We have another son.”
Epilogue
Although Jenna kept one eye on the office, she enjoyed her time at home. Rio was doing fine and had followed up on the case. The hair trophies were found to be a match to other missing girls in various states. Carter had taken the case to the FBI director and all the details had been shared across the USA. Hopefully, the bodies of the lost girls would be discovered and cold cases closed.
Rowley had made a full recovery and was back at work, the ragged scar on his forehead a testament to how close he’d come to dying. Although Kane had spoken to the deputies about the dangers of hidden explosives, Jenna had arranged for Carter to give them a refresher course. The FBI had been very accommodating and Carter had spent an entire week with them.
Olivia, it seemed, had been approached for a movie deal for her story. The young girl had come through her ordeal better than expected. Her parents were handling everything and had secured an agent to represent their daughter. Jenna hoped it wouldn’t bring her team under the spotlight, but the mayor was ecstatic. Tourism would boom in Black Rock Falls once again.
Being a new mother was exhausting. Although Jackson was a dream, he decided that the feed at two in the morning was playtime. Kane had amazed Jenna on how swiftly he’d slid into the baby’s routine. He’d take the night shift, allowing her to go back to sleep after feeding Jackson. They kept the baby in his crib beside their bed. He had a nursery, but right now they wanted to immerse themselves in the bonding process.
It had been wonderful to see Tauri’s big smile when they sat him down and gave him the baby to hold. Jenna sat beside him. “This is your brother, Jackson.”
“He looks like Daddy.” Tauri touched the baby’s cheek. “He is so tiny.”
Jenna laughed. Jackson had weighed in at a little under ten pounds. He had huge feet and hands, big blue eyes, and a mop of thick black hair. She nodded. “Yes, he does look like Daddy. He has his big feet.”
“He’ll grow really fast and before you know it he’ll be playing with you.” Kane ruffled Tauri’s hair. “You’ll be able to teach him languages.”
“I might teach him how to walk first.” Tauri grinned. “But he’s too small yet. Maybe later.”
Friends had arrived in droves to see the baby. The house was soon filled with gifts and flowers. Wolfe dropped by often and always with Norrell. She’d seen the longing on Norrell’s face when she’d held Jackson. Her wedding to Wolfe would be at the end of the month. It was wonderful to see such a happy couple.
Later that night, as Jenna fed Jackson, she looked at Kane. “Do you figure Shane and Norrell will have kids?”
“They’re young enough.” Kane leaned back on the pillows. “I have no idea. It’s not something he discusses with me. Shane is a very private person.”
Jenna sat Jackson up and patted his back. “You know, I’m glad we decided to take leave and spend time with Jackson. Later, I’ll only go into work when necessary, so he gets used to me coming and going. He’ll have Nanny Raya as a constant and I’ll make sure she’s involved from the get-go so he won’t fuss if we need to go to work.”
“You can oversee the office from home.” Kane yawned. “If necessary, you can even visit crime scenes via video calls. It will all work out fine. Our team will manage. If another serial killer comes along, you can always call in the FBI to assist the team.” He took Jackson from her and rested him on his shoulder. “This is our time with our baby. Life and crime will go on without us. Trust me, there will be a ton of cases coming along for us to solve when we return to work full-time. There’s no need to rush. Right now, both our boys need us at home.” He stood and walked from the room, singing softly to his son.
Surrounded by the warm love that feeding a baby gives a mother, Jenna lay back, fully intending to go to sleep. Instead, she got up to use the bathroom, and on the way back to bed, heard Kane’s voice. He was talking to Jackson. She walked along the passageway and peered into the family room. Kane was on the sofa, with Jackson in his arms. Love overflowed seeing them together. Jackson was looking at Kane so intently, and Kane’s head was bent, one finger wrapped in Jackson’s tiny hand.
“I have a secret to tell you, and when you’re grown, you’ll know the truth of your heritage.” Kane’s voice was just above a whisper. “One day, when the world is a better place, you’ll be able to claim what’s rightfully yours. It’s all there waiting and protected by the government.” He touched the baby’s lips. “For now, it’s a secret to keep our family safe, but I named you Jackson Daniel because it’s my family name. The name given to my great-grandfather, grandfather, father, and me.”
Hand pressed against her chest, Jenna held her breath. She slipped without a sound back to bed. Heart pounding, she stared into the darkness. Speculation about Kane’s real name had never been an issue because he refused to divulge it for her own safety. The sudden urge to Google the family came to mind and she squashed it immediately. The price on his head meant that his name over the internet would trigger anyone wanting to claim the bounty. For now, the terrorists believed he’d died in a car bombing seven years ago. If she made one slip of the tongue, he’d die. She wished she could take back the last few minutes, but how could she forget? Every time she looked at her baby, or spoke his name, she’d remember the touching scene. Should she tell Kane or keep the secret?
When Kane came back into the room and laid Jackson down in his crib, Jenna pretended to be asleep. As he pulled her against him and curled around her, she relaxed as the heat of his body washed over her. Life was good, and she could keep a secret too. If necessary, she’d deal with it tomorrow. She snuggled back against Kane and smiled into the darkness. Tomorrow never comes.
* * *