Broken (38 page)

Jenna's eyes darted around the room. "Oh," said Patrick. "You'd rather see the other man in your life."

Patrick took Corin from Gram and put him back on Jenna's chest. She shakily covered him with her hand that had her I.V. and reached for Patrick with her other hand. Patrick grasped it and kissed her fingertips.

Gram walked to the other side of Jenna's bed, bent over, and kissed her granddaughter's forehead. "Never ya mind the past, me sweet girl. I'm just glad to 'ave ya back. Nothing ya could do would make me stop lovin' ya. Visit with yer family. I'll be back soon. I 'ave to let everyone else know ye're awake."

Dr. Sinise and Gram crept out. The doctor gave them twenty minutes before he came back in. Jenna's eyes were closed again. "I think she's just asleep," whispered Patrick.

Dr. Sinise thumped Jenna's foot. Her eyes popped open. "Yep. Well, shall we remove all the tubing? Over the next couple of days, we'll run a few tests to make sure all parts are working." An hour later, Jenna Gautier was taken to a private room. The off year, finally, was back on track. The family was complete and larger.

Jenna had no memory of the actual accident and only sketchy memories of the last six months. She could only recall bits and pieces of conversations before Corin's birth. She did remember that she had not realized she was pregnant.

"It doesn't matter," assured Patrick. "You're back. Just tell me you do remember loving me."

"More than anythin' Patrick. When I'm up and aboot, I'll give ya a private dance."

"Will touching be allowed?"

"Oh, yes. Lots and lots o' touchin'."

"I'll start now." Patrick really kissed Jenna for the first time in almost six months on June third.

Raif planted a rose bush on the other side of the door to the family crypt. "Wow, Chris! This has been an off year. It started out great, but when it took a dive, it really took a dive.

"Jenna almost died, but had a baby instead. We have a grandson, Corin Raiford, and Jenna's back after being in a coma for half a year and missing the wonderful experience of being pregnant." Raif laughed.

"Ray's year off gave him a son-in-law. I told you it would. I can't wait until Courtney has a baby. And, then, Cherie. Oh, I hear Ray's laments now." Raif laughed again.

"Oh, well. Your roses are crimson. I hope you like them. Actually, Neely picked them out.

"Michael is a year old today. We're having birthday cake and ice cream later. What do you have to say to me this year?"

He sat on the bench and waited. Silence met Raif. He waited patiently. Finally, a soft whisper came. "You need another tattoo, a rose tattoo. You do have two arms."

42

Detectives Reynolds

R
ai
f
returned home and put together a Fred Flintstone car. Not long afterward, they were invaded by birthday guests. The phone rang and Patrick and Jenna sang "Happy Birthday" over the phone.

Giving the birthday boy his own small cake, both parents knelt by his high chair, one on each side. Michael delved into his cake with both hands and reached out to share with Raif and Neely. Of course, both ate some cake from the child's hand to peals of laughter from the guests.

An hour later, both Raif and Neely were covered in frosting. They changed and had a cookout for the partygoers. Finally, the guests left and the children were tucked snuggly into bed. Raif disappeared to his drafting table. Neely knocked softly on the door and entered. "Am I interrupting?" she asked.

"No." He held out an arm to her and pulled her close. "What do you think?"

There was no blueprint on the table, but a drawing that appeared to be a running rose vine with a rose at the top and the rest of the vine and leaves and a few thorns making the letters to spell N-E-E-L-Y.

"What is it supposed to be?" asked Neely.

"Is it that bad?" laughed Raif. "I thought it was unique."

"It's not bad," said Neely. "I can read it very well, and it's very different, but what's it for?"

"My right arm. It's
my
rose tattoo. Can you do it and fix it to be just right? I'm not an artist. My drawings are technical and precise."

"It's actually quite beautiful. Do you want it in color?"

"Absolutely. Just like yours." Raif ran his finger down Neely's arm. "We can do it tomorrow. I have other ideas for now."

"Do they include me?" asked Neely flirtatiously.

"I can't do it without you," Raif answered pulling Neely's face to his.

The next day in the art studio Raif had built for his wife, Lydia, Leah, and Lacey watched intently as Neely inked Raif's drawing onto his right arm.

Lydia noted, "Stop grimacing, Daddy. Does it really hurt that much?"

"I don't like needles," confessed Raif.

"Then, why are you doing it?" asked Leah.

"Because I love your mommy."

Lacey giggled, "Want one say 'Wacey?'"

"I love you, too," said Raif, "but if I got Lacey, I'd have to get Lydia, Leah, Michael, Trista, Patrick, and Lindsay. I don't like needles that much. I know what I'd like instead—a family portrait. This Christmas, we'll get everybody and have a portrait done."

"We've got a big family, Daddy," laughed Lydia. "The photographer will have a fit."

"We'll get Jenna to do it on a time delay, so she can be in it, too."

"That would work. Maybe we could get one of everybody at Christmas dinner." Lydia grinned, a big gap in her front teeth where she had lost her first tooth a few days earlier. "That would be a real challenge."

"Yes, it would. I'm glad it's at Ray's house this year."

"Me, too," Neely confessed. "There. All done. What do you girls think?"

"Cool," said Leah.

"Wike Mommy," said Lacey.

"Absolutely!" laughed Neely.

Kyle and Courtney had rented a small apartment in the complex where Ray had once lived. Both found jobs, albeit low-paying. They would be at LSU in the fall in the housing reserved for married students. Still, they managed to finagle dinner with Ray and Larkin or Grandma Audrey and Grandpa Walter most nights, and sometimes Raif and Neely or Parker and Sheena.

On this night, they were underfoot at the Reynolds home. Courtney was in the kitchen helping make dinner while Kyle was in the garage with Ray as he worked on his design for a turbo engine for the new fuel efficient cars. Kyle proved to have a very analytical mind and a couple of his suggestions Ray found practical and useful.

"Are you gonna include my name on the patent?" Kyle teased.

"I was thinking I actually would."

"Really?"

"You have helped. Let's test our design tomorrow. You're invited for dinner. Tomorrow is gumbo, my recipe."

"I'll bring some milk."

"Why?" laughed Ray.

"Pop, your gumbo is spicy, very spicy."

"Wuss."

Kyle just grinned.

"What's that grin for?"

"I will not put my thoughts into words."

"Let's eat. Tonight is pot roast. Can you handle that?"

"Yes, sir."

"Do you need some milk?"

"I
am
still growing, so I've been told."

"You have gotten taller since Europe."

Ray and Kyle walked into the kitchen where Cherie set the table. Larkin lifted the crock from the crock pot to carry the roast to the table.

"Let me get that," offered Kyle.

"Suck up!" yelled Ray from the hall bathroom.

"Wash up," said Larkin. "I've got it."

Courtney set the homemade biscuits on the table as Kyle and Ray sat down.

"Who made 'em?" asked Kyle.

"Do you want a divorce?" snapped Courtney.

Kyle looked at Ray.

Ray mouthed, "PMS."

Kyle snickered.

"What?" bit Courtney.

"Nothing," said Kyle, holding his hands up as if in surrender.

"What's up with you, Court?" asked Ray.

Courtney slammed the marmalade onto the table and fled the room. Larkin glowered at Ray.

"What did I say?" asked Ray with his hands spread in the air.

"Don't look at me," said Kyle.

Larkin sighed. "She hasn't told you? She's late."

"Whoa!" shouted Kyle. "She's on the pill."

"It doesn't always work. She's scared to death. She doesn't want to be pregnant yet."

"Me either. Why didn't she say anything to me?"

"She thinks you'll be mad."

"That's silly. Excuse me. I need to talk to my wife."

Kyle knocked on the bathroom door. "Courtney?"

"Go away!"

"Is that really what you want?"

Several minutes of silence prompted Kyle to say, "Court? You okay?"

Courtney opened the door. "No. I'm not okay and I don't really want you to go away."

"Why didn't you say anything? Do you really think I'm mad? Get a test. We need to know. Maybe you're just stressed out. But if it is, it is. We'll deal with it. It would give Uncle Raif something to rag your dad about." He grinned. "Other than me calling him 'Pop.'"

Courtney giggled. "What did Daddy's face look like?"

"Ghastly pale. Let's eat. You can see for yourself." They came to dinner hand in hand.

The next night when Kyle and Courtney came for gumbo and engine testing, Kyle told Ray, "The test was negative. What should we do?"

"Wait."

"What if something else is wrong?"

"She's only a few days late. She's panicking. Wait."

Using an old police cruiser, Ray and Kyle tested their invention. The turbo propulsion took off two to three seconds' acceleration time on each test from zero to sixty. They were elated. They filed their patent the next day. Ray knew the system installed in law enforcement vehicles would give them a distinct advantage.

Then, came the marketing. Kyle seemed to have a keen mind when it came to making money, so Ray turned him loose. With the family scare behind them, Kyle and Courtney moved to Baton Rouge. Courtney took day classes and worked for Pierre Charmant in his gallery at night while Kyle marketed the Reynolds-LaFontaine propulsion system to auto makers during the day and took classes at night.

Ray stayed home. Every morning, he got up, put on his gold retirement watch, went to the gym after Larkin left for the university, came home, and tinkered with one thing or another in the house or worked in his garage. His house-tinkering resulted in more bills than repairs. In three months, an electrician had to rewire the kitchen after Ray shorted out the circuits; a plumber came when Ray's attempt at putting in a new sink and disposal caused the short-circuit; the pool service paid an extra visit when Ray broke the water pump by tightening the screws too tightly; and Larkin became livid when she had to get a computer expert to retrieve a lost file when Ray accidently erased four chapters of the new novel she was writing. Luckily, the man retrieved what he called a ghost file, but Larkin was fed up with Ray's helpfulness.

The next morning when Ray got up and went to put on his gold retirement watch, he found his detective's shield in its place with a note:

I love you, but, please, go back to work before I kill you.

Larkin

Ray went about his normal routine for the day and did manage to actually replace a cracked window pane without further damage before he burned dinner. Larkin came in from the university and asked with a look of disgust on her face, "What did you do?"

"I forgot to set the oven timer."

"Where's Cherie?"

"Raif's. I thought I'd take you out to dinner."

"Got something on your mind?"

Ray held up his shield. "Am I driving you insane?"

"Not before you finished the propulsion system, but now you're bored. You have nothing to do
except
drive me insane."

Ray laughed. "I'm not good at idleness. That's why I hated being chief."

"No, you're not very good at doing nothing. However, you are an awesome detective. There's a rumor that an equally good detective needs a great partner. Talk to Brian. I'm sure he'll hire you back."

"Who needs a partner?"

"Go find out in the morning. Now, you're taking me to Amile's."

The next day Ray got up and followed his normal routine until he left the gym at which time he paid a visit to Brian Baker.

"Great to see you!" said Brian. "Are you coming out of retirement?"

"Has Larkin talked to you?"

"Yep. Actually, I talked to her. I need you back, Ray. Colbert and Tynes have gone to the FBI, and Pennington has moved to the big city of Baton Rouge. That leaves me with five detectives, one without a partner. What d'ya say?"