Coveting Love (Jessica Crawford) (51 page)

Virginia opened her eyes and looked into her daughter-in-law’s compassionate face. She had come to love this woman as if she were a true daughter. Her voice was barely a whisper as she began to speak to her. Jessica had to move her ear closer.

“
Just remember, dear, sometimes our heads don’t always know what’s best; sometimes we have to listen to our hearts. If you remember this, your troubles might not be so burdensome.”

She nodded as a tear slipped down her cheek, landing on Virginia’s hand. “I love you,” she told her.

Brandon reached out and put his arm around her shoulder, trying to comfort her. Virginia turned her head and looked at him.

“
Brandon, you must forgive your brother for his sins. Life is too short to live it angry all the time. Promise me you’ll try and mend the fences with Jeffrey.”

He promised he would, but Jessica saw the darkness lying just under the surface, a glimpse of the old Brandon, and knew he was only trying to comfort her.

Virginia slipped from life to join her husband in a better world. Jessica held one hand and Brandon held the other.

As she took her last breath, Jessica broke down and wailed. She collapsed against the bed. A nurse summoned a doctor, who administered a mild sedative, and Brandon carried her from Virginia’s room, into a neighboring room, leaving a distraught Matthew to grieve alone.

She did not see Jeffrey standing in the corridor across from his mother’s room, nor did she see the confrontation that took place between the two brothers.

A while later, she stirred from a dreamy sleep and thought she saw Jeffrey leaving the room. She mumbled his name and fell back to sleep. After what seemed only moments later, she woke to find Brandon sitting at her side.

“
Morning, sleepy head,” he said, rising and placing a kiss on her forehead.

She smiled. “Sorry. What happened?”

“
I think the moment was a little more than you could handle.”

She tried to find a clock in the room, but there wasn’t one. “What time is it?”

“
Actually, it’s nighttime. Just after dinner. You slept right through, but don’t worry, I ate it for you.”

“
That was kind of you,” she said frowning.

“
We wouldn’t want it to go to waste.”

“
That’s very conscientious of you,” she commented, frowning again. “It doesn’t matter; I’m not hungry, anyway.”

“
You should eat. The baby needs it. I’ll see if I can order you something.”

“
Really, it’s okay. One night of skipping dinner isn’t going to hurt the baby. Can we go home now?”

“
I’m afraid not. The doctor wants you to stay the night, just as a precaution. Your blood pressure’s a little high, probably from the stress, but he wants to be sure.”

She started to protest but changed her mind. She really was tired and wanted to rest.

“
I can’t believe she’s gone,” she said, after a moment of silence. She started to cry again. “I wish she could have seen her grandchild. It’s all she really wanted.”

He took her in his arms and held her while she sobbed.

When she had quieted he said, “I’m going to go now. I want you to get some rest. I’ll come back in the morning to pick you up.”

She nodded in agreement, already on her way to slumber again, as Brandon closed the door.

She dreamt of Jeffrey. He was here in the hospital trying to take the baby again. She called for the nurse but the nurse wouldn’t help her.

“
He’s the father, after all,” she said in a singsong voice.

They both laughed and left the room together. Jeffrey put his arm around the nurse’s shoulders.

He said, “How would you like to come with me. We can see the world together. We’ll hire the best nanny that money can buy, and we'll teach our child all the foreign languages his mind can hold.”

“
No!” Jessica screamed. It’s my baby. It’s mine. It’s mine…” She woke with a start and was surprised to see it was morning.

Brandon walked in carrying a vase filled with pink roses. He kissed her on the lips and handed her the flowers. “What’s wrong? You’re sweaty and pale. Has the doctor seen you today? Perhaps you should stay another night.” He reached for the call button, but she grabbed his arm.

“
No, Brandon. I want to go home. I’m fine; I just had a nightmare, that’s all.”

He eyed her suspiciously. “Are you sure?”

“
Yes. Is that a change of clothes you’re holding in that bag?” She pointed to the small satchel he was holding.

He held it up, grinning. “Clothes, shampoo, toothpaste, you name it, it’s in here.”

She jumped from the bed, grabbed the satchel, and flung it on the bed. She opened it, rifled through it, smiled.

“
You really did think of everything,” she said, holding up her jar of moisturizer.

She headed to the shower. Brandon stood in the doorway, talking to her as she shampooed her hair and washed her body.

“
I’m going to drop you off at home. Then I’m heading over to the funeral home to make arrangements for Mother’s funeral.”

“
I’m coming with you,” she shouted over the pounding water.

“
No way,” he shouted back. “You’re going home and back to bed.”

She stuck her head out the door, shampoo dripping from her hair. “I’m pregnant, not an invalid.”

She lost the argument when the doctor came to discharge her.

He held her chart in his hand, frowning. “Your blood pressure is better, but still high. With four months left in the pregnancy, we can’t take any chances. I want you home and off your feet for a couple more days. We’ll recheck it then and see how it goes.”

They left her with no alternative. Brandon took her home and put her to bed, where she spent the next few days in total boredom.

Brandon came to see her often, and on the morning of the funeral, he came to her as she was dressing. She noted heaviness around his eyes, as if he hadn’t been sleeping well. She touched his face and gazed into his eyes. They looked so sad.

“
Jeffrey’s here,” he blurted out.

“
Oh,” she commented, quietly. “I should have guessed he would come. It’s only right.”

“
I suppose.”

“
I guess I wasn’t dreaming then at the hospital. He really was there?”

Brandon nodded but didn’t reply.

“
Well, then, for appearance sake we must welcome him.”

He wrapped his arm protectively around her shoulder. An unspoken solidarity enveloped them. They left to say their final goodbyes to Virginia Phillips.

**********

CHAPTER 33

A large crowd of mourners gathered around the cemetery as Virginia Phillips was laid to rest in a grave next to her husband. The weather was unbearably hot and an uncanny thought struck Jessica; July was a terrible time to die. She watched numbly as Matthew gave the eulogy, and the minister began to bless the grave. Through her grief, she was barely aware of what was going on around her.

She raised her hand above her brows to shield her face from the sun. Her eyes came to rest on Jeffrey, who stared straight at her. He looked down at her midsection, the unspoken truth bearing witness before them. Anger distorted his face. Then she knew, that he knew, whose child she carried.

Instinctively, she stiffened. Brandon, mistaking the gesture for one of grief, pulled her to him.

At last, the service was over. Brandon guided her back to the coolness of the air-conditioned car. They drove the short distance from the graveside in the family cemetery to the house.

“
I want you straight up to bed,” Brandon demanded

She didn’t argue. She was bone-tired and depressed.

She entered the room just as Mandy was turning the covers back on her bed.

“
I thought you might want a nap when you returned,” she said, smiling.

“
Thank you, Mandy. That was thoughtful.”

She must have flown from the cemetery, she thought, as she climbed into the bed, pulled the covers up around her neck, and fell into a deep slumber. She dreamt only pleasant dreams of her baby girl. In one dream, she looked just like Brandon. They were running on the beach and she kept shouting “lantic ocin” and Brandon would laugh, scoop her up, and tickle her. In another dream, they were all at the park. Brandon pushed her on the swing, and then they sat down to a picnic lunch. She threw her arms around them and said, “I wuv you Mommy and Daddy.”

She woke to the sounds of shouting. She couldn’t make out exactly what was being said, but she could make out that it was Jeffrey and Brandon arguing. She jumped out of bed and crept down the stairs. As she approached the library, she saw Jeffrey leave the house. He was angry.

She tiptoed back to her bed. She was just pulling the covers up when Brandon entered. She pretended sleepiness, rubbing her eyes, and pulling herself into a sitting position. “What time is it?”

“
It’s late. All our guests have gone home.”

“
Oh, no, I wanted to at least make an appearance. Why did you let me sleep so long?”

“
You need your rest. The nurse said your blood pressure is up again. I’ve been talking to the doctor. We both think it would be a good idea to take you back to California.”

She sat up quickly and instantly regretted it. Her head pounded and she felt a wave of dizziness pass through her. “Why? I don’t want to go. I have responsibilities here.”

“
There’s nothing here that can’t wait. You want what’s best for the baby, don’t you?” He kissed her and she didn’t attempt to argue. “We leave tomorrow morning, right after breakfast.” He left her with the suggestion that she try to get some more sleep.

“
I’m sick of sleep,” she said to the closed door. Maybe if she took a stronger stand, Brandon wouldn’t try to make all her decisions for her. Determined to set Brandon straight, she picked up the phone, dialed the kitchen, and informed them she would be coming down for dinner that night.

She then went about the task of finding a suitable gown. She found a long, flowing, black silk gown that diminished the size of her abdomen.

Brandon was surprised when she walked into the dining room and took her place at the end of the table. She could tell he didn’t approve from the look on his face, but she didn’t care. She was mistress of this house now, and she was not about to let Brandon make all her decisions for her.

She looked around the table, searching for any sign of Jeffrey, but he wasn’t present. She hadn’t really expected him to be. Matthew inquired about her health.

She politely informed him, “I’m just fine. You needn’t worry about me. Brandon’s just being overly cautious.”

He didn’t respond, but instead went about the task of attacking his dinner.

Hazel was just old enough to sense the tension in the room, and smart enough not to bring it up. Instead, they spent the entire dinner hour hearing all about how Martha Brick beat her out for the starring role in the school play, only because she had to go to the hospital to visit her grandmother.

“
It isn’t fair,” she protested. “I can’t help it that my grandmother was sick and I missed auditions. I practiced hard for that part. Now I’m stuck being the wicked stepmother because nobody else wanted to be her,” she whined.

Indeed, she had practiced hard. Jessica remembered hearing her walk around the house practicing at all hours. She sympathized with her and told her as much.

“
I think you would have made a great Cinderella,” Jessica said. “But the wicked stepmother, now that’s a fun role. It isn’t often we get to misbehave and get away with it,” Jessica reminded her.

Hazel hadn’t thought of this and brightened at the suggestion. “I’m going to go and practice my lines,” she chirped, running from the room. At the door, she turned and addressed Jessica. “Thanks, Aunt Jessica. I’m going to be the best wicked stepmother ever.”

She smiled, waved, and her face went white as another wave of dizziness overtook her. She glanced sideways at Brandon, hoping it had gone undetected. It hadn’t.

He frowned at her, and she knew then that all her attempts to make a stand for herself were in vain. She was confident that come tomorrow morning, she, Brandon, and all their packed bags would be on their way to California.

The next day they flew to California. Jessica had to admit, as soon as they touched down at LAX, she felt a sense of relief wash over her. Brandon was here with her and they had made a sort of truce. Jeffrey was thousands of miles away, and she could concentrate all her energy on preparing for the coming of her baby.

A month later, she was glad she had made the trip. She could hardly believe it had been over a month now since they had buried Virginia. They were both becoming excited at the prospect of parenthood. The tension that had begun to grow between her and Brandon eased, leaving her hesitant to confess her secret to him. Time was running out. If she was going to tell him, it had to be soon.

Brandon often went to town on business and spent hours on the telephone with Matthew. But other than that, he was a devoted husband and father-to-be. She felt a twinge of guilt each time he patted her belly and spoke to his baby.