Valle : Book 2 of the Heku Series (19 page)

“No it’s not, I swear to you. Kyle and I have figured out how to do what we need to without the risk of death.” He was already leading her out the barn door.

“Emi?” her Uncle Alec asked, approaching the barn.

Chevalier had to take a second look. Alec looked exactly like Emily’s father, “I’m taking her home.”

Alec smiled broadly, “I wondered how long before she went back.”

“I told you I was staying,” she said, shocked.

“I’ve never seen a more miserable creature than you have been these last few weeks. Go home.” He was smiling.

Jess joined them, “Oh good, he came for you.”

“I… I thought I was helping you,” Emily said, a little hurt.

“You were, Dear, you were. You were also unhappy, we could see that,” Jess said, and kissed Emily on the cheek. “Keep in touch please.”

Emily nodded and turned to look at the Humvee sitting by the barn with the black paint and dark windows, it was obviously Chevalier’s.

Kyle walked out from behind the barn, grinning, and Emily frowned at him, “What did you do to Jeff?”

Kyle looked over her head to Alec, “When we leave, you might want to untie your field hands. They’re hanging, chained together, from the top of the grain silo.”

Alec shook his head and laughed, “I told him to leave Emily alone.”

The three of them climbed into the Humvee and headed back to Maine.

“How did you find me?” Emily asked as they hit I-40.

“Well, Storm found your flight to Albuquerque, and Sam,” Chevalier sighed. “Sam took some doing, but finally told us about Allen’s brother.”

Emily nodded, “Here’s the deal though. One more accidental death and I’m gone, no looking for me.”

Chevalier looked at her, “Fine, as long as you let me buy you a place instead of field-handing at your uncle’s ranch.”

“That would negate the no looking for me part if you already knew where I was,” she pointed out.

“Oh true… ok, so I’ll give you an account when we get back, with enough money for your own ranch,” he said.

She nodded and watched the farmlands fly past.

“When we get back, you need to see Dr. Edwards immediately. He’s been bugging us daily,” Kyle remembered.

“I’ve seen a doctor and everything is fine… well mostly.”

Chevalier frowned, “Mostly?”

“Just a big baby, he said. The doctor was worried about his size and said I may have to deliver early.” She held Chevalier’s hand. She didn’t tell him how terrified she was that heku would die while she was in labor. She had less control of her abilities when there was pain involved.

Kyle glanced at Chevalier in the rear-view mirror.

Kyle pulled the Humvee into the Hilton just as the sun began to set. Emily got out of the back of the Humvee and stretched. Chevalier grabbed her bag, and they checked into a room with Kyle in an adjacent room.

The room was warm and spacious and Emily immediately began filling the jetted tub. The long ride made her back ache. She shut the door and climbed into the hot, steamy water, then leaned back and shut her eyes. She opened them again when she realized her belly was sticking out of the water and getting cold. She wet a wash rag and draped it over her then shut her eyes again.

“Getting big there, Em,” Chevalier said, chuckling.

She didn’t look up, “Mmhmm.”

“Do you have any idea how crazy I’ve been? Not knowing where you were,” he said, picking her foot up out of the hot water and massaging it.

Emily shrugged and still didn’t look up.

He sighed, “Do it again and I’ll lock you in the prison.”

She could tell by his voice he was joking, “Oh good, then I can spend more time with David.”

Chevalier grinned, “I could always go back and get the smooth talker from Alec’s ranch.”

“Oh Jeff, yes, he’s definitely my type.”

Chevalier reached down and pressed his lips against Emily’s. She wrapped her arms around him and laughed as he picked her up out of the water and laid her down on the bed.

***

“Well, I agree with the doctor in New Mexico. If this baby doesn’t stop growing, we’re going to have to take it early,” Dr. Edwards said after looking Emily over.

“How early? When’s the earliest we can take him?” Chevalier asked, a little too anxiously.

“It’d be nice if we could at least make it to 37 weeks, but I won’t risk Emily’s health so when I feel it’s time, we’ll take it,” Dr. Edwards told them.

“Not too early.” She looked from Chevalier to Dr. Edwards.

“How are the headaches?” he asked, looking into her eyes with a scope.

“Fine”

“Bloody noses?”

“No”

“Your blood pressure is still higher than I like so… bed rest,” he said, writing something in her chart.

“What?” Emily’s eyes were wide. “Are you kidding?”

“Nope, full bed rest.”

“But… no,” she said after a few seconds.

“That’s my orders, full bed rest.” He looked at her, “I’m not kidding either. If you won’t follow my orders, then I’ll admit you.”

Emily gasped and Chevalier stifled a laugh.

They were back in the helicopter before Emily said anything to him.

“I suppose you’re enjoying this,” she scowled at him.

“Nope,” he said seriously.

“I figured you’d think it was funny.”

“No I don’t… Who does he think has to put up with your grouchy self for the next few weeks while you’re bored in bed?” Chevalier grinned.

Emily slapped him on the chest and looked out the window of the helicopter.

When they arrived, she dutifully sat down in her bed, then looked at the boring room and wondered how she was going to keep entertained for the next few weeks. The book on her bedside table no longer looked appealing. She didn’t want to watch TV, even though Kyle bought a big screen TV for her room. She wasn’t hungry, didn’t want to sleep, and didn’t want to stare at the ceiling again.

The day finally drew to a close, and she watched the colors out the window turn from bright yellows and oranges, to dark blues and grays.

“Hungry, Em?” Chevalier asked, bringing her tray into the room.

“Not really.”

“Oh? I thought you’d be starving.” He lifted the top and wrinkled his nose at the Brussels sprouts, “Those smell awful.”

“I don’t feel like eating.” She laughed. Chevalier always questioned her taste in food, but then again, she wasn’t that happy with his choice either.

“Are you sick?”

“Sort of, just kinda… blah.” She flipped on the TV. Chevalier curled up with her as she watched the news.

“There’s a hurricane coming!” She sat up and looked at him.

“Yes, I know.”

“Here?”

“Yes”

“Shouldn’t we leave?”

Chevalier grinned, “No, we have it under control.”

“How?” Her eyes narrowed.

“We’ve been here for hundreds of years, in the morning we’ll board up the windows. It’s nothing to worry about.”

Emily ignored his blasé attitude and turned back to the TV. According to the weatherman, the hurricane was going to hit Maine the following evening and was currently a category 4. She shivered just thinking about it. Blizzards, fine. Tornadoes, not too bad. Hurricanes, very bad.

“Gah, Emily,” Chevalier growled as she got out of bed and walked over to the balcony. She stepped out and looked up at the sky. It was perfectly clear and the stars were shining brightly.

“Come back,” Chevalier said, gently taking her hand.

Emily nodded and went back to the bed, grabbing a Brussels sprout as she passed the table. The rest of the news was the usual, wars in Iraq, deaths in Russia, and gang wars in Bangor.

Late into the night she channel surfed, occasionally stopping on a cooking show or a show about maximum-security prisons.

“Why don’t you go to sleep?” Chevalier asked as she started to watch an old episode of
The Man from Atlantis.

“Not tired.”

“How can you not be tired? It’s 2am.”

“I’ve been sleeping on an off all day in this stupid bed, how could I not be awake?” She decided against that show and began to go through more channels.

“Do you want me to get you a movie?” he asked, cringing as she landed on a show featuring a woman and the sixteen possible fathers for her baby.

“No, but if you want to be useful, why don’t you go get me some ice cream and more Brussels sprouts.” She turned the volume up a little on the TV.

Chevalier kissed her on the forehead and left the room. As soon as he was gone, Emily got back out of bed and went out onto the balcony. In the last few hours, some clouds had appeared. She watched them for a few minutes. They were coming in fast and dark. The moon was now gone, and the wind was picking up. Movement caught Emily’s eye and she glanced over toward the barn, and saw Patra and her colt out in the corral.

“I’m going to kill him,” she mumbled, and grabbed a robe before running out of the bedroom.

She knew she had limited time, so she ran as fast as she could, though she admitted it was more like a swift waddle.

Emily stepped out onto the cold grass in her bare feet and went into the barn.

“Sam?” she yelled, grabbing a bridle.

“Yes, Ma’am?” He appeared in the loft.

“Why is Patra outside? There’s a storm coming,” she said, irritated.

“They were restless. I let them out to get some energy out.” He started down the ladder.

“There’s a hurricane coming.” She walked out into the corral as Sam followed.

“Yes, I know.”

She glared at him, “Why am I the only one that didn’t know this?”

“I don’t know.” He watched her put the reins on Patra.

A sudden sharp pain shot up Emily’s abdomen, and she doubled over against the mare. Sam was on her in an instant, supporting her.

“Emily?” he asked, concerned.

The pain eased up and she stood back up, catching her breath.

“What happened?” Sam asked, tugging on her arm. He was trying to get her back into the house.

“Nothing.” She adjusted the reins on Patra and took a rope over to the colt. She rubbed her belly, trying to get the last of the pain to go away.

“You better get inside. The doctor will want to know about that,” Sam said, taking the rope from her.

She turned to him, “No one will know, Sam, that’s an order.”

She took the rope from him, and was pleased when his shoulders fell. Now he wasn’t able to tell anyone. She was kind of impressed at how he had to obey her.

“Don’t say that, please,” he said in a panic.

“No one includes Chev,” she said, taking the rope from the colt and the reins on Patra, and walking them back into the barn.

“I know, Ma’am,” Sam said sadly.

At the barn door, Emily froze and winced. An irate Chevalier was standing in the barn, glaring at her. Sam came up behind her and sighed. Chevalier’s eyes narrowed, he thought Sam looked guilty and wrongly assumed it was because of the horses.

“Good evening,” Sam said to Chevalier as he took the ropes from Emily and led the horses back into their stalls.

“Want to explain this?” Chevalier asked, through clenched teeth.

Emily took a step toward him, “I saw Patra and the colt out, and the storm is coming.”

“What do you think Sam is for?” His face was dark and furious.

Emily looked at the ground, “It was Patra, Chev.”

Chevalier was at her in one step and swept her up into his arms a little roughly. Without a word, he headed back into the house.

“I can walk,” she said, a little softly. She wasn’t sure how much trouble she was in.

He didn’t answer, but headed up the stairs and put her down on the bed and left the room. Emily watched him leave, and then curled up on her side to watch more TV. Eventually, she drifted off to sleep.

Another sharp pain woke her up and she sat up, clutching her stomach. She moaned softly, squeezing her eyes shut tightly as she fought to breathe. It eased up again, and she looked around the room, glad she was alone. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stretched as soon as the pain stopped entirely.

The melted ice cream and cold Brussels sprouts were still sitting on her table.

“Kyle?” she asked softly, and he blurred to her side.

She looked up at him. She wanted to ask how mad Chevalier was, but the fury in his eyes kept her from asking.

“Never mind,” she said, looking at the floor.

Kyle grabbed the old tray and disappeared from the room, never saying a word. She watched as figures appeared on her balcony and began to board up the large plate glass doors. Soon, her room was shrouded in darkness. She debated for a few minutes. She should ask Kyle to turn on her lights, but she cringed at the thought of seeing his furious face again. She stood up and lightly walked to the wall and flipped on the light.

“Damnit, Emily,” Kyle yelled when he appeared in her room. She’d hoped his keen hearing wouldn’t catch her bare feet against the wood, but she was wrong. She could feel her temper rising.

“I turned on a light, Kyle. I didn’t even sprain my finger, look.” She childishly flipped him off and returned to bed. As she sat down, she saw Kyle walking away and he was laughing.

Emily looked around the room, irritated. There was nothing to do, and she was feeling fidgety after sitting in bed for so long. She debated taking a bath, but figured she would probably get either Kyle or Chevalier mad. Her face flushed as she thought about them treating her like a child. She often wondered if they did consider her a child, they called her one often enough. Here she sat, almost 25, and very much pregnant, yet they still acted as though she needed a babysitter.

She suddenly felt an odd tightening in her abdomen and touched her belly lightly. It was hard, like the muscles were tensing. It wasn’t painful, it was just weird, and she watched in wonder as the muscles relaxed and she felt the baby kick her. She grinned, and hoped the baby had her temper, just so Chevalier would think twice about having another.

She drew her feet back into bed when someone knocked on her door. Before she even had time to speak, Kyle entered, carrying a tray. She glared at him as he sat it down beside her bed and left. It infuriated her that he was grinning.