Life Goes On–Part 12
By Nancy F. Thysell (The Nifty Lady)
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Johnny and Chris were a bit on the giddy side when they reached Roy and JoAnne’s house and rang the door bell. Christopher answered the door.
"Hiya Uncle Johnny. Aunt Chris!" he greeted them. He turned and yelled into the house. "Dad! Mom! Uncle Johnny and Aunt Chris are here!"
Johnny laughed as they stepped into the house.
"Hey Sport! How ya doin’?" Johnny asked as he tousled the youth’s hair which the boy endured good-naturedly.
Chris DeSoto grinned. "Great! I’ve almost completed my science project for school. Dad’s been helping me put it together."
JoAnne entered from the kitchen. "Speaking of that project, you need to go clean up and put everything away for the night," she reminded him.
"Oh Mom!" he whined.
"Don’t ‘Oh Mom’ me, young man. Scoot!" JoAnne ordered. Reluctantly Christopher complied and headed for the workshop as Roy emerged, brushing sawdust off his clothes. He smiled broadly as he saw Johnny and Chris waiting for him in the living room.
"Well, well, if it isn’t the newlyweds. What brings you by?" he asked amiably.
Johnny and Chris exchanged a shy smile. "You want to tell them or shall I?" Johnny asked her.
"You tell ‘em," she urged.
"Tell us what?" JoAnne demanded. Johnny grinned at their friends.
"Come on! Out with it, Junior!"
"We just found out we’re pregnant!" Johnny announced happily.
"I knew it! I just knew it!" JoAnne squealed as she hugged Chris first and then Johnny. Roy pumped Johnny’s hand and then he hugged Chris.
"Congratulations partner! We’re so happy for you!" Roy told them as he put his arm around JoAnne.
"Did the doctor give you a due date?" JoAnne wanted to know. Chris shook her head.
"Dr. Brackett thinks maybe late August. But he wants me to see my own obstetrician. I’ll probably get a more accurate date then."
"Yeah, who knows, maybe we’ll have the baby on my birthday!" Johnny projected, thinking of August 28.
"Well, this calls for a celebration!" Roy pronounced.
"What do you have in mind?" Johnny asked.
"Let’s go out to dinner!" JoAnne suggested. Roy nodded his agreement.
"How about it?" he asked Johnny and Chris.
"Sure! Why not?" Johnny responded for them both.
"Honey, go collect the kids. I just need to change outfits," JoAnne said as she crossed the living room.
"You look fine to me, Jo," Johnny assured her and she brushed off his remark.
"Oh, Johnny. I’ll be right down!"
Within a half hour, they all piled into JoAnne’s station wagon and went out to dinner. Jennifer was much more excited than Christopher. Roy was beginning to wonder if that grin would be permanently stuck on Johnny’s face. He was also excited to learn that Johnny would be joining him at the paramedic training class. At least they’d be working together for the next week or so until he was cleared to return to active duty. Johnny still had at least four more weeks to go before he’d get his cast off. They were fortunate that they had the opportunity to utilize their training and skills to assist up and coming paramedics.
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A routine was established. Chris would drive Johnny to the hospital in the morning. Roy would bring him home in the evening. After her appointment with her obstetrician, Dr. Louise Goyne, who determined that her due date would be August 24, Chris began a regiment of walking for exercise. She and Peggy Sue would walk approximately one mile from the ranch to a nearby mom and pop convenience store. The store was owned and operated by a delightful Korean couple, Ham and Sulee Kim. Their adult children, Han and Lin helped out at the store in the evenings. Sulee was teaching Chris to say a few phrases in Korean. She really looked forward to her visits with the Kims and treating herself to an orange-cream popsicle. Peggy Sue was welcomed into the store and fawned over by the family. Chris would have to tear herself away to head home once her popsicle was gone. She always hated to leave. When Sulee and Ham learned she was pregnant, they had become so excited for her. Sulee would insist that Chris sit and have a cup of tea. They would visit and talk about babies. Sulee’s daughter-in-law, Mila, had given birth the previous summer to a beautiful little boy, Sam. Often Sulee expressed her quiet concern to Chris that Mila would come with the baby and stay with Han when he worked the night shift at the store. Chris soon regarded her visit to the store as the highlight of her day. She began to wonder how she would manage her routine once Johnny was back on his rotating schedule.
By Valentine’s day, Johnny was back to work at Station 51. Holly had gotten herself in the family way and Chris was certain that kittens would be arriving any day. Johnny was certain that Buddy had something to do with Holly’s condition and promptly made an appointment with his vet to make sure that Buddy wouldn’t be fathering any more litters. Holly would have to wait until the kittens were weaned.
Johnny was nervous about his return to work as he hadn’t told the rest of the guys about the baby. He was both anxious and excited. He knew that Cap and Mike would know how he felt, being fathers themselves. And he thought that Marco would be supportive. His worry was Chet and his alter ego "the Phantom." He wasn’t sure what or when but he was certain that Chet would come up with something.
Five a.m. came early as Chris nudged Johnny from the warmth of their bed so he could take care of the horses before his shift. Breakfast was waiting for him when he returned to the house. Chris was still struggling with her aversion to the aroma of coffee so Johnny resigned himself to getting his coffee away from home. He showered, changed, and hurried out to the Land Rover. Chris watched until he was out of sight and then she’d begin her day.
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Johnny had almost finished dressing in the locker room when Roy arrived.
"Hey Partner! Great to have you back!" he greeted Johnny. His partner grinned broadly.
"It’s great to be back!" he admitted.
"How’s Chris doing?"
"Fantastic! Except that I still can’t drink coffee around her."
"What’s this Johnny?" Chet interjected having overhead that last comment. "Wifey won’t let you drink coffee?" he teased. Johnny shut the door to his locker and glared at his coworker.
"Oh? What’s the matter?" Chet continued to intone.
"Never mind, Chester!" Johnny informed him curtly and turned his attention back to Roy. "I’ve got to go check in with Cap. See ya in a few." He quickly made his departure. Chet moved over to Roy, his curiosity getting the best of him.
"What’s with Johnny?" Chet asked. Roy returned his attention to buttoning his uniform shirt. He gave Chet a Cheshire Cat smile and said nothing.
"Ohhhh! It’s some big secret, huh?" the mustachioed fireman observed. Roy rolled his eyes at his friend.
"Not now, Chet," Roy cautioned. Chet nodded with feigned understanding and headed for the day room while Roy finished dressing.
Minutes later, Roy was sipping hot coffee and perusing the paper when Cap and Johnny entered the day room. Chet sat on the sofa with Henry reading the sports section. Marco was at the stove pouring himself a cup of coffee, while Mike was checking out the refrigerator for ingredients for his meal preparations.
"Hey! Welcome back amigo!" Marco called out to Johnny with a huge smile.
"Good to see you, Johnny," Mike added as he shut the refrigerator door.
"Hi guys!" Johnny responded with a grin.
"Men, John has an announcement he’d like to make. Johnny?" Cap offered him the floor.
Johnny looked nervously around the room. These men were his friends and his coworkers. He trusted his life to them. Why, then, was he so nervous about his announcement? He looked at Roy who gave him an encouraging smile and he swallowed hard and cleared his throat.
"Well, I just wanted...I mean..." he stammered, uncomfortably and glanced at each of the men once more. Hank tried unsuccessfully to stifle a snicker by looking at his feet. Marco, Chet and Mike all looked at Johnny expectantly. He took a deep breath and released it. "Chris is pregnant," he said in a rush. There was a moment of stunned silence as the news sunk in. Then all at once the guys were congratulating him.
"Hey that’s great news!" Marco exclaimed as he rushed forward to pump Johnny’s hand.
"Congratulations Daddy!" Chet piped up from the sofa.
"Welcome to the club," Mike added.
Before they had the opportunity to say much more, the klaxons sounded, sending the station on their first run of the day.
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Winter moved quietly into Spring. Chris had been wearing some of her outfits from her heavier weight days but she soon realized she’d have to have some maternity outfits. She was surprised when Johnny offered to take her shopping. It didn’t take long for Johnny to go into sticker shock at the cost of the outfits. Chris decided that perhaps she’d should buy material and get a few patterns and sew her own. She called JoAnne and the two of them planned a trip to the fabric store. She did have to buy new underwear since she didn’t think she wanted to try making those from scratch. Her mother sent her hand-me-downs from her sister and sisters-in-laws. That helped a lot. With the outfits from her family and the ones she made, she soon had more than enough clothes to wear. However, she felt immense by the time June rolled around.
Then she started planning how she wanted to decorate the spare bedroom for the nursery. Johnny agreed to repaint the walls by the end of the month. At least he could have his coffee at home again. The only thing Chris hadn’t seem to overcome was her craving for the orange-cream popsicles. The Kims had started keeping an extra supply on hand, just for her. Peggy Sue always seemed to know when it was time to walk to the store. She would sit patiently by the door just waiting with the lease in her mouth, ready to go. Even if Johnny was home, Peggy Sue would abandon his side to accompany Chris to the store. Some days, Johnny would go with them. It was a good time for the Gages.
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It was a hot, sultry day near the middle of June. Johnny had spent the day putting another coat of the sky blue paint on the walls of the nursery. Chris was adding cloud-like accents in white with a sponge. The room was beginning to take shape. They still needed to find a crib but there was plenty of time to do that. Johnny took a break from painting the trim and headed for the kitchen. Opening the freezer he helped himself to one of the remaining two orange-cream popsicles. As he munched on it, he understood why Chris liked them so much. He grabbed a couple of sodas from the fridge and the remaining popsicle to take back upstairs to Chris.
"Here Sweetie!" he said as he entered the nursery. Chris smiled as she took the offered popsicle and soda.
"Thanks hon!" She took a bite from the popsicle. "Hmm. That is so good." She smiled as a trickle of the ice cream ran down her chin. "Oh! Did you bring a napkin?"
Johnny moved in close to her. "No. Let me get that," he offered instead and licked it off her chin. Chris giggled.
"That tickles!" she protested. She took another bite from the orange-cream popsicle as she stared into Johnny’s brown eyes. He bent his head down and snagged a bite for himself from the opposite side of the popsicle which was quickly melting. Between the two of them, they made fast work of devouring it. The sticky mess coated her fingers and Johnny gently sucked her fingers clean. She had to admit that she liked it. It amazed her that, even now, as big as she was, Johnny still found her sexy and wanted to make love to her.
A short time later, they lay in each others arms. Johnny rubbed her swollen belly and was rewarded with a definite kick.
"Did you feel that?" he exclaimed. Chris chuckled softly.
"Oh yeah. I felt it. Your daughter has been rather active lately," she responded with a smile.
"Uh, you mean, my son, don’t you?" he gently corrected her. Chris smiled as she stared dreamily into his eyes and played with his hair.
"Shall we agree on ‘Baby’ Gage for the moment?" she suggested. Johnny looked thoughtful for a moment.
"We do need to think of a name for the baby," he finally said. "What do you have in mind?"
"Oh, I don’t know. I suppose if it is a boy, we could name him after you. John Roderick Gage, Junior."
"Yeah, I like that!" Johnny agreed heartily.
"But what if it’s a girl?"
"Well, I’ve always liked Melissa."
"Hmm? Melissa?" Chris looked down at her belly and shook her head. "Nope! She doesn’t feel like a Melissa."
Johnny laughed. "That’s because he’s a boy!" he crowed. Chris rolled her eyes.
"John Gage! You’re incorrigible!"
He waggled his eyebrows at her wickedly, "I know but that’s why you love me!"
Chris giggled as she snuggled into his arms. "Maybe we need to get up and finish painting that room before it gets too late," she suggested.
"Maybe later," Johnny responded as he pulled her into a passionate kiss.
Because of their afternoon tryst, it was late when they finished painting for the day. They fell exhausted into bed just before midnight. It was a little past two when Chris rolled herself over to the edge of the bed and sat up. Johnny stirred at her movement but didn’t awaken. She put on her robe and made her way down to the kitchen. She opened the door to the refrigerator and enjoyed the rush of escaping cool air. Nothing appealed to her. She pulled the freezer door open and searched for her orange-cream popsicle. She was sure she had another one in there. She really needed one of those orange-cream popsicles. Then it occurred to her that Johnny must have eaten it. She made her way back to the bedroom and gently shook Johnny.
"Johnny? Wake up hon," she softly urged.
"What?" he asked sleepily.
"I’m out of popsicles!" she informed him.
"What?" he mumbled groggily.
"Would you go get me a popsicle?" she asked urgently. Johnny threw his arm over his eyes.
"‘kay," he agreed. Chris smiled and crawled back under the covers and waited for Johnny to get up. But soon she could hear him snoring. She sighed and tried not to think about the cool, sweet taste of the orange-cream popsicle. She lay there for almost thirty minutes. Finally, she couldn’t stand it anymore. She got up and threw on some clothes and went back downstairs. She slipped on a pair of loafers, grabbed her keys and wallet, and headed out into the coolness of the early morning. The convenience store was only a mile away. She would go and be back in ten minutes. Peggy Sue padded softly to the front door and plopped down and whimpered as she heard the pickup truck disappear down the drive.
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The lights of the convenience store shone brightly in the dark of the early morning hours. Chris pulled up to the side of the building and made her way into the store.
"Hi Han!" she called as she entered.
"Hi, Miss Chris," Han responded with a smile. "Why you here so late?"
"Oh, you know," Chris replied and pointed toward the freezer at the back of the store. Han smiled knowingly.
"Oh, yes. I know. Orange-cream popsicle, right?"
Chris laughed. "You know it!"
"Well, we have plenty."
"Thanks Han!"
Chris made her way to the back of the store. The freezer was located near the storeroom and the restrooms. She had barely pulled a popsicle from its compartment in the freezer when she heard a commotion at the front of the store. She couldn’t see what was happening but she could hear the angry voice that threatened Han to hand over all his money. Fear gripped Chris and her hands instinctively moved to protect her unborn child. Quietly she moved toward the nearby doors. Gently she turned the knob and pulled the door open, hoping that it wouldn’t make any noise and slipped into the room. It was dark in the restroom but she didn’t dare turn on the light as she knew from previous visits the ventilation fan would come on with the light. Her heart beat rapidly and she could feel it pounding in her chest. As quietly as possible, she pushed the button to lock the door. She could only pray that Han would not be injured and that the robber would take the money and go. But moments later, she heard more shouting and the loud bang of a gun firing. She had to stifle the scream that tried to escape her lips. She heard more shouting. A new male voice joined the commotion. She could hear the panic in their voices but she couldn’t make out what they were saying. She felt the same terror she had experienced with Jimmy Chandler. She heard sirens pulling up outside the building and heard the robbers curse. Then she realized that she was trapped with no escape and no one but Han knew she was in the store! Not even Johnny!
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Johnny rolled over and reached out for Chris. Gradually awakening, he opened his eyes. Chris’ side of the bed felt cold. He looked around the room. In the available light he could tell that the door to the bathroom was open, thereby eliminating that as someplace Chris might be. He rolled back over onto his right side and squinted at the clock on the night stand. It was nearly three-thirty. As he sat up, he could detect the sound of sirens in the distance which set Peggy Sue to howling. He pulled on a pair of boxers and headed downstairs.
"Chris?" he called out. Peggy Sue whined at him and pawed the door. He ignored her for the moment and continued searching the rooms for Chris. He scratched his head in puzzlement and placed his hands on his hips. "Where’s Chris, Peggy Sue?" he asked the young dog.
Peggy Sue perked up at the mention of her name, whined and pawed at the door. Johnny studied the dog for a moment and wondered if maybe she did know where Chris was. He opened the door and Peggy Sue ran out barking wildly. He looked out and saw that Chris’ pickup was gone! Then it hit him. Had she asked him to go get her a popsicle? Or did he dream that? The empty parking space in front of the house told him that it wasn’t a dream. He swore at himself for not waking up earlier. He ran back upstairs and quickly dressed. A nagging uneasiness was gnawing at his gut. Chris wouldn’t have been gone this long. He silently prayed that nothing was wrong. Johnny stuffed his wallet in his pocket, grabbed his keys, and ran to the Land Rover. Throwing the vehicle into gear, he drove recklessly to the nearby convenience store.
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The closer Johnny got to the convenience store, the more apparent were the emergency strobe lights of the police cars that surrounded the small building. He could feel his heart in his throat as he approached. A police officer motioned for him to turn down a side street, a police barricade blocked the path to the store. Frantically, Johnny rolled down the window and called to the officer.
"I need to get in there!" he yelled.
"I’m sorry sir. We have a hostage situation going on. No one but authorized personnel is allowed past this point," the officer told him.
"Look...I’m a LA County Firefighter/Paramedic and I think my wife is inside that store!" he explained.
"You say you’re a paramedic?"
"That’s right," Johnny responded, hopeful that his credentials would allow him to pass. The officer pointed to a space at the curb.
"Park over there and wait," the officer directed. "I need to check with the officer in charge." Johnny nodded his understanding and pulled over as ordered. Nervously, he gripped the steering wheel as he looked toward the activity surrounding the store. A couple of minutes later another officer approached the Land Rover. Johnny opened the door and stepped out.
"Yes sir. May I see your i.d.?" the uniformed officer asked. Johnny pulled out his wallet and opened it to his department identification card. The officer looked at it under the beam of his flashlight. Satisfied that it was genuine, he returned the wallet to Johnny. Johnny was desperately trying to hold on to his paramedic mode. He knew that if he lost his professional demeanor that there was no way they would let him get close enough to find out about Chris.
The officer indicated to Johnny to follow him to the command post on the perimeter. Johnny hung back while the officer spoke to the man in charge, waiting until he was motioned over.
"Mr. Gage?" the commander asked offering his hand. "I’m Adam Conyers. I understand that you’re a paramedic?"
Johnny nodded. "Yes, I’m with LA County. What’s the situation here?"
Conyers looked over his shoulder at the illuminated store, pointing with is chin.
"We have two gunmen and a wounded hostage inside the store."
Johnny felt the color drain from his face and took a deep breath before asking, "Do you know who the hostage is?"
Conyers took a sip from the Styrofoam cup of coffee he held. "His name is Han Kim, he’s..."
"He’s the son of the owner," Johnny finished. Conyers looked at him in astonishment.
"You know him?"
Johnny nodded. "Yes. My wife and I come in here all the time." He cast a worried glance at the store. "I think my wife may be in the store right now."
Conyers eyebrows now arched in surprise. "What makes you think that?"
Johnny took a deep breath and released it slowly, calming himself. "That’s my wife’s pickup truck parked over there. She’s six and a half months pregnant. She’s been craving those orange-cream popsicles. I think she may have come here for one," Johnny tried to explain, staring into the window of the store. He couldn’t see anyone inside the building.
Conyers followed his gaze and sighed. "Well, so far, we only know about Han. And that he’s been shot."
"Any idea how bad?" Johnny inquired. Conyers shook his head.
"No. We’ve been trying to negotiate with the gunmen but we suspect that they’re high on something. We’ve called for the paramedics but there’s at least a twenty minute ETA. When my officer told me you were a paramedic, I thought maybe you could help us out if we can get Han out of there. If your wife is in that store, I don’t think those guys know she’s there. What can you tell me about the layout of the store?"
Johnny thought for a moment. "There’s three aisles, running parallel to the front windows. The register is over to the right of the doors. There’s a snack bar just behind it with one of those fountain drink dispensers. At the back there’s a row of coolers. To the left side is the freezer. Then there’s a small hallway with restrooms on the left and a storeroom to the right." The officer watched Johnny explain the layout with his hands.
"Well, your wife may be hiding at the back of the store. That still leaves me with the problem of how to get those guys out of there so we can get to Mr. Kim," Conyers said thoughtfully. He could see the worry etched in Johnny’s features. "Don’t worry, Mr. Gage. We’ll get her out."
Johnny nodded tensely.
"I know it’s hard for you to hear but you’ll have to sit tight and wait. I want you to move back to your car." He held up his hand as Johnny started to protest. "I need you where I know where you are. I have to restrict this area for your own safety."
"I’m not leaving." Johnny was adamant. Conyers looked him hard in the eyes.
"Mr. Gage. I may need your help so I don’t want to be forced to have you removed from the premises. But right now you are a liability I can’t afford," Conyers informed Johnny curtly. "If you don’t want to wait at your car, then I will have one of my officers escort you home. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"
Anger flashed in Johnny’s eyes. This was a situation that out of his control and he didn’t like it. Not one bit. But he acquiesced to the officer in charge. He clenched and unclenched his fists. He would wait at his car albeit unwillingly. He turned and made his way back to the Land Rover. He opened the door and slid onto the seat half-way. He rested his arm on the open window frame, stretching his left leg between the door and the body of the car. He wished the paramedics would arrive. At least with them, he would have common ground. The standoff could last for hours. Han may not have hours. And where was Chris? Was she okay? Johnny felt consumed with guilt. Why hadn’t he awakened? Why in the world did Chris come down here by herself? He leaned his head against his arm and groaned inwardly. He wished Roy was there. He really wished it was just a bad dream and when he woke up, it would be all over.
The sound of approaching sirens brought his head up with a jerk. He looked around to see which way the squad was coming from. The flashing emergency lights strobed through the darkness and neared his position as the officer waved the squad through the barricade. It was Squad 36. No wonder it had taken so long for them to arrive, this was way out of their area, Johnny thought to himself as he followed the vehicle to where it stopped. Jose Diaz and Ned Perkins were getting out of the cab when Johnny reached them. Ned saw him first.
"Johnny?" Ned asked in surprise. "What are you doing here?" Jose rounded the rear of the squad.
"Hey Ned. Jose," Johnny greeted. "I live nearby and..." he looked uncomfortably at the building. "...my wife is inside the store."
"Oh, man. I’m sorry. Dispatch told us it was a hostage situation. What can you tell us?" Ned asked as he took in the police deployment surrounding the store. At the moment, the man in charge was preoccupied with his duties.
"The commander is Adam Conyers. They know that the suspects have shot the clerk. His name is Han Kim. He’s the son of the owners," Johnny informed them.
"What about your wife?" Jose asked with concern for his fellow paramedic. Johnny raked a nervous hand through his hair.
"We don’t know. We’re hoping that she is hiding someplace and that the gunmen don’t know she’s in there," he stated simply. "And guys...she’s six and a half months pregnant."
Ned let go a soft whistle. "I’m sorry, man. Any complications?"
"No. She’s been doing fine. Just these damn cravings!"
"Cravings?" Jose asked, trying to understand what Johnny meant.
"She’s been craving orange-cream popsicles. She came over here in the middle of the night to get a damn popsicle!"
"And ran into a robbery," Ned surmised. Johnny nodded. Another siren drew the attention of the three men as an ambulance pulled through the barricade and stopped behind the squad. A car followed the ambulance in and stopped on the other side of it. A distraught Sulee and Ham Kim tumbled out of the car and rushed forward. As Johnny moved over to stop them, Jose and Ned followed suit.
"No! Johnny! Let me go!" Sulee begged, tear streaming down her face as he held her tight.
"I can’t Mrs. Kim. The police won’t let you get any closer," he told her. Ham released himself from Ned’s grip to hold his wife. Johnny filled them in with everything that they knew.
"Chris is in there too?" Sulee asked in disbelief. Johnny nodded. She stared at the store. "Oh, no!" She looked back at Johnny. "What are we going to do?" she wailed.
"We have to be patient and wait," Johnny said in a soothing tone, that belied his inner turmoil.
"Is Han...alive?" she asked fearfully.
"I don’t know," he told her truthfully. He turned to the paramedics. "Ned, why don’t you let the commander know that the Kims are here?"
"Sure thing. Be right back," Ned agreed and headed over to the command post. Johnny escorted the Kims back to their car and encouraged them to sit down. He knew the anxiety and frustration they were experiencing. The ambulance attendants had gotten out of their vehicle and were hanging back near the road block. The waiting end of a situation like this was the hardest part.
Ned soon returned with Adam Conyers. Conyers basically couldn’t tell them anything more than Johnny had except that he knew that Han was still alive and that they were trying to negotiate with the robbers. Unfortunately, that was not going well. Conyers looked at his watch. It would be daylight before long. Although he didn’t say anything to the Kims or Johnny, their plan was to shoot tear gas into the store if the suspects didn’t surrender soon. They were waiting for daylight so that there wasn’t any chance that the men could escape.
Johnny sat on the back of the squad and watched as the sky turned from darkness into hues of pink and blue as the sun rose. He nerves felt jangled and the waiting was interminable. Jose shoved a cup of coffee into his hand. He didn’t even question where it came from. Obviously the police had brought in a canteen to service the officers during the standoff. He held the hot cup of liquid in his hands and drew solace from its warmth. Jose gently squeezed Johnny’s shoulder in a gesture of comfort before moving away. Johnny concentrated on the cup in his hands when he felt someone’s presence. He looked up into Sulee’s eyes.
"They’ll be okay," she assured him in her simple manner. She smiled hopefully into his eyes and he felt her warmth.
"I hope you’re right," he responded sadly. Sulee sat down beside him. He offered her his coffee which she refused.
"No. Thank you. I do not like the waiting," she told him. "Han is such a good man. He is a good father. He should get to see his son grow up."
Johnny nodded stiffly. He didn’t know what to say. His thoughts were crowded with Chris and their unborn child.
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END PART 12--TO BE CONTINUED IN SUSPICIONS
Author’s Note: Thanks again to my great beta readers and friends who have read and critqued my story. I couldn’t have done it without all your help! Hope you’ve enjoyed the story. I love to get feedback and your impressions of the story so be sure to write. Thanks to all the twochickies folks that work so hard to maintain this site and continue to post my stories. You’re the best! – Nancy, the Nifty Lady!
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