Heart Series 2

All It Took Was You

Ali Vali

Introduction

Disclaimers: I’ve spent so much time with these guys that I’m thinking their mine.

If you find that a relationship between two women distasteful, try salted pecans. They are easy to make and are one of my all time favorites. Write me and I’ll give you the recipe. But seriously if you are underage and live someplace where that is not allowed move on, literally.

Sit back and enjoy the story and if you have something wonderful to say about it write to me at terrali20@yahoo.com.

I want to thank my betas for correcting this for me. Jaden, Deanie, Sue and Becky you are all godsends.

This one is dedicated to C. You are the inspiration for all the words I write and all the wonderful thoughts I have. Thank you for being the best present I get on a daily basis.

Thanks to all of you that read the stories and write me. I appreciate you taking these journeys with me and for letting me know how much you like them. Happy holidays to you all and please stay safe.

This is the sequel to "How Do You Mend A Broken Heart." Just a suggestion in that you might want to read that one first before you start this one since it starts right where Mend left off.

She is laughing at something the person she is speaking with has said. It is like a gift now to see her so happy and proud at the life we have built. Love and time have made all the difference I know. She came to me broken and battered, and in the months that she has been with me, we have fixed each other, just like I fixed her broken leg. Circumstances kept us apart for years, enough time for me to become a surgeon and for her to become a battered wife. In a strange way, the bastard that brutalized her for years is who brought her back into my life. Now she has become my life, and the man responsible for her injuries is locked away for good.

All that is in our past now, memories we remember but chose not to relive too often. There are too many wonderful memories to think of now, and too many yet to be made. For the years that we were apart, I pondered the question, how do you mend a broken heart? I look at her now and the answer is simple.

All It Took Was You

by

Ali Vali

Part 1

"What do you call this one?" asked the orthopedic surgery resident standing next to her. He had picked up the subject of his question and was intently studying it under the soft lights in the room.

"A bowl," answered Harry dryly. She had been surprised to find most of her students milling around the gallery looking at Desi’s pieces when they had arrived that night. Her partner had become a common sight at both Charity and Mercy when she came to meet Harry for lunch. The outgoing blonde had become a favorite with Harry’s residents, so she was pleased to see them amassed there that night in a show of their support for Desi’s first gallery showing.

"It’s called ‘Blue Heaven’." Harry felt the small hand slip into hers, and saw the blush rise up the young man’s face at having been addressed by the artist, making her own right brow rise with the young man’s color. The fact that most of the young doctors turned into babbling idiots whenever Desi addressed them hadn’t escaped Harry’s notice either. "Harry are you misbehaving again?" asked Desi squeezing the large hand in hers.

"Never love, I just didn’t know the bowls had names. Do the one’s at home that I eat cereal out of have names?" asked Harry with a twinkle in her eye. Desi looked up at her and smiled. She knew Harry was teasing since the tall doctor had taken an avid interest in Desi’s new career, and did everything she could to make Desi a success.

It had been Harry who had put the studio together for her and on weekends could be found building shelves and other things to make it a better working space for Desi. And as her pregnancy progressed, Harry made it a point to go out every morning and arrange all her supplies so that Desi didn’t have to pick up much. Between Harry and Tony, Desi had been more than ready for her first show. The debut show would be the first and last for her, for a while. In a few more weeks they would have a new addition to the Basantes family, and there was no one more anxious for the baby’s arrival than Desi. For the past two months her back had been hurting so much from the extra weight she was carrying, she hadn’t been able to sit at her potter’s wheel for very long.

Harry felt the other small hand pulling on her jacket trying to get her to bend down to Desi’s level, which she gladly did. The resident looked on as Desi bit down on Harry’s bottom lip before letting it go and kissing her. When they broke it off, they looked up to see that they were relatively alone in a crowded room. "And here I thought I was your only true love." Harry could feel their child moving against her as Desi pressed closer to her.

"What do you mean, baby?" asked Desi as she ran her hands under Harry’s jacket along her back.

"That boy’s got a crush on you Desiree." Harry cocked her head in the direction the young man had walked off in.

"And here I thought they only got crushes on you Dr. Harry. Do you love me?" asked Desi from her safe cocoon. She was leaning heavily on Harry trying to get some of the pressure off her feet.

"With all my heart. Why do you ask?"

"Because I am in serious need of a back rub, and you seem to be the only person I find in my bedroom every night. Just checking to see if it’s because you want to be there or you can’t find any place else to sleep," teased Desi. It was nice to finally just relax and be the same girl she had been at one time. She could tease Harry endlessly, never fearing that she would ever reach a breaking point where the big surgeon would hurt her. There were still nightmares that lingered because of her life with Byron, but he was in jail and Harry was there to hold her through the bad times.

"Well now, if I’m in your way you just tell me ma’am. I’m sure you can find me some pallet or something I can lay my head on. But seriously honey, if you’re tired then we can head home. We’re in the final stretch now and I don’t want you to take any unnecessary chances." From over Desi’s head, Harry could see her mother closing in on them with a glass of champagne in her hand. Maria looked like she was having a good time catching up with her old friends from New Orleans, but she could always spare the time to give her only daughter a hard time.

"How’s my grandbaby?" Maria put her hand to Desi’s side and felt a strong kick against it. In the past two weeks, Maria had gotten to know her daughter’s partner after she and her husband Raul had moved in with the two. A year prior, when Harry had called to tell them Desi was back in her life, Maria had not welcomed the news with the most level of heads. Relying on Tony as her source of information as to what was happening in, the sometimes reclusive, Harry’s life Maria had gotten little information out of the usually talkative Tony about what had happened when they were in college. Maria guessed Tony’s reluctance came from direct orders from Harry to clam up about Desi’s disappearance. But she had seen the love in Harry’s eyes for this small blonde American, and had had to admit that Desi brought Harry infinite happiness.

"We’re doing great Mami, thank you for asking," said Harry sarcastically. She hugged Desi closer to her and kissed the top of her head.

"I was getting to that Harry, but first I would like to see the ring finger of Desi’s left hand." The matriarch of the Basantes family calmly stood before them and took a sip out of the flute in her hand. Maria would be damned if her fourth grandchild would come into the world with everyone having different names.

"I was going to show it to you, but you and Raul had already left for the evening when Harry gave it to me," said Desi. She was still trying to get use to the weight of the ring Harry had given her two hours prior. Desi wiggled her fingers in Maria’s direction, half expecting the woman to pull out a jeweler’s loop to see if Harry had done a good enough job.

"I’m just glad you remembered that commitment comes as part of having a baby Harry. Desi how do you feel about the name Basantes?" Desi could see who Harry had learned to arch her eyebrow from as Maria asked the question.

"Considering it’s the name on my driver’s license, I guess I’m ok with it. Jerry took care of all that at the end of last year, didn’t Harry tell you?" Desi cocking her head up to look at an innocent acting Harry, who at the moment wasn’t saying anything to help her with Maria.

"No, I didn’t tell her just to see how long she could hold out before asking," answered Harry. In her heart Desi was her wife; it was just a matter of waiting for the right ring to come along. Harry knew that it was only a symbol of what they really felt, but Desi had enriched her life so much in so little time, Harry wanted nothing but the right symbol for all that represented. The one Harry had found was simple in design, but in a way represented the changes Desi had brought into her life.

She still lived in the same house, worked in the same places doing the same things, but there was a newness to everything now, and Harry attributed it all to the love that had come back to her. A baby would only add to that, and Harry was anxious to meet the little person whom had sent her out into the city at strange hours to satisfy Desi’s cravings. Desi hadn’t wanted to know the sex of the baby ahead of time, wanting a surprise for both of them in the delivery room.

"Harry Basantes, you are not too old for me to smack you one - so behave." Maria put her hand up as a threat, before she turned her palm up as a gesture that she wanted Desi to join her. "Come on Desi, it’s not to late for you to learn social graces to make up for those that obviously didn’t sink into that thick skull above you."

"But I’m so attached to that thick skull Maria." Before Desi could continue her defense of Harry, Tony walked up and interrupted their bantering. He had appointed himself Desi’s manager and best friend, and the two had been inseparable for weeks as they readied the room next to Harry and Desi’s for the new baby.

"You are a success honey. It won’t matter now how long you take for a maternity leave; people are hot for your stuff. I knew we should have charged more," lamented Tony.

"Are you kidding, I’ve made more in one night than in my whole working career up to now. But enough about that kiddies; the potter has to sit down a minute." Desi’s back was killing her and her feet felt swollen. Not that she had seen them in weeks, but every shoe in her closet felt tight lately.

The sparkle of the ring caught Tony’s eye as they started past him and he held up his own hand to get them to stop. Making sure they were under one of the soft spot lights Tony did produce a jeweler’s loop out of his jacket pocket and checked out the merchandise.

"My God, you are good," he told Desi. Desi snatched her hand back and slapped him in the arm as they both broke into giggles.

"I’m not even going to ask," said Desi pointing to the eyepiece in Tony’s hand.

"A girl’s always got to be prepared for the possibility of large jewelry being gifted. Knowing the quality helps in deciding just how far the thank you has to go. That honey, should take you a while," said Tony pointing to the stone resting on Desi’s finger.

"All right poofer in a pink suit, back up and let me get my girl to a chair," teased Harry. Desi gave her a swift pinch on her butt for the insult as they walked to a set of chairs close to the table that had been set up as a bar. Mona intercepted them when she saw the fatigued look on Desi’s face. Most of Mona’s family had been coming to the house lately to see her, since the old family friend had refused to leave Desi’s side after six months of pregnancy. Mona took Desi on as her personal responsibility and was not shy about issuing orders when she thought the young woman wasn’t taking care of herself.

"It’s time to go home Harry, go get the car. I know that everyone wants to see our girl and tell her how good she’s done, but that will have to wait for the next show. You deaf Harry? Car! Now!" ordered Mona. Not even Maria, who had hired the maid years before, tried to argue with her when it came to Desi’s welfare.

"Yes ma’am," answered Harry snapping to attention and saluting. She laughed as she walked toward the door. Mona had taken a seat next to Desi and was holding her hand to make sure the young woman didn’t get the notion to leave the chair.

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"Gentlemen, one of the reasons Angola Penitentiary is so successful in the incarceration of society’s less desirable citizens is our location. I need not remind you that we are surrounded by some of the most snake and alligator infested swamps God ever sought to grace the great state of Louisiana with. Our objective this evening is the finding and bringing back of ten of our lost lambs. Seems they didn’t like the food nor the accommodations. Any questions before we let the hounds do their jobs?" asked Warden Miller. He had been with the prison for thirty years, and in that time there had been those who thought they could beat the land that surrounded the barbed wire fences. Just like all those others, the ten that had escaped would find new horrors to keep them awake in their cells at night once they were caught. Only a fool wouldn’t fear the swamp at night.

South Louisiana, for most who are born there, is a paradise that is hard to leave. No allure of the big city or fortune seeking is likely to make you want to wander off very far. As a child, Garrett Miller had driven with his father as the small town sheriff made his rounds in the late afternoons. There wasn’t much crime back then, maybe a farmer with a missing chicken or a snake in the cistern that needed removing. But it was those drives listening to his father’s stories that had made up Garrett’s mind on a career in law enforcement.

In his first year’s as a deputy working for his father, Garrett had spent that time watching the sugar cane stalks dance gracefully in the wind as he waited for speeders to come around the bend of the road in his small sleepy town. But then he did something no one in his family had ever done, and that was go off to college. With a new degree four years later, he set off to a new job at the Angola State Penitentiary.

The swamp that surrounded the prison grounds for miles reminded him of home. With the clusters of ancient cypress trees draped with moss, and the cypress knees coming out of the water it was a perfect hiding place for everything that would make your skin crawl. Garrett knew what was out there, and it made him stop for a moment to wax nostalgic about his childhood when he trapped with his grandfather on his mother’s side. He had to laugh when he thought of the Simoneaux family and the seven crack heads with them when they saw their first set of what Cajuns called glowers. The black water of the swamp would be broken up every so often by the glow of two small orbs. If you didn’t know better you would think that the spirits of old trappers were there to pay you a visit, but if you did know better you would know that below the little glowing balls was the snout and teeth of a gator. If they didn’t get you, then there were always the water moccasins and cottonmouths waiting in the trees with a mouthful of venom.

"We going out there tonight boss?" asked one of the deputies. There was a group of them surrounding the warden, all chewing tobacco, and all carrying loaded shotguns.

"You waiting for a cruise to take you out there maybe? Hell yes Jimmy, we are heading out tonight, but don’t worry. Unlike the ten morons wading out there in their underwear, we are going to give you boys some flat bottoms. Now pick a partner and let’s move out; my wife’s waiting at home for me with some chicken stew that I’ve been thinking about all day," said Garrett. He jumped in his Ford Bronco and headed out to the water’s edge to claim a boat.

Stepping as carefully as he could two miles away, Byron put one foot forward and tried to ignore the fact that the water was now up to his chest, and with more regularity, things were swimming up against his legs. Three of the guys that had run with them had turned around and headed back when they saw the first snake swimming past them. At the moment it didn’t seem like such a stupid idea to him. When Byron took his next step something long and scaly slithered past him and coiled around his leg. For a brief moment he stopped all movement and felt the blood drain from his body leaving him cold from the fear pumping through him. "Oh my God daddy, what’s that?" Byron shouted back to his father in a panic.

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"What in the hell! Who in the hell is at the door at midnight?" asked Harry out loud in the empty kitchen. The doorbell had rung just as she was cutting the sandwich she had made Desi in half. Whoever it was would just have to bear the fact she was in a t-shirt and a pair of boxer shorts. The shorts had been a gift from Desi on her last shopping trip with Tony. The black cotton material was covered in small white skeletons that glowed in the dark.

"Serena? Are Rachel and Butch ok?" The disheveled looking blonde at Harry’s door looked like the world was coming to an end. "Somebody better have broken something, or Desi may never forgive y’all for missing her first show," said Harry waving her old friend into the house.

"I’m sorry Harry, but I left Albert at home with Rachel tonight. I take it you haven’t watched the news?" Serena ran a delicate hand through her long blonde hair and hesitated at the front door. Might as well enjoy the playful bantering while it lasts, cause Harry my friend, I’m going to have to peel you off the walls in a minute.

"No, we just got home about thirty minutes ago and baby Basantes got hungry. What’s going on?" Harry pulled Serena into the house and closed the front door. Harry’s gut was telling her she wasn’t going to like what the attorney had to say. After what Desi’s sister and she had been through together, it would have taken drastic measures for Rachel not to have come and shared in Desi’s big moment. Desi hadn’t said anything but Harry could tell she had been hurt by Rachel’s absence every time the green eyes swept the room looking for her.

"Harry I need to talk to both you and Desi. I prefer you heard this news from me rather than the channel six news. Is she decent?" asked Serena as she mounted the stairs.

"You are kidding right? The woman is over eight months pregnant. She has a stick she whacks me with if I try to touch her. Says I make her hot," said Harry as she followed up after her friend.

"Well honey, you could make anyone hot in that outfit." Serena teased Harry by tugging on the bottom hem of her shorts.

"Serena baby, you are sleeping with my sister-in-law, stop looking at me like that." They walked into the bedroom together, finding Desi propped up by a mountain of pillows.

"Looking at you like what?" Desi looked at them like if the answer displeased her there would be hell to pay.

"Like I’m too sexy for my shorts," said Harry. The food in her hands was quickly snatched up by Desi who had been kept waiting long enough.

"Gosh, I remember a time when you went after me with such intent," teased Harry with a dramatic sigh. Waving Serena to a chair next to the bed, Harry sat next to a happily eating Desi.

"Harry let me explain something to you," started Desi, before pausing to take a bite of the chicken salad sandwich in her hand. It was Mona’s family recipe, and a favorite of Desi’s for weeks. Harry was convinced there was a wanted poster of Desi in chicken coops around the area, since so many of them had lost their lives to satisfy Desi’s chicken salad cravings.

"Over eight months ago, you wanted to have a baby and got me pregnant. Are you with me so far sexy?" Desi waited for Harry to nod her head before continuing. "Since then my back is killing me because all you Basantes people are so friggin’ big, and my feet are now three times their normal size. From the stories I hear, I will be in excruciating pain in about two weeks, and it will be all your fault."

"I thought it was our idea to have a baby, and your feet look fine," said Harry as she raised the blanket up to look at Desi’s feet.

"Harry would you like to have sex again in this lifetime?" The tone Desi was using sounded like she was speaking to someone extremely dull-witted.

"Yes honey." Harry answered looking to the woman next to her for signs that she was joking.

"Then just nod your head and be quiet. What can we do for you Serena?" Desi turned to their guest as Harry scooted closer to her. She was glad for the contact knowing that by the hour of Serena’s visit whatever she had to say couldn’t be good.

"I just wanted you guys to know that our old friend in the police department Roger Landry called me earlier to tell me that Byron, Mike and their father escaped earlier today along with seven other inmates. The authorities are looking for them, but haven’t found them as of thirty minutes ago. Desi I don’t want you to worry, I think they’ll be found before they ever get close to New Orleans, but I didn’t want you to hear this from someone else and freak out. You have to take care of yourself, especially now that you are so close to delivering Harry Jr."

"How could this have happened?" asked a stunned Desi. The news had come as such a shock that she had dropped the uneaten portion of her sandwich onto her lap. One of the reasons she had enjoyed the past year so much was the fact that Byron had been locked up. He was supposed to spend the rest of his life locked up, away from she and Harry. This cannot be happening again.

"They were heading toward the showers when they were left unattended. The ten of them hid in a closet while the guards took the rest of the inmates back to the cellblock then took off at a run to the back entrance that leads to the swamp. Angola didn’t think anyone would be stupid enough to head into that voluntarily, so it isn’t very well guarded. I’m sorry Desi, but you know that we aren’t going to let anything happen to you, especially with that pit bull sitting next you. I just thought you needed to know." The shock on the faces before her was the same as the look on her own when the detective had called and told Serena the news. With any luck, the ten of them were gator food by now.

"Thanks Serena, we appreciate you coming over here and telling us. The thought of them out makes me a little uneasy, but I know that I’m safe here." Desi tried putting on a good front since she could feel the waves of anger rolling off the big body sitting next to her. Desi had no doubt that if Byron, or anyone in his family stepped foot in their house, Harry would kill them where they stood.

"Harry, are you ok?" asked Serena. The pulse on the surgeon’s neck was visible even from the distance she sat. Harry was pissed, and rightfully so. The people trusted with the public’s safety by keeping these animals behind locked doors had failed miserably.

"No, I’m not fucking ok. That asshole tried to kidnap my wife and tried to kill me in the process, and now you tell me he’s escaped with that asshole clan he calls a family. If he comes within twenty yards of this house, I will shoot them on sight. I won’t have my family harassed again, do you understand me?" The small hand running along her arm and the fact that Desi needed her now was keeping Harry from bolting from the bed.

"Harry, don’t curse in front of the baby. It’s not Serena’s fault that they got out, so calm down love. We can’t do anything about it tonight, so let’s try and get some sleep," said Desi. She looked at Serena and gave her a warm smile. While Desi had been jealous of the attorney at first, she had come to regard her as a friend when Rachel had moved in with her. Butch had blossomed with the new relationship, enough so that he considered both Serena and Rachel as a parent.

"Harry, are you pestering that girl again? I swear you don’t have the sense God gave a pig. She is pregnant, you bonehead. That means that Desiree needs her sleep," bellowed Mona from down the hall. All three of them could hear the maid shuffling down the hall towards the bedroom, and despite the tenseness of the moment, they all had to laugh. "I thought I heard the doorbell. How is my little boy?" asked Mona.

"He’s fine Mona, and he had better be sleeping when I get home. That little sucker has learned to play your sister for all she’s worth Desi. I’ll let myself out and I’ll call you in the morning. Have a good night." Serena got up to leave and was followed out by Mona leaving Harry and Desi alone.

Desi sat quietly next to Harry waiting for her partner to say something. She wondered if Harry ever regretted making a life with her because of all the emotional baggage she came with.

"How are you doing baby?" asked Harry. Leaning back into the pillows, Harry substituted herself as Desi’s backrest. Harry’s only wish through their pregnancy was that it would go smoothly without undue stress. It had been that up to now, but she refused to let the Simoneauxs mar their happiness.

"I’m ok honey, I was just thinking that maybe you should have picked someone besides me to share your life with. It’s like we’ll never be rid of Byron and his family," said Desi in a small voice. She had gotten so accustomed to her new life, that the thought of losing it made her ill. Desi clutched onto Harry’s shirt trying to pull herself closer to the woman that owned her heart. What had started out as friendship so long ago had matured into a solid relationship since they were brought back together. Harry had given her a lifetime of good memories in sixteen short months.

Desi hung up the phone with a smile on her face after talking with Sam, Harry’s surgical nurse at Charity Hospital. The woman had answered the call since Harry was in the middle of a complicated back surgery with twenty residents looking on. Sam shouted over the song ‘Love Shack’ her promise to have Harry call as soon as she started suturing. Charity, Desi knew, was always a grueling day for Harry but in some ways was the most rewarding for her tall surgeon. When a patient, that in no way could afford her lover’s services, saw the goddess of the bones walk into their room, trailing a pack of awe struck medical students behind her, it was special.

An hour later Desi still hadn’t heard back from Harry, so she had gone out to her studio to get some work done. No sooner than she put her hands on the wet clay, the phone rang. Pressing the now muddy button of the speakerphone Harry had gotten her, Desi answered the call.

Before she said a word, Desi’s favorite voice came over the line, "Hello beautiful, how’s your day so far?"

"Good honey, but I miss you. You left so doggone early this morning, I don’t remember if I even got a goodbye kiss. All finished with Mr. Massengeli?" It amazed Desi how thrilling it was to get a compliment from Harry. The thought that Harry still found her beautiful, made Desi tingle.

"Baby you know I would never leave without kissing you first, and Vito made out just fine. He should be tending his garden again soon. Before we put him under he made me promise to tell you that his first batch of Creole tomatoes are reserved for you. What are you doing for lunch?" The phone was cradled between her ear and Harry’s shoulder as she wrote orders into Mr. Massengeli’s chart. The surgery to repair extensive damage to the vertebrae of the old Italian bricklayer’s back had been tedious, but Harry was happy with the result. The pain reduction from the procedure, Harry guessed, would make Vito a happy man once he was back on his feet.

"Harry it’s three in the afternoon love," chided Desi. The fact Harry had such poor eating habits when she was working, was an ongoing argument between them.

"I tried eating during surgery baby, but all the crumbs I dropped tended to cause infections in my patients. I’m sorry, I know I promised to do better, but we’ve been in there since nine. Besides I won’t be home until around eight so the math on my lunch hour works out." Harry could hear Desi laughing on her end, which told her the small blonde wasn’t too angry with her. Harry handed the chart to the OR nurse and started jogging toward her car.

"What did you have in mind?" Desi wiped her hands on a towel ready to forget work for now. She wasn’t about to pass up an opportunity to meet Harry for any reason.

"How about a picnic in a secret location?" offered Harry. A quick right onto St. Charles Avenue put her on the route home. Now all she had to do was keep Desi on the phone for a few more minutes.

"A secret picnic locations Dr. Harry? I am intrigued as to where that might be, no hints?" Desi leaned on the desk Harry had put by the window so the doctor could catch up on her paperwork close to Desi on the weekends, and looked out at the garden under the large windows. The yellow irises that had been there for years were in bloom, attracting bees to the beautiful flowers. The shelves behind her were starting to fill up with the pieces she had completed.

"No hints, just get in your car and get on the phone, I’ll guide you to the right place," grunted Harry as she sat and stretched out on the quilt spread on the ground.

"Ok honey, I’m out back so give me a few minutes to grab my keys. Bye."

Harry watched the big white clouds through the thick leaf canopy overhead as they floated by. It was relatively quiet as she relaxed and took in her surroundings. The thought that she needed more days like this one occurred to her as she stretched out on her back. She smiled as she heard the door slam on the new BMW she and Desi had picked out. The stubborn blonde had been reluctant to the idea of driving such an expensive car, until Harry sat her behind the wheel and dropped the top. It was really too small for Harry, but the surgeon sure thought Desi looked good driving it.

"Ok where to?" asked Desi as soon as she heard the connection go through on her cell phone.

"Back up and tell me when you get to the end of the drive." Harry sat up and waited for the silver metallic car to come into view. "Ok stop," cried Harry into the phone. "Look to your right baby."

Desi swiveled her head in that direction, and in the distance by the large wall that surrounded their property sat Harry. The location the doctor had picked would only make them visible from the driveway, and since it was Monday, they wouldn’t have any interruptions. Harry still had on her white lab coat and a stethoscope draped around her neck, but had taken off the running shoes she wore for comfort on surgery days. Harry smiled as she watched Desi cross the lawn towards her wearing shorts and a small tank top, that Desi had informed her was called a wife beater. Harry figured Desi had everyone beat looking as good as she did. The blonde could certainly turn heads without any effort on her part.

Desi took in the reclining figure and put more sway into her hips. Getting Harry all hot and bothered had become her hobby. "Wanna play doctor with me little girl?" asked Harry. The sandals Desi was wearing came flying off as she stepped onto the blanket. With deliberate slowness, Desi peeled off the cotton top revealing two perfect breasts to Harry.

Placing the earpieces of the stethoscope into Harry’s ears she said, "Yes, I think you should listen to my labored breathing." Harry blew on it to warm it before placing it on Desi’s chest. As she listened to the strong heartbeat, Harry’s eyes were glued to the pink nipples in front of her. Desi had straddled her at the waist and was pushing the white coat off her shoulders, and her soft lips were attached to Harry’s neck. "What’s your diagnosis doc?"

"From the state of your breathing, increased heart rate and nipple reaction, I would have to say you’re horny baby. I need you to take off your pants though to complete the examination." Desi stood up right in front of her so that her crotch was inches from Harry’s face. With quick twits, the buttons of the shorts popped open and fell to her feet. A soft chuckle escaped her lips when she heard Harry moan when the navy blue thong panties came into view.

When the big hands moved up to remove the last article of clothing Desi had on, she stepped back out of Harry’s reach. "Ah ah ah honey, not yet," said Desi dropping back to her knees. Peppering Harry’s face with small kisses, Desi removed the scrubs and sports bra Harry had on, leaving her in only the tight Jockey boxer shorts the doctor liked to wear. The white form fitting material that came to mid thigh, only enhanced the large muscles in Harry’s legs. Looking at the elastic band along the washboard stomach, Desi asked, "Does the jockey give rides?"

With a gentle push, Desi had Harry on her back so that she could sit on her face. She hovered inches above Harry to tease her, knowing it wouldn’t take much effort for the long column of muscle below her to reach the breaking point. Maybe we should buy stock in Victoria’s Secret, thought Desi as the thin straps of her underwear popped. The feel of the thin strap in between her cheeks being pulled away got Desi to go down the last two inches to heaven. Harry’s tongue was waiting for its first taste of the only thing she craved, even in her sleep. Desi.

When Harry ran her tongue along the length of her sex, Desi tilted her hips forward and leaned her body back. Keeping herself anchored with a hand on Harry’s upturned knee, Desi shoved the other one into Harry’s underwear. Her hand followed the rhythm Harry had set for them, and Desi could feel the nub under her fingers grow harder and slicker. Desi was about to protest when the tongue receded, but just as quickly Harry sucked in and bit down gently on her clitoris.

"Yeah honey, like that. Don’t stop. That feels so good Harry," whispered Desi. All she wanted to do was scream, but controlled herself in case someone was strolling down the sidewalk on the other side of the wall. Not content with just using her hand, Desi pulled up and turned around. Peeling Harry’s underwear down, Desi buried her face between the strong legs. Her mind went blank momentarily from the pleasure of having two fingers slide though the wetness between her own legs, adding to the sensations Harry was providing with her mouth.

Their climaxes came hard and fast leaving them panting against each other. Harry could feel Desi’s body shaking above her as the smaller woman started laughing.

"What?"

Desi rested her head on Harry’s thigh as she enjoyed the after glow of her unexpected visit from the good doctor. "I’m glad you picked here to eat. We would have definitely drawn a crowd at the park." Desi turned around again and sat astride Harry leaning her back on Harry’s bent knees. The small blonde knew that it was one of Harry’s favorite positions. Harry always told Desi that she loved looking up at her and having every thing within an arm’s reach. Doing just that, Harry reached up and pulled the beautiful woman down to cover her upper body.

"Nobody gets to look at you, but me. It started as a child really, I never learned to share well with others," said Harry in a serious voice. She rolled them over so she could reach the basket behind them. Mona had done Harry the favor of cooking for them on one of her days off. Desi pulled her down to kiss her one more time, enjoying their closeness, and the warm sun bleeding through the large oaks overhead.

"I don’t know Basantes, you shared pretty well with me when we were growing up. But I have to agree with you in that you won my heart and my love. Hopefully you won’t want to share that with anyone else, except maybe a smaller version of yourself." The blue eyes looking down on her with so much love, crinkled at the corners when Harry smiled at her comment. It was the same look that always came over her face when Desi talked about their future family. "Now, what cha got to eat, I’m starved here."

Harry pulled out the containers Mona had packed finding a fried chicken feast with all the sides they both liked. They spent the rest of Harry’s lunch hour feeding each other until that hunger was sated as well. "Desi, you know something?" Desi finished chewing then rested her head on Harry’s shoulder. Life was so fulfilling now in this fairy tale life they had built for each other.

"What love?"

"I love you with all my heart. You bring me such joy that there isn’t anything I feel I can repay you with for that."

"You can just love me Harry, and you can invite me out to lunch whenever you like. I love you too honey, with all that I am. You have always believed in me Harry; it should be me thanking you for that. Can I ask you something?"

"Sure you can baby, my life’s an open book to you." The lunch combined with the pattern Desi was tracing on Harry’s naked chest was making her sleepy.

"Next week when my divorce becomes final, I want to change my name to Basantes. That is, if you don’t mind. I could understand after all I put us through if you don’t want me to. I could just use…," the rest of her rambling was stopped by a pair of soft lips. When she opened her eyes Harry was looking down on her as she ran a long finger along Desi’s jaw.

"Nothing would make me happier than that. I was going to ask, but it seemed terribly old fashioned. The thought of people knowing we are permanently partnered is thrilling to me young lady. Now maybe my residents will stop giving you the eye," said Harry before placing another soft kiss on Desi’s lips.

"It doesn’t matter if any one else is giving me the eye Dr. Basantes, I only have eyes for you," said Desi leaning in for another kiss.

Harry walked her back to the car once they had gotten dressed and repacked the basket. Before she turned back toward the gate to get her car, which was parked on the street, Harry gave Desi a rose along with another kiss. The romantic afternoons happened often, but were always spontaneous. That alone told Desi that her gallant surgeon put some thought into the time they spent together.

"Desiree Basantes, you can’t have meant that last statement. I wouldn’t have picked anyone else but you. Byron was a mistake that wasn’t your fault. I swear sometimes I wish Clyde were still alive so I could beat the shit out of him. What kind of father pushes his child into that kind of abusive relationship?" Harry hated when Desi beat herself up over the past, one that she had been forced into by emotional blackmail.

"Still my champion even after all this my love?" asked Desi as she snuggled closer to Harry. "I’m sure our child will experience some better parenting than I got."

"For as long as you want me, I’ll fight for you baby." Harry pulled Desi as close as the blonde’s bulging midsection would allow. "How’s my little guy doing in there?"

"It could be a little girl you know. We are doing just fine worrywart. Us in the Basantes family are made of tough stuff." Desi pushed off of Harry’s body to lie on her back then pulled Harry down over her. In times of stress this was where Desi found her comfort. In Harry’s soft lips and equally gentle touch, Desi always found her lifeline. "We will want you forever honey."

The next morning Maria winced at the sound of Harry’s hand hitting the bag swinging in front of her. Whenever Harry went after a workout like this, there was a face she was imagining on the punching bag. The tall body bouncing on tiptoes as it delivered blow after blow was glistening with sweat and every muscle was showing in vivid detail. Maria had to admit that Harry was quite a beautiful specimen to behold. So much like Raul it’s scary sometimes, thought the older woman. Her husband was out in the pool doing his morning laps despite the dropping temperatures. Raul was into his sixties, but like his daughter, still looked good.

"What are you going to do Harry?" The litany of punches paused for a moment when Harry realized she wasn’t alone, but continued just as quickly.

"I didn’t think I needed to do anything just yet. Unless you think I should put on some hip boots and join the search party maybe?" Harry delivered a triple combination to the bag that made the walls rattle.

"Harry, don’t get smart with me. I want what’s best for you and Desi, so I think we should head to Florida until this is all resolved." Maria crossed her arms and threw her weight onto one foot waiting for the protest that was coming. Harry hadn’t just inherited the Basantes’s signature looks, but their obstinate nature as well.

"No." It was a simple enough answer, one that told Maria, Harry would not be drawn into this conversation, or argument, depending on how you looked at it.

"Harry, you know this is the best solution to keep Desi safe. There is no telling what these people will do if they make it into the city. They blame both of you for what happened to them, so why not take the easy way out?" Maria walked up to her tall daughter and pushed back some of the sweat slicked hair. Looking at Harry now, like this, Maria could see why Byron’s jaw had been wired shut for ten weeks.

"Bastar Mami, aqui vivimos y aqui los vamos a quedar," said Harry. Enough Mami, here is where we live and here is where we will stay.

"Yo se mi amor, per piensa en tu familia. Piensa de tu mujer y tu hijo," answered Maria. I know my love, but think of you family. Think of your wife and your child.

"Maria, leave Harry alone, she has enough to concern her now without our interference," said Raul from the doorway. In her father’s eyes, Harry was capable of anything once she set her mind to it. The man with the compassionate blue eyes walked into the workout room and embraced his daughter. "I’m sure she won’t let anything happen to our grandbaby or to Desi. Isn’t that right Harry?"

"That’s right Papi. Ma, don’t get mad. I thought about your idea, and I won’t do that to Desi. She’s too far along to fly, and a drive that far would be beyond cruel." Harry leaned over and kissed her mother’s cheek as she stripped her gloves off.

"A drive how far?" asked Desi when she joined the group. She soaked up the warm hugs that were instantly given by Harry’s parents, saving the sweaty Basantes for last.

"Fort Lauderdale," answered Harry. She kissed the crown of Desi’s head and enjoyed the small flutters coming from the baby.

"I know you both mean well, but I won’t let Byron drive me out of our home. I’m through being afraid, besides the Spanish raging bull here pulverized him the last time they met." The chest Desi was leaning on puffed up a little making her want to laugh. The big mush ball really was easy to please. "Come on honey, you can help me wash this big body of mine, not to mention you could use a good rub down yourself." Harry blushed scarlet, making the three other people in the room laugh.

"It’s not funny."

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"This is not funny at all guys. I say we turn back and just accept whatever they want to dish out at us. Whatever the consequences are they have to be better than this," said Mike. The man beside him was bleeding profusely from the large gash in his leg. Their walk through the swamp the night before had been too tempting for the local wildlife, and one of the larger alligators had taken a bite out of the crack dealer that had escaped with them. The blood loss had weakened Chuck to the point they had had to stop. At sunrise they found the only little bit of land available, and surprisingly their surroundings looked even scarier in the light of day. During the day you could see the ripple in the water as the snakes swam lazily by, and the dark bumps that topped the bodies of the gators. The cold weather had thinned the reptilian population considerably, but there was still enough to have all their hair standing on end.

"Shut the fuck up little brother, we ain’t going nowhere. You always were a bit of a pussy, and don’t think I’m going to forget anytime soon that you testified against me. We are going to push on, but Chucky here stays. We are going to have enough problems getting out of here, without having to carry his ass too," said Byron. He glared at his brother as he pulled leaches off his legs. The buzz of the mosquitoes around them was about to drive Byron mad, but he had bigger problems as he looked in his briefs and found more of the black slimy things that had attached themselves to more than just his legs. "Fucking great," said Byron as he started pulling them off in the sensitive areas of his body. The warmer the sun grew, the more things around them came to life.

"Both of you shut the fuck up. We have to keep moving while the sun is up. I sure as hell don’t want to spend another night crawling around out here," said Byron Sr. from the water’s edge. His time behind Angola’s walls had been spent cursing his wife. He knew she wasn’t dead, but she would be when he was done with her for putting him in a cage with these animals. "Monique, I’m coming for you baby."

"She’s dead you crazy shit, let it go." Byron shook his head; the old man had lost it in the ten by eight space he spent most of his time in. Mike had it easier with his job in the prison library, but the younger Byron was sent out every day to work in the fields. Angola was known around the state as ‘The Farm’ and Byron had gotten a good taste as to why on his arrival. The prison was completely self reliant when it came to food, and raised money for the inmates expenses by selling cotton and whatever surplus was left.

"She ain’t dead boy. Now let’s get going." Byron Sr. waded out into the water expecting everyone else to follow.

"Listen old man, you may order these two sweet boys around, but watch you tone with me," said Tyrell. The six foot four African American looked like a walking wall of muscle. Convicted of a murder he readily admitted to, Tyrell was serving a forty-year sentence. He would stick with the group until they reached the road and then leave them to fend for themselves. He still had friends in the Treme neighborhood who would come and get him, and help him get on with his life. The man he had killed had beaten his sister until he had broken her back. Tyrell knew his sister Diana felt bad for the outcome, but he wouldn’t change what he had done given the opportunity. The sucker had died by the same fate he liked to inflict on women.

The other two in the group were drug dealers who jumped at the chance to run. The law handed down life sentences for certain amounts of drugs you were caught with, and Roland and Gazette had been two ounces over the limit. What had started as a quick money scheme, had turned into a hellish existence. "Well come on if we’re going. The sooner I get away from you freaks the better," said Roland. He was a smallish man that had not done well in the prison environment. People the size of Tyrell had used him as a play toy for the past three years and he was sick of it. Even if he died out here it was better than going back to the farm.

The group of six set out leaving the wounded Chuck behind on the small mud island. Through dark brown eyes, Chuck could see the large black snake sunning itself on the branch above his head. Growing up with an innate fear of them, he didn’t have the strength to move much less be afraid. Beyond the cypress trees, the sky was a brilliant blue with no clouds giving Chuck some small comfort that it would be his last sight. He closed his eyes and whispered a childhood prayer his mother had taught him hoping the prison authorities weren’t too far behind them. He blinked his eyes open momentarily and curled his lips into a faint smile when he heard the terrified "Ahh" coming from the direction the six men had headed.

Part 2

"Ahh! You aren’t wearing that to dinner are you?" Tony asked with his hands covering his chest from the small sofa in the master suite. Harry had been ordered down stairs after an appropriate outfit had been found for her, leaving Tony behind to help Desi get ready. Desi held up the outfit laughing at Tony’s dramatic display, making Harry’s threat pop into her head. She loved it when Harry was overprotective of her, and the look on Tony’s face when Harry had called him a fruitcake had been priceless. Tony had been given strict orders not to let her pick up anything that weighed more than an egg, and she wasn’t allowed to stoop for anything.

"You are so mean," said Desi sticking her tongue out at him. Harry’s parents were treating them all to dinner at one of the French Quarter Restaurants that night. After a vigorous shower, she and Harry had taken a nap for most of the afternoon. It was nice to not have any medical emergencies take Harry away for the weekend since she had talked one of the other doctors into taking her calls.

"And you love it, but believe me girl, Harry would not love you in that. Makes you look fat." Tony pointed his finger at the dress in her hand while shaking his head.

"Tony unless you’ve missed it, I am fat. As in, I’ve gained forty pounds in eight months." Desi waved her other hand along her midsection to make her point. "It’s a wonder Harry still sleeps in the same bed with me."

"No, that’s pregnant, not fat. And you know that tall, dark and rude is crazy about you. My little love bug tells me she goes around the hospital talking about you and that baby adnauseam. You’ve turned our prickly pear into a veritable chatterbox I tell you. Now go get that green number we picked up a couple of weeks ago and I’ll zip you up. And for God’s sakes, don’t bend down to get the shoes. I’m sure Kenneth would find some benefit to me having no teeth, but it would ruin my look." Tony wiggled his blonde eyebrows at her when she arched one of her own at the last comment he had made. "Oh like you don’t know what I’m talking about Mrs. Basantes."

"You will not be allowed around my child at this rate pumpkin, and I thought you called Kenneth, ‘Sugar Pants’?" Desi asked as she stepped into the large closet and stripped off her robe.

"Where did you hear that name?" demanded Tony. Since she was in the closet, Desi missed him stomping his foot for emphasis. These verbal sparring matches with Desi were the highlight of his day. They were planning to open a gallery together as soon as Desi was able, they just hadn’t told their partners yet.

"From me, sweet tooth. Go share your company with the others and I’ll take over the zipping duties from you." Harry held the dress for Desi to step into as Tony left the room grumbling. As soon as he closed the door, Harry dropped the dress and swept Desi into her arms. Their alone time had been somewhat diminished with all the guests they had been having, so Harry liked to sneak some in whenever she could. "How’s my little mommy doing?"

"Hungry, but that’s not unusual. What are you doing up here?" Desi tugged on Harry’s belt to make her step closer. "How about you kiss me first, then answer." After they broke off for lack of air, Desi ran her nail along the crisp cotton of Harry’s shirt trying to ignore the voice that was screaming at her to go back to bed. "You know Harry, you have a way of turning me on even in this state."

"What, with my hand in your panties? I thought that’s how I usually did it?" teased Harry. She wiggled her fingers to drive her point home.

"Stop it. I’m already regretting we have to go out after that kiss, don’t make it worse." Desi reached around and pinched Harry’s bottom. The fingers between her legs weren’t stopping, and she wasn’t moving away. "You could send me into labor."

"I’m dying to meet the little guy anyway, so think of something better than that." Harry walked them backward toward the sofa Tony had been occupying earlier. Easing Desi down, Harry dropped to her knees in front of her.

"Promise you won’t mess up my makeup?"

"I promise my mouth will go nowhere near your makeup baby," Harry swore. For the next twenty minutes their guests downstairs welcomed all the new arrivals, glad the girls were enjoying some time alone.

"Harry Basantes are you in there bothering that girl again? I swear to you that I’m going to start putting saltpeter in your coffee in the morning. Now get your curly hard head out here and go talk to your guests, and let Desi finished getting dressed," bellowed Mona from the hall. She knew better than to just walk in. These two went at it so much that the Lord Almighty could walk in on them and be told to wait a moment.

"I was helping the woman I love into her dress old woman, so leave me alone. Desi will vouch for me I’m sure." Harry opened the door and tried to look innocent.

"Yeah? Then why you wearing a different shirt than when you came up here?" asked Mona with her arms crossed over her chest tapping her foot.

"My shirt got wrinkled while I was helping with the dress, besides it didn’t match with what Desi has on," Harry shot back tapping her own foot. "Doesn’t she look beautiful?"

Harry pointed in Desi’s direction, in an attempt to change the subject.

"She always looks beautiful smarty pants. Though why the girl wants to bring another one of you into this world is beyond me?" teased Mona.

"That one’s easy Mona, it’s because I think she’s perfect." Desi was caught off guard when Harry swept her up into her arms and carried her down the stairs. She was giving her taxi service a thank you kiss when the doorbell rang. "Who are we missing?" asked Desi.

"Just Rach, Serena and their little man." Harry put Desi down but kept her arms around her when they reached the bottom of the steps.

Mona moved to open the door expecting to find the perpetually late Serena and Rachel. The moment she cracked the door, four-year-old Butch came racing through it straight to Harry and Desi.

"Hey Uncle Harry, guess what?"

"What’s up little buddy?" Harry let go of Desi momentarily to pick the little dynamo up and hug him. He was a little unsure of their feelings now that Harry and Desi were going to have a baby, so Harry had been lavishing more attention than usual on him. In his four years, Butch had enjoyed Harry’s full attention, so she wanted him to not feel any less important with the addition of another baby.

"We’re coming to eat with you, but you gotta talk to the new lady first." The little blonde kissed Harry then leaned over and greeted Desi. He had come to love Desi as much as he did Harry since Desi would spend a lot of time with the little boy she had come to regard as a nephew in the back studio whenever he come to visit. Together they had created some of the artwork that hung in both Harry and Serena’s offices.

"New lady?" asked Harry.

"Yeah sweetie, we ran into her coming up the walk, so we gave her an escort to the door. I just thought she was a friend of your mom and dad." Serena stepped aside to reveal a mature but attractive petite blonde woman dressed in an elegant outfit. When Maria shook her head in the negative, Harry stepped forward putting herself between Desi and this stranger at their door, and her father moved next to Desi. With everything going on, they weren’t taking any chances with anyone they didn’t know.

"I’m sorry to interrupt, but does Desiree Thompson live here?" The strap of the woman’s leather purse was twisted in her hand as she scanned the faces in the room.

"Who wants to know?" asked Harry staring the woman down.

"Her mother," was the quiet reply. Harry was about to tell the woman to get out for playing such a sick joke when she heard her father shout to her.

"Harry come quick!" When Harry turned around Desi was slumped against Raul. Wanting to get as much distance between this loon at her door and Desi, Harry picked up the limp form and carried her back up the stairs.

"Mona, my bag darlin’," was the only orders Harry issued as she moved quickly to their bedroom. Raul and Mona followed right behind, a black leather medical bag in the maid’s hand. Kenneth wanted to go and help but decided to stay behind to provide backup for Maria and the others if needed.

The assembled group downstairs was left stunned by the woman’s declaration, no on more than Rachel. Just like Desi, the young woman felt faint and leaned heavily on Serena. They had never known their mother, who had supposedly died in childbirth with Rachel, and Desi had been a little past one at the time so she had no memory of the woman. Clyde had kept only one picture of her in the house, claiming that it was the only one left after a roof leak had ruined some boxes he was saving for them in the attic. That fuzzy picture of Clyde and June taken on their honeymoon in Biloxi, sat on their mantle for years. Rachel could never really make out her face, it was taken from so far away, but she imagined from the color of her hair, she looked a lot like Desi.

"Madame, I don’t know what kind of game this is, but my daughter-in-law is eight months pregnant and in no position to be thrown this kind of emotional hardball. You had better start praying now, there isn’t anything wrong with her or that baby, because there will be no place on this earth you can hide from Harry if there is." Maria turned and looked at Rachel to make sure she was all right, before turning her attention to the blonde in the foyer of the house.

"Ma’am I know this sounds a little farfetched, but I am Desiree and Rachel’s mother despite what my ex-husband might have told them. I’ve been looking for them since I heard Clyde had died, but haven’t had any luck until now. I had no idea she was with child, and was married to your son Harry." June knew this first meeting was not going to be easy, but it had spiraled beyond what even she could have imagined.

"Harriet is my daughter Mrs.?" asked Maria. She looked at Serena, who now had Butch and Rachel plastered on each side of her. "Sit her down Serena, and Tony, get her a glass of water."

"My name in June Fontaine ma’am, and I am truly sorry for springing this news like this. I just want to find my children." June looked at the group again trying to assess what would happen next.

"Well Mrs. Fontaine, why don’t you have a seat for a moment while I check on Desi. Kenneth dear, make sure she doesn’t go wandering about will you?" With that, Maria turned on her heel and started up the stairs. Maria had never been a woman to be trifled with, especially when it came to her children and her family.

"Did she just say that Harry was a woman?" asked June to no one in particular. Rachel stood across from her wanting nothing more than to start asking the million questions that were running through her mind, but could only manage to stand there using Serena as a lifeline. The shock of the woman’s statement had almost locked her jaw and knees in place. There was a small seed in the back of Rachel’s mind that wanted to just unleash the years of anguish she and Desi had suffered on the woman across from her. How dare she leave them for a better life and abandon the two of them with Clyde. Rachel took in the expensive but tasteful jewelry, the designer clothes and smooth skin and had an overwhelming desire to slap the woman.

"Desi baby, come on wake up for me sweetheart. You’re safe now baby, come on." Harry was kneeling on the bed next to Desi wrapping a blood pressure cuff on her arm. Raul was behind her on the phone trying to find their obstetrician to talk over what had just happened.

When Desi’s eyes fluttered open she found Harry hovering over her with her stethoscope in her ears. The room still looked fuzzy and she wasn’t exactly sure how she had gotten back to their room. "Does this mean you want to play doctor again? Do you remember that afternoon honey?" Desi asked in a scratchy voice. When she started talking, Harry almost passed out from relief, and Raul started laughing at the first thing Desi had thought to say.

"I sure do baby, only let’s talk about that when Papi isn’t in the room ok? How are you feeling baby?" Harry smoothed the short blonde hair away from Desi’s face, and checked the green eyes she loved.

"I feel ok I guess? Did a woman just come in and say she was my mother?" Desi grabbed Harry’s hand and kissed the knuckles, still not sure of the sequence of events.

"Yeah, that would be about right, but don’t worry about that now. I want to make sure you’re ok before we begin to sort that out," said Harry. Behind her Raul had finally gotten Ellie Eschete on the phone. Getting her to hold a moment, Raul handed the phone to his daughter.

"Hello Elli, Desi just fainted on me and I wanted to check in with you. Her pressure’s a little on the low side, but the rest of her vitals are all right. Should I bring her in?" Harry proceeded to explain the events that had just occurred in their home.

"Meet me at the office in fifteen minutes, the movie I was in wasn’t that good anyway. And Harry, keep her away from this woman for the time being. I don’t want any more stress put on Desi than necessary," ordered Ellie. The rumpled looking doctor stood in the lobby of the Palace Theater trying to figure out which of the twenty theaters she had come out of. "Give me a minute to find Sam, then we’ll head out."

"Tell her I’m sorry to ruin your evening, but this couldn’t wait." Harry trusted Desi’s doctor implicitly when it came to anything medical, but the absent minded woman usually was kept in line by her partner in life as well as in medicine.

"Are you kidding, I think they just keep changing the name, but it’s the same movie, I’m convinced. You blow up something every ten minutes and kill ten thousand extras, end of story. Maybe I could get you to talk to her about what women expect in a date. Get moving," said Ellie. Standing at the bottom of the darkened theater, Ellie crooked her finger at Samantha to get her up and moving.

"Ellie it’s just getting to the good part," complained Sam, already pulling her car keys out of her pocket.

"I promise to make it up to you later by renting ‘The Godfather,’ parts one through three, but it’s Desi my love. Harry just called and they’re meeting us at the office in fifteen minutes." That cancelled any more complaints from Sam as they walked out to the huge parking lot.

Both of them had been highly entertained when the Basantes couple had first come in, and they got to see the big mother hen Harry had turned into. With Desi, Harry was as far removed from the terror that made residents quake in their shoes, as you could get. Sam and Ellie had met Harry and Kenneth in medical school, and while each had chosen different specialties, they had remained good friends.

The day they found the name Desiree Basantes on their appointment roster, it had made them curious as to the relation to their old school friend. Basantes wasn’t a common name in New Orleans. Located two floors below Harry’s clinic on the Mercy Hospital Clinic Complex, the two partners had to smile when they got their first look at the small blonde dragging Harry behind her. By the look on the tall surgeon’s face, the two could see it was game, set and match as far as Harry’s heart was concerned.

On the way to the clinic, Sam and Ellie discussed what had happened and concentrated on Desi and the baby’s well being. The other issue of what had caused it could be left for later. At the house on St. Charles Avenue, the tension downstairs was thick, as upstairs Harry got Desi ready to go.

"Mami please go down and keep our guests confined to the living room while we duck out the kitchen," said Harry as she placed the receiver back on its cradle. "Ellie’s going to meet us at the clinic in a couple of minutes sweetheart, so let’s go." Desi’s color was returning to normal, but she wasn’t taking any chances.

When Harry picked her up and cradled her against her chest, the small woman protested, just not strongly. "Honey, I think I can walk on my own."

"Humor me will you baby? I’ve had enough excitement for one night thank you. Papi sorry about dinner, why don’t you all go without us?" Harry knew it would be a moot point, but it was worth a shot.

"We’ll be right behind you Harry, so tell the girls to leave the door unlocked. We can all eat some chicken salad sandwiches when we get back, there has to be five pounds of the stuff in the frig." Harry’s father moved closer to them and kissed them both on the forehead. Desi could see the worry in the blue eyes that were twins of the ones she loved, and smiled to reassure him.

"That’s my fault Papi, your grandbaby is on a chicken kick lately. I can’t seem to get enough of the stuff," said Desi. Turning to Harry she said, "Vamonos." Let’s go.

Maria walked in to the room to find everyone sitting and no one talking. Butch jumped up from his mother’s lap and ran to his adopted grandmother. All her grandchildren called Maria, Abbi, short for Abuela, which is Spanish for grandmother, and Raul, Papi.

"Abbi where’s my Uncle Harry and Aunt Desi?" Butch didn’t understand what was going on, but everyone sitting around him seemed to be either angry or very sad.

"Desi had to go to the doctor baby, and Harry had to go with her. But don’t worry, you know Uncle Harry won’t let anything happen to her," explained Maria as she held the little boy tight. "The rest of you please go on to the restaurant and enjoy the evening. Raul and I promise to make it up to you, maybe tomorrow."

"Oh dear God," said June through a sob. How had something that was supposed to be a joyous reunion, have turned so wrong? June just sat in the wing-backed chair even though everyone around her was getting up to leave.

"Listen, I’m not really sure what to believe, but here’s our number. If you like, why don’t you give me your number and I’ll call you later," said Rachel. The resemblance between this woman and her sister was too uncanny to ignore, but Rachel’s fist priority was to the person that had taken care of her all her life. June just stared at her like she was in a daze before answering her.

"Thank you young lady," said June with a smile. She didn’t recognized the young woman before her since the last time she had seen her was three days after her birth.

"My name is Rachel Thompson, I’m Desi’s sister." Serena stepped behind Rachel and put her hands on her lover’s shoulders. She would follow any lead Rachel set, but Serena also wanted to insulate her partner from as much pain as possible.

"You both are so beautiful, I never imagined," stated June. She had found Desi, and through her figured to find her youngest daughter.

"We’ll have time to talk later, but we have to go. Let me make sure that Desi is all right then we’ll make plans to call you. For what it’s worth, I really want to believe you," said Rachel. The little girl still trapped inside her wanted nothing more than to cluctch on to what June was saying.

"Thank you, I just want the chance to explain," said June. Rachel nodded her head then walked past June to the door. She couldn’t fall apart now that Desi needed her so no one judged her for Rachel’s lack of emotional response. All that had happened in the months since the girls had come back into their circle had prepared them all to except anything.

Mona led the woman to the front door and locked it behind her. Harry’s parents were waiting for the maid by the car at the back. Because of Mona’s relationship with Desi, there was not question on her coming along.

"Harry what do you want to have, a boy or a girl?" She and Harry were waiting for the parking lot elevator and she had just pressed the floor that would open to the clinic building. Harry as holding her again, and Desi was running the fingers of one hand through the curly hair on Harry’s head. When the doors of the elevator slid open, a rush of hot air blew out into the lot. They rode up two floors then stepped out into the long corridor washed in soft ambient lighting and headed toward another bank of elevators at the end that would take them to Ellie and Sam’s offices.

"I don’t care what it is baby, just as long as you both come out of this ok. Why do you have a preference?" Harry looked at Desi’s face as they moved closer to their destination. They had discussed not wanting to know what the sex was, wanting to be surprised, but they hadn’t talked about what they wanted.

"No, not as far as the sex is concerned, but on looks I have some requests. I look at your two nephews and niece, and that’s what I want. A beautiful baby with thick black hair, blue eyes and chiseled features. They’re young yet but you can tell they’re going to be tall. I guess I just want us to push him or her in the park, and have people know you are one of the parents. I think if it looks like you, then maybe they’ll inherit your personality too." Desi buried her face in the collar of Harry’s shirt to feel a connection with her. The feelings were fading, but Desi couldn’t help but think of the first time they had come to the medical campus together. All that was left of that time was the faint scar on her knee.

"I don’t know baby, a little girl with blonde hair and green eyes would be nice. Even if the kid looks like you sweetheart, people will figure out the parentage from the goofy look on my face. She could grow up to be a surgeon that makes pottery as a sideline, that is when she’s not making the population of the city swoon because of her great beauty," said Harry. The phone clipped to her waist let out a soft ring so Desi reached down and answered it.

"Dr. Harry Basantes’s phone, can I help you?"

"Desi, is that you?" asked Roger Landry. The search team had just sent back news, and it was good and bad.

"Yes, I’m sorry, I don’t recognize your voice." Desi shrugged her shoulders for Harry’s benefit as she waited for the man to identify himself.

"I’m sure you wouldn’t remember, it’s been awhile, but that’s a good thing. In my profession that means Dr. Harry’s treating you right."

"Roger, God how are you? Tell me you are calling to tell me they found Byron?" Desi felt the arms carrying her tighten slightly.

"Sorry kid, there is some news though. Three of the guys took one look at that hellhole of a swamp and turned themselves in. As for the others the search crew found one of the escapees about three miles from the gate they left out of. His partners in crime left him to die from an alligator bite, and damn if Chuck didn’t accommodate them. They have another fifteen or so miles of the same kind of terrain, and believe me, I wouldn’t want to wade through it in my underwear. I just wanted to keep you posted, and I’ll call back if there are any new developments." Roger and his new partner were out running down leads as to where the men on the run might end up if they made it into the city.

"Thanks Roger, I’ll let Harry know and please stay in touch." Desi explained the new developments to her partner, surprising herself in that she was so calm about the whole thing. It seemed absurd all of a sudden, like she had a starring role of a soap opera, all they needed was dramatic organ music in the background. "When we tuned in yesterday, Desi had just fainted as her long dead mother walked through the door. Her abusive ex-husband, and five other prisoners were heading back to get her, dressed only in their underwear. What will happen today? Even we don’t know, so stay tuned to ‘As the Beignet Fries’ to find out." Desi laughed harder at Harry’s arched brow after finishing the silent monologue in her head.

Snapping the rubber gloves off and throwing them in the trash Ellie concluded her examination. Sam had assisted through the whole thing watching the fetal heart monitor closely. Desi could in all probability deliver a healthy baby, but the more time spent in the womb the better. "Everything looks fine Desi and soon you will feel junior here start to drop. We’re in the home stretch now. While I’m not thrilled you passed out, I don’t see any complications from it. I have to ask though, are you going to be meeting with the visitor you got tonight?" asked Ellie. They all followed her back to the large office Ellie shared with Sam.

"I’m not sure what to expect, but the answer to your question would have to be yes. Don’t worry though, I’ll have my big teddy bear with me, so I’ll be ok," said Desi, as she grabbed Harry’s hand. Harry noticed the delighted look that crossed Sam’s face, and figured the nickname would be all over the building by nine Monday morning. The noise coming from the waiting room got them all to get up and head back in that direction.

"Ok, but I want you to cut off contact if you start getting upset. Call me old fashioned, but I don’t think it’s good for the baby," said Ellie. The two of them walked together, as Harry and Sam followed behind them bumping shoulders and doing a little shoving. "Don’t make me turn around Sam Casey," said Ellie in a threatening voice. The two behind them had a way of turning into three year olds when they got together.

"Well?" asked Maria and Mona together when Desi stepped through the door.

"Everything is great you two." Desi stepped up to Rachel and opened her arms. They would have to deal with the events of the evening eventually, but there was still time to enjoy a family dinner that night.

"I say we call the restaurant and ask if they’ll still take us," said Harry. When she got nods from everyone, Harry started dialing. She added two more to the list and reached for Desi’s hand.

"I’m starved," said Desi, getting a laugh from everyone in the hallway.

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"Well I am."

"Try and not think about it stupid. We’re all hungry, but there ain’t shit to eat out here," said Byron. Mike had been complaining about food for the last hour.

They were now down to five, and were making steady progress through the swamp. They hadn’t gotten a hundred yards from where they had left Chuck when a water moccasin had sunk its fangs into Roland’s upper thigh, knocking him off his feet. Gazette had pulled it off and tossed it against one of the cypress trees, but not before it had injected a lethal dose of venom into his partner. Roland had tried keeping up with them, but the swelling in his leg was making it difficult. Without his knowledge, Roland’s fear was driving the poison through his system that much faster.

"Wait up you guys, Roland can’t go anymore," called Gazette. They four men looked back to see Gazette holding Roland’s head above water. From where they stood he already looked dead, so had no intention of stopping. It had been six hours since the snake had done its deadly job.

"Either just let him go, or stay here with him, but I’m not stopping," said Tyrell. This would not the place he would want to be buried, so he had no intention of dying out there.

"I’m with the black guy," said Byron Sr. Gazette kissed the forehead of the man he had known since they were children and let him go. If he wasn’t dead, the water would finish the job. As they moved away, there was a stream bubbles that rose from the water before Roland was no more.

"My name is Tyrell Lagrie, ass wipe, try and remember it. On second thought just don’t talk period, it’s bad enough having to go through this without your crazy ass piping up every ten seconds with some stupid shit." The sun had gone down at least an hour ago, but they hadn’t run into any more wet or dry land. By silent consensus, they had all just kept moving. There had to be an end to this stinking hell sooner or later.

"What you in for Tyrell Lagrie?" asked Byron Sr. There was something about this man he didn’t like but he hadn’t narrowed it down yet. One thing, the man didn’t have a single hair on his head or chest. What kind of man doesn’t have any hair on his chest? Byron Sr. asked himself the question as she watched the powerful looking body plow through the water.

"I beat a man to death outside of his house."

"What cha’ go and do something like that for?" The old man jerked sideways suddenly as something swam by and brushed his leg. After the fate of the first two men, Byron Sr. had no desire to join them.

"He beat my sister and broke her back. I figured he should have picked on someone that could fight back. I got no tolerance for a man that beats up on women, it ain’t right. What you three losers in for?" Tyrell stopped so suddenly that Mike ran into his back. The youngest Simoneaux was grateful for the distraction before they all started comparing jail sentences and offenses. It was his guess that Tyrell would not agree with his family’s treatment of the opposite sex.

Tyrell looked ahead of them and in the distance could make out a faint light. Now the question was, what was it? It could be a house of some kind, or the spotlights of the search party looking for them. As bad as the swamp was to travel through on foot, Tyrell knew it was their best chance at escape because the authorities couldn’t use the dogs out here effectively. The old looking hounds were trained on a daily basis to hunt down scented targets, and they were damn good at their jobs. Once the dogs got their first smell, they shook off their lazy demeanor and looked like the hounds of hell possessed.

From the prison library, Tyrell knew that they had the main road to the prison on their right, and the Pearl River to their left. The river was easy to sweep with helicopters sporting spotlights, and the main road would be heavily patrolled. The book on the prison made no mention of any inhabitants out in the swamp leading into the penitentiary.

"What in the fuck did you do that for idiot?" asked Byron Sr. When Mike stopped suddenly, his father had slammed into the back of him and lost his footing. In an instant he was pawing at the iron band that was Tyrell’s arm. A large hand had closed over his throat and had shut off his air supply.

"Shut the fuck up old man and I might not have to kill you," whispered Tyrell. In the quiet of the night sounds were intensified out here, and he hadn’t come all this way to get caught now. Pressing one finger to his lips, Tyrell pointed to the light up ahead. "Stay here and let me go see what that is. If you see it move, get some cover because it might be the cops."

Without another word he slipped away from them and headed toward what could be his ticket out of there. Tyrell cocked his arm back ready to throw a punch when he heard the water ripple behind him, stopping at the last minute before he hit the younger Byron. "There’s no way I’m losing sight of you Lagrie, if that’s a way out of here we’re all going."

From behind the crevices of a cypress tree the two listened to the conversation going on about a hundred feet from them. Along with the sound of two men talking, Tyrell and Byron could hear the hum of a generator and the swarm of the bugs the lights were attracting.

"No sheriff, I ain’t seen nothin’ suspicious. Got my trusty security system with me at all times though so you might get them back with some holes if they come tracking through here. Heard y’all found one of them with a chunk missing this morning though, any truth in that?" asked Ross Pierre. The man lived in the modest shack two months out of the year so that he could hunt alligators. In the past five years there had been a jump in the market not only for the hides, but for the tail meat and heads as well.

"Yeah, some drug dealer from New Orleans found one of your pets sometime after they started running. Bled to death out on a mud pile like a stuck pig. The only salvation was it ain’t hot, otherwise the warden says they start stinkin’ right from the start. No great loss in the long run though buddy, so don’t fret over it. Take care and I’ll check on you in a couple of days. Radio in if you see anything. The place is crawling with deputies, but they only got seven miles to the road, which is where everyone figures they’re heading. Got some heat waiting for them there though stretched out every five hundred yards. Stay put for awhile, wouldn’t want any of those snipers to mistake you for a convict," said Sheriff Tyler. He started the electric trawl motor and pushed off from Ross Pierre’s pier. The small boat didn’t go very fast with the small motor, but it was the best way to get around out here. His spotlight scanned the trees and water line, but found only local wildlife instead of human movement. The two hiding behind the tree held their breath as the sheriff headed back in the direction of the main road.

They heard the heavy boots of the man in the shack as he headed back inside. The dim light coming off the pier showed a flatbed boat with a push pole as the means of propelling it through the water. With a goal in sight, Tyrell waited for the man to close the front door then swam underwater until he came up next to the front of the boat. He motioned for Byron to find the others while he waited for the guy to fall asleep to untie the boat.

Byron moved back in the direction that they had left the others, trying to locate them in the dark. After he was a distance from the shack, he heard his name being called softly from somewhere in front of him. Mike, his father and Gazette all huddled together near a group of cypress knees sprouting out of the water.

"What in the fuck is that smell?" whispered Byron as he got closer to them.

"How in the hell should I know? Do I look like a swamp man to you?" asked Mike. His brother was right, it was like the water they were standing in had turned rancid all of a sudden. Not that the shit smelled great to begin with, but now it was down right ripe.

"Come on, we found a way out of here. Just shut the hell up and don’t make any noise. The fucker in there is armed to the teeth it sounds like, and I don’t want to find out what kind of firepower he can lay down on our asses if provoked," said Byron in a low voice, cocking his head toward the shack behind him.

When the generator kicked off for the night the darkness swallowed the structure back into obscurity giving the men the cover they needed. They waited a bit longer to give the guy a chance to fall asleep before Tyrell untied the boat and pulled it behind him. Once the shack was out of sight they men climbed on board and Tyrell took the first turn at pushing them along with the long pole.

"What the fuck did y’all bathe in while you were hiding?" asked Tyrell. The four others smelled like someone had dunked them in urine and were starting to scratch with a vengeance.

"We smell like you shit head so shut up." Byron felt like someone had lit a fire under his skin and it was spreading.

"Ever heard of Nutria Itch dipwad?" Tyrell asked with a smile that showed perfect white teeth.

"No," answered Mike feeling the same sensations the other two men were.

"You’re going to in just a little while," the man said with a laugh. Tyrell couldn’t wait for the sun to go up to the see the results of the infestation that took weeks to get rid of, and was made worse by scratching. With only the white of their underwear showing mutely in the moonlight, they maneuvered their way forward toward the main road with only the sound of the of the pole coming in and out of the water with a plop.

"What’s the first thing you are going to have when we get back to the city?" Gazette asked Mike in a whisper. It didn’t seem like you could hear a normal conversation over the din of mosquitoes and other wildlife but Tyrell had warned them about making too much noise.

"I’m going to order the biggest steak I can find, with a baked potato and a cold beer. What you interested in getting?" answered Mike.

"I’m going to find myself a woman first, before I think about food. Three years is a long time to go with out, but as far as food, I’d have to give that one some thought," said Gazette. He tried to make out his toes in the moonlight, sure that it would take three months for them to unprune from being in the water so long. Note to self, next time escape fully clothed, Gazette thought. "I love Mexican, so I’d start with… well it’s a hard decision."

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"Just pick something to start us off." Serena was ready to eat her napkins she was so hungry.

"We’ll start with four platters of the seafood nachos, and beer for everyone that raises their hand," said Harry raising her hand. The waitress left with their appetizer and drink orders leaving the long table to talk until she returned. An hour later they were eating almost every specialty dish the Santa Fe Restaurant had to offer and in between bites the conversation was getting louder. Their tab total so far and the fact that they were in a room all alone kept the management from complaining too much, but the other patrons had stopped talking and listened to the lively conversation coming from the last room by the bathroom.

The old restaurant was located in an old house across the street from Washington Park, and made what Harry referred to as gourmet Mexican food. The seating was dispersed in one large room downstairs and a variety of rooms upstairs in what everyone assumed were the bedrooms at one time. Desi had to laugh at the old claw foot tub in the full sized bathroom that housed only one toilet. With no beepers and no one on call, Harry, Kenneth, Serena and Sam relaxed a bit and started drinking beer. Their partners just sat back and enjoyed the sharp bantering that was flying around the table, all gathering ammunition for a later date. Because Butch was with them, they kept the conversation interesting but clean.

Rachel and Serena had ridden with them to the restaurant to talk about what had happened. The two sisters decided that they would wait for the morning to call the number June had left before leaving that evening. If the woman they had seen earlier that evening really was their mother, the two sisters couldn’t think of one explanation for her abandonment. By mutual consent they decided to wait until the next day before they passed judgment.

When Desi emerged from the her third bathroom run, she immediately noticed the tall redhead standing next to the small bar upstairs waiting for a drink right off. The woman was intently staring into the room Desi’s group was sitting in. The tight, sleeveless blue silk dress she had on revealed a slim, well-proportioned figure that, when combined with the beautiful face, made a devastating combination. Whoever it was, she didn’t even turn around when the bartender handed her a Margarita.

"Could I have a glass of water with a wedge of lemon in it please?" asked Desi. As the man scooped ice into a glass she looked up at the woman, who had finally come out of the trance she seemed to be in.

"Sorry, I just saw a page from my past and it surprised me," she gave as an explanation for her staring. She shrugged her shoulders before she went back to her staring.

"Good chapter I hope." Desi squeezed the lemon into her glass and waited to see if her assumption was correct.

"More like the chapter of lost opportunity. Good looking, but too self absorbed to notice anyone else around her. Some people just aren’t capable of love I guess." The woman raised her glass in salute before taking a small sip and continuing. "It’s a shame too. Put the looks together with a considerate nature and it made for a winning combination."

"Oh I don’t know. Sometimes people are just patiently waiting for the right one to come along. Stranger things have been known to happen." Desi could see whose back the gray eyes seemed to be glued to. Harry baby, thank God you never figured out just what kind of affect you have. I don’t think I would have been so lucky to have gotten you back if you had, thought Desi.

Desi had run into them around town every so often when she was out with Tony. They were the women that had drifted in and out of Harry’s life before they had found each other again. The first encounters had left her with an overwhelming feeling of jealousy, until Tony introduced them. All of them flocked to Tony for a Harry update to see if they had a second chance with the successful surgeon. It was then that Tony would take great pleasure in introducing Desi and she saw the jealousy in their eyes. Desi had achieved what they all had wanted. The other thing that occurred to her was the fact that not one of them looked like her, and none of them had green eyes. Tony had explained it in his off the cuff manner in saying, "She couldn’t replace you, so why add torture to the torment."

"That honey, would take an act of God."

"No honey, just good sex and no birth control was all it took." The shocked look on the woman’s face and Tony’s ghost wink told Desi she had come a long way in a short time. The best satisfaction came when Harry turned around looking for her. The blue eyes were a little glassy, but still full of love.

The woman was still staring when Desi walked away with an uneven gait to accommodate her load. It was a little mean maybe, but it never hurt to flex a little proprietary muscle for Harry, she was entitled. Desi enjoyed the welcome back kiss near the door as the silk dress slinked away.

"You ok baby?" Harry was far from drunk, but the beer was working up one hell of a frisky mood Desi if the deep voice near her ear was any indication.

"Never better lover."

"Friend of yours?" Harry thrilled Desi with the question without her knowledge.

"Nope, no one important." Harry was so warm and smelled so good Desi stepped closer.

"There are other people in the room," interjected Sam.

"Easily remedied," Harry shot back. The car keys come out of her pocket and were thrown to her father, and then Harry just waved good-bye pointing Desi toward the door.

"I think the baby likes when you do that," said Desi three hours later. If Harry still found her desirable, who was she to argue? The cabdriver that had driven them home would probably concur. "At this rate, I may be pregnant again already."

"I can’t help it, you are delicious." With Desi propped up against her, Harry’s mind wandered to how different their lives would be when the baby came.

"I’m glad you think so honey. You do wonders for my ego, not to mention my back muscles." Desi’s lower back had been killing her for the past two days, and only walking and Harry was making it feel better. Harry was about to ask about Desi’s back when the phone rang. They both groaned knowing that the damn thing only rang after eleven when someone had arrived in pieces at one of the local hospitals.

"Basantes here." When Harry answered the phone, Desi took the opportunity to run to the bathroom, convinced their child had reduced her bladder to the size of an acorn.

"No Willy, I’m not taking calls this weekend, besides I had about three beers earlier. I have every confidence in you to do a good job. You did learn from the best after all." Harry smiled up at Desi as she padded out of the bathroom back to the bed. A line from an old Robin Williams concert Harry had seen popped into her head as the naked body curled back beside her. ‘One day you get home and while you were at work your wife got a visit from the titty fairy’, or something along those lines. They did look like they’d be a little uncomfortable to carry around, but that didn’t take away from how good Desi looked. Harry found the whole package adorable.

"Listen Willy, just go in there and order all the scans and tests you’ll need, Sally will help you out there, then prep for surgery. It’s that simple."

"Come on Dr. Harry, the kid’s only ten and someone hit him with a truck. I’m not asking you to scrub in, I’m just asking for a second opinion." William Franklin was one of Harry’s surgery fellows, and had been with her since the beginning of his surgical residency.

"All right I’ll meet you in the emergency room in twenty, so start those tests and put rushes on all of them." Desi let out a long sigh and hoped she could get some sleep with Harry gone. "I’m sorry baby, but the kid’s only ten. I won’t be long, I promise."

"I’m not mad at you Harry. I just don’t sleep great when you’re not here, so hurry it up. And be careful," called Desi into the closet. She shook her head wondering what the little boy’s parents would think when they got a load of the young doctor in jeans and a t-shirt.

"What we have here Willy, is multiple fractures in the right leg, and a major fracture close to the left with knee complications. You need a pin here and here, then go in with the scope and clean all this up," said Harry pointing at the screen in front of them. The slow trickle of film was finally piecing the extent of the young boy’s injuries an hour later. "As soon as the scan of his head comes back, call Harold in neurology and have him take a look. Scrub up Willy, you got a long night ahead of you. I’ll stop and bring his parents up to speed before I head out. Call me if you run into any complications." The coffee in Harry’s hand tasted like someone had made it sometime last year, but it was keeping her alert. The events from the night before and earlier were finally starting to take their toll. The fact it was now two in the morning wasn’t helping any.

"Thanks Dr. Harry, I appreciate your input. Have a good night." William slapped her softly on the back. He, like many other, were grateful that Harry had decided to teach as well as carry a private practice. Harry was a hard taskmaster but once her students finished their rotations, they had the necessary skills and knowledge for almost every case they would ever encounter.

"He’ll be off his feet for about four months, but after that with no set backs, Bobby will be back to normal. Dr. Franklin will come out after he’s done and talk with you. I’ll have Sally come out here every hour or so if she can to let you know how it’s going. Do you have any questions?" asked Harry. The two solemn looking people shook their heads and continued to hold each other. "Ok then, just walk to the desk over there if you need something." Harry got up to find the ER nurse Sally standing right behind her. The older woman had waited for Harry to finish, and Harry could see she looked a little anxious.

"Harry you have to head over to Mercy right now," said Sally. The Land Rover was waiting right outside after Sally moved it, and she was pulling the tired doctor toward the door.

"No way, I’m going home. Desi will kill me if I take another call instead of heading back home."

"Believe me honey, she’ll kill you if you don’t show up in that ER in the next fifteen minutes. Your parents are on their way over there with her Harry. Desi’s in labor," said Sally along with some more pulling.

"Yeah right, Desi’s not due yet, she can’t be in labor."

"Harry this is your kid right?" asked Sally. They stopped for only a moment by the desk.

"Yeah," answered Harry bringing her eyebrows together.

"And you are so well known for your patience and calm demeanor. I’ll bet twenty-five years from this date my youngest, who wants to be a nurse, will be having this conversation with someone who looks just like you. He or she, God forbid, will have the same exasperating personality," explained Sally. Harry’s phone and pager went off simultaneously as the color drained from her face.

"Hello."

"Just so you know, I don’t hate you JUST YET, but the night is young and if you don’t get your ass moving right now, all bets are off," said Desi in a deceptively calm voice. Labor, she had figured out, was now tops on her list of most unpleasant ways to be brought out of a deep sleep.

"Desiree Basantes, you cannot be in labor. That does not happen for another two weeks," said Harry pointing a finger in the air for emphasis. She pulled the phone away from her ear with the same confused look she had just given Sally and handed the phone to the nurse. "Here she wants to talk to you."

"Yes Desi, she’s standing right next to me. Are you sure? Well ok," said Sally as she whacked Harry on the back of the head before giving her the phone back.

"Move your ass Harry," was the last thing Harry heard before Desi disconnected the call.

Springing to the door like someone had lit her feet on fire, Harry left the chaos of the Charity Emergency Room and headed uptown. Even the distraught parents Harry had just spoken to had to laugh at the exchange between doctor, phone and nurse. "That resident has a lot to learn about children," the young mother told Sally.

"That resident, is the head of orthopedic surgery here at the hospital ma’am. The most important lesson she’s going to learn tonight though has nothing to do with children. It will have to do with women and labor. Hopefully Desi, her partner, will stay away from those talented hands."

"We thought Dr. Franklin was in charge," said Bob, the young boy’s father.

"No sir, Dr. Franklin works for her." Sally pointed toward the swinging doors Harry had just run out of. Since Harry wasn’t there to do it, Sally let a little laugh escape at the man’s assumptions. Sally’s laugh died just as quickly when she heard the crash outside. Oh, it couldn’t be, thought the nurse.

Part 3

"What happened to your head?" Desi had been set to page Harry again when her partner came walking into the cubicle she had been assigned to. The hour since their last conversation had passed with no further labor pains for Desi, and the placement of four stitches into Harry’s left eyebrow.

"Trust me you don’t want to know, but I did try to move my ass here as quickly as possible." Harry teased her partner with a smile on her face. The surgeon was still trying to convince her bruised ego that the accident that had resulted in stitches was because of the excitement of the moment, and not because of clumsiness.

"Harry please tell me, and I didn’t mean to scream at you honey. It was the pain talking." The bandage that covered the cut was small enough for Desi to still see the black sutures. In a move meant to convey comfort, Desi ran the pad of her index finger lightly over the white tape.

"I was running out to my car to get here, when I tripped over my feet and smashed my face into the side view mirror of an ambulance parked outside the emergency room. Nurse Ratchet wouldn’t let me leave until she stitched me up. Told me to tell you, she botched the job on purpose so I’d have a scar to remember the occasion by. Tell me again why you are here?" Harry kissed the fingertip Desi had just run over her brow. The drive to Mercy Emergency had been the longest of her life, and Harry was sure she had run every light between Charity and uptown. She was going to leave with just a tissue pressed over the cut, but Sally had other ideas when she sat Harry down and did a quick patch job. The nurse’s threats were still ringing in her ears.

"Somebody woke me up earlier from a sound sleep to tour the ER at Mercy in anticipation of making a grand entrance into the world. I should have known this kid would have your sense of timing honey. But now, unlike you, the kid is showing reluctance. Does your brow hurt?" The contractions had indeed stopped, as if the baby knew Harry wasn’t there. Having Harry so close had dispelled Desi’s fears of the impending birth of their child and she relaxed into the pillow behind her.

"My kid reluctant, never. Let’s just say they figured out that it wasn’t time yet," said Harry.

"No, your baby is just taking a break cause Miss Desi is three centimeters dilated," said Ellie. For the second time in the weekend, Desi had interrupted a movie she and Sam were watching. This time they were curled up in front of the television set in their den when her pager went off. If given a choice, the doctor would have liked at least another week before Desi delivered, but they would have to sit and wait. "Desi we gave you some medication to try and stop the contractions, but get used to the idea of spending some time with us. No matter what, we are admitting you for at least tonight." Ellie saw the pout forming on the blonde’s face and turned to Harry for help.

"Don’t worry sweetheart, I’m sure Ellie is having another bed delivered for me and it should be arriving any time now." The OB doctor disappeared before Harry finished her statement. Desi’s quivering lip was too much for Harry so she lowered the bedrail and climbed in beside Desi. Her parents quietly followed Ellie giving the couple some time alone.

"I did something wrong didn’t I?" Desi’s worst nightmare throughout the pregnancy, to go the whole term then lose the baby in the end. "I’m sorry Harry."

"Shh, baby." Harry gathered the crying woman in her arms. As much as Harry wanted children with Desi, she would never trade Desi’s life or health for it. "You didn’t do anything wrong my love, babies are just temperamental beings. This one weighs over six pounds and has all the pertinent parts so don’t worry about it, you are both going to be fine."

"Harry I just want this with you so bad," started Desi before two long fingers were pressed against her lips.

"Desi, you and the baby are both fine. Just look at the heart monitor sweetheart. The little guy is just chugging along. Even if he comes tonight there isn’t going to be any problems," said Harry pointing to the box near the bed. The nurse walked in to find the long body stretched out next to her patient. With the low lighting and the fact the person’s back was to her, Mitzy made her second mistake with Harry. The first had been months ago when the young nurse wouldn’t stop hitting on her as Harry checked Desi into a room in the hospital.

"You can’t be up there." Harry recognized the voice right off, as did Desi. The woman being held by the tall surgeon wouldn’t soon forget the nurse that had blazingly flirted with Harry as she laid on a gurney with a broken leg, waiting to be put into her hospital room. Mitzy was etched into the small woman’s memory. After that little display and after Harry’s meeting with the nursing director, Mitzy had lost her cushy ward job to the less desired emergency room post. While there was nowhere near the volume of the Charity ER, Mitzy spent the graveyard shift dealing with more stomachaches than she had her whole career.

"Since when is it against hospital policy to comfort an upset patient, Nurse ‘I Am Dying To Be Transferred To The Psychiatric Unit’?" asked Harry. The question made one woman stiffen at the deep voice of her nemesis, while the other burrowed deeper into her lover’s embrace with a smile.

"Dr. Basantes, I didn’t realize that was you and your little friend. What is it this time sweetheart, the husband leave you with a child to raise alone?" Desi grabbed hold of Harry’s shirt to keep her from bolting from the hospital bed. There had been only one other encounter with the bitter nurse before this, and the comments had been similar. She had ignored them the day she was looking for Harry to take her shopping, and she would ignore her now.

"I promise I’ll be good baby so let me go a second, there’s something I have to do." Harry looked Desi in the eye to show she was sincere.

"You promise?" Desi was skeptical knowing how Harry could be when it came to Desi’s feelings being hurt.

"I won’t even talk to her baby, I swear." Harry rolled off the bed and stormed out of the room. One short phone call later, she was back by Desi’s side.

"Where’d you go honey?" Desi smiled at the raspberry sherbet in Harry’s hand. The only thing she craved more than Moan’s chicken salad was raspberry sherbet.

"I just called the chief of surgery at home and told him I resigned from the staff here. Stan lives three blocks from the hospital so I give him less than five minutes to get here." The memory of the sputtering Stan Rising on the phone made Harry laugh as she fed a spoonful of the frozen treat to Desi. By the fourth spoonful, a robe clad Dr. Rising was standing in their cubicle.

"Harry this isn’t fucking funny."

"Not meant to be a joke Stan." When she gave her explanation for leaving, Stan reached for the phone himself. He was not about to lose one of the finest surgeon’s in the country to the rudeness of a spurned ER nurse. At the end of the shift, both the sleeping women missed the very public firing as they were being wheeled to their room.

"Harry wake up," said Ellie softly. It was nine in the morning and Desi had made it through the night without another contraction. Their friend found it sweet to find the two wrapped around each other sleeping in the room Desi had been assigned to.

"Mona go away," mumbled Harry. The deep voice rumbling under her ear made Desi shift further into the middle of the bed, sending Harry over the side of the bed onto the floor. Ellie was about to laugh when she remembered the stitches on the surgeon’s eyebrow.

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"Are you all right?"

"Does it fucking look like I’m all right, you piece of shit?"

"Forget I asked cracker. We are about a mile from the main road so y’all have a decision to make here. Either get out and keep heading in that direction," said Tyrell pointing ahead of them. "Or stay in the boat and go that way with me," he said pointing to the left.

"What’s in that direction?" asked Byron as he scratched his chest. The rash they all noticed at daybreak was progressively getting worse till the itch was becoming almost maddening.

"The river, scank. I’m waiting until dark, and then I’m going for a little swim downstream. I’m thinking thirty miles ought to give me a good head start. You stupid shits can do whatever you want." Tyrell had been the only one that had pushed them to this point since the other four had been too busy scratching to help.

"More water?" Gazette had his hands clamped to the sides of the boat since Tyrell had told him not scratching would make it go away faster. Not one of them had made a move to stop Tyrell when he punched the elder Byron unconscious. The man was complaining so loudly, police could have heard them five miles away. Two more hits had taken care of the only other times he had come to. Byron Sr. and Gazette still had the Nutria Itch rash, but it was nowhere as severe as Byron and Mike’s.

"Any fool could figure out the road is being highly patrolled and you’d be caught within the hour. The river is your only chance if you want to make it out. I’ll take you that far then you are free to go on your own." Tyrell had no burning desire to help the three other men, but he needed time to formulate his plans. Having any of these idiots in custody singing his escape plans wasn’t on his agenda.

"So we take the boat?" asked Mike. He heard his father starting to come to again from beside him. There would be hell to pay once he did and realized neither him nor Byron had helped him against Tyrell.

"Sure Mike, we take the boat. I’m sure the water patrol out here will completely ignore five men in their underwear out on the river. We can tell them we fish with our dicks and they’ll just wave us along," said Tyrell. The fact this boy had ended up in prison didn’t really shock him. "Did you two smart asses really kidnap a judge’s wife one night?"

"Shut the fuck up, before I do it for you," hissed Byron. He was still pissed that Desi had just slipped through his fingers, that and the fact the ache in his jaw never really went away. No one said anything when Tyrell put his finger to his lips and cocked his head to the side to listen. Like a giant snake he went over the side and into the water. It was the quiet of the trees that first alerted him as he paddled through the swamp. The area had been alive with the sounds of its inhabitants all morning, but now it was still.

Mike and Byron grabbed their father and followed Tyrell into the cover of the trees, both thinking that Gazette would follow. The almost black water was a perfect camouflage and in moments Gazette lost sight of the four men that had just been with him. A ripple in the water came across the bow so Gazette reached for the push pole to protect himself. The silence closed in on him and Gazette stood frozen with fear. He faced in the direction the men had gone hoping to see a way out.

It happened so fast, Gazette didn’t really register it all at once. One moment he was standing there straining to see a way out when a snake dropped from an overhead branch. When he swung around with the pole in his hand, an overzealous deputy in a boat in the distance shot him. One clean shot through the chest cavity slammed the escaped convict back into the water. The water swallowed the gurgle of Gazette’s last breath as he died with his eyes opened and a stunned look on his face. The men on the boat hadn’t really seen him at first, it was only the quick movement Gazette had made that had caught the sleepy deputy’s attention. His first reflex had been to shoot.

"Why do you suppose they left him?" asked Deputy Voisin. The police officer was still shaking after the excitement of the morning. He had never taken his weapon out of his holster except at the firing range, and now, the first time he had done it on duty, he had killed a man. Gary was young and relatively inexperienced, but he could tell that Warden Miller was not pleased with the morning’s events.

"I guess he can’t tell us that now, can he Gary? My guess is they aren’t too far off." Garrett now had two dead inmates on his hands, and no signs of the other five anywhere. The portly man scanned the area slowly hoping to see something that didn’t belong, but the swamp looked just like it had forever. The only thing Garrett could see that didn’t belong there was the FBI Agent in the boat that had just floated up next to his.

"I say they headed for the river last night and are long gone downstream by now. Pull your men off the road and reposition them," Agent Richard Kind paused before continuing. He asked a question of the other FBI agent he had on the phone then readdressed the local law enforcement that was present. "Twenty miles downstream. With the speed of the current, placing them in the water around four this morning, that’s where you’ll find them," said Richard with authority. His clear voice carried well past their assembled group to the four men submerged up to their chins in the water.

"Agent Dick, how in the hell did you come up with that conclusion? The boys left you a note or something before they hit the water in the river?" asked Garrett. When more than twenty-four hours had past with no new leads as to the location of the escaped inmates. Garret had had to call in the feds. To do what the hip boot clad man was suggesting, surmounted to a huge mistake in the warden’s mind. His instincts and experience told him the men were still in the area. This terrain was not that easy to get through that quickly, there was no way the inmates had made it to the river in the time they had been running.

"My name is Richard, Warden Miller, please use it. This is our investigation now warden, so either cooperate or go back to the prison. We are widening our net because you have allowed our fish to swim through the one you set up. Now get me out of this hellhole before the mosquitoes do it for you," said Richard swatting the side of his head. When he got home he was going to burn his clothes.

Three boat lengths from him, Tyrell smiled at the first good news they had gotten since they had waded out here. All they had to do now was wait out the day and move to the river after dark. He would get out before twenty miles and head inland. "Let’s move out," ordered Richard.

"Stay put deputy." Garrett pulled out his rod and reel pulling back and making his first cast. The sound of the reel spinning out line and the drop of the lure made Gary drift off to seep. Garrett didn’t disturb him; wanting to spend the afternoon at the spot where they had found Gazette.

Behind him, a ten-foot water moccasin glided from his perch into the water toward an oblivious Byron. Tyrell moved slowly behind him and clamped his hand over the man’s mouth. Byron was about to struggle when the pit viper coiled around his arm and rested its head on his shoulder. Instinct made him stand still, the only part of his body that wasn’t cooperating was the pulse point at his neck. The forked tongue flicked out as if to taste his fear causing Byron to close his eyes. Mike looked on and couldn’t help whispering out a soft exclamation.

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"Oh my God." The green eyes peering over the side of the bed made the anger of having been dumped on the floor evaporate. "You didn’t tear those open did you?" Desi asked pointing to the Harry’s eyebrow.

"No baby, I’m ok. What were you dreaming about?" The long laugh from the door made them both join in. Both heads turned to see an amused Ellie holding her sides after seeing that Harry was all right.

"Ellie could excuse us for just a minute?" asked Desi. The young woman had gone from laughing to becoming teary eyed in just seconds.

"Sure, I’ll be right down the hall visiting one of my new mothers."

Desi pulled Harry back up on the bed in a request to be held. The doctor had somewhat gotten accustomed to these crying jags since the beginning of the pregnancy. Sam had just said ‘hormones’ and left it at that. "It’s all right baby, come on now."

"Harry I’m just so happy," said Desi followed by a hiccup. It was so weird; she was happy, weepy and excited all at the same time.

"Shouldn’t you be laughing then?" When Desi slapped her arm, Harry just laid quietly waiting for the reason of this latest crying spell to manifest itself.

"It’s just that I can do stuff to you honey, and you don’t ever get mad at me. I can play hit you, knock you out of bed, spend your money and experiment in the kitchen and you take it all in stride. I have never feared your reaction to anything love, and I was thinking what a great thing that is to have. You know what I mean?" Desi’s voice sounded muffled since her face was pressed against Harry’s chest. The deep rumble she associated with Harry’s voice made her cry harder.

"Baby I know what you mean. When we were growing up I spun all these fantasies of what life would be like with you and how we would live. Everything we have now I consider extra because you fulfilled all my fantasies on that porch swing the night you told me you loved me. There is nothing in this world that could happen that you would ever have to fear me baby. And just for the record, it’s our money Desi. Tony told me how much you cleared off that show you did, so you are more than pulling your share." Harry wiped the last of Desi’s tears from her face and got her to laugh.

"Harry you are like a balm to my soul honey. Did Tony talk to you about anything else?" If he had told Harry about their plans, Desi was going to kill him.

"Just where he wanted to go on vacation this year."

"Why would Tony tell you where he wants to go on vacation?" The answer to her question had been so off the wall it had thrown Desi off balance. But knowing Tony, it had to do with some deal he was working. The man was the master of the spin when it came to negotiations.

"That’s easy. Every year the fruitcake, as Mona calls him, picks some exotic vacation location on the globe where he wants Kenneth to take him. The word spa usually appears somewhere in the name, and there are veritably palm trees somewhere in the picture. He tells me four months ahead of time, and then it’s my job to talk the homebody into going. I give Tony a hard time, but the reality is, once I say the words ‘cable television’, Kenneth is all for it. Why, what are you two cooking up now?" teased Harry. Tony put up with all their picking because he knew it was all meant in fun. To Harry, the man had earned her gratitude for the way he had taken Desi into his care. With his flamboyant style, Tony had drawn the wounded soul out into the sunshine to heal.

"How would you feel about our opening a studio?" Desi didn’t look up not anxious to see Harry’s reaction.

"How would you feel about opening a studio?" Harry looked down at the face that was resting on her chest to encourage Desi to answer and look at her.

"I asked you first." The blue in Harry’s eyes looked like if she were to touch them they would be warm.

"I know you did baby, but you are the one that’s going to do it. You are the one that has to fill it up and work at making a go of it. So it shouldn’t matter what I think. You’re a brave soul though, to take on Tony on a daily basis. You do what’s going to make you happy my love. That should always be your first choice, and your first priority," explained Harry.

"I really wanted to give it a try, but the show didn’t make enough to cover all the expenses that’s why I was asking you." The checkbook Harry had given her awhile back came into her thoughts. It contained enough to cover what she didn’t have, but it was Harry’s money.

"Desi would you give me a thousand dollars?" They had known each other for enough years for Desi to know when Harry was being serious, and there was no teasing in her voice.

"Harry anything that I have is yours, you don’t have to ask me for it. I knew I shouldn’t have brought this up if we are having financial problems. If you want, I can get a real job once the baby is born." Harry kept her from sitting up by hugging her closer when Desi tried to sit up.

"Baby you already have a real job, and we are not having financial problems. What we are having is a problem communicating. If you are so willing to share then why can’t I be so generous with you?" Harry caressed Desi’s cheek with her fingers trying to get her to realize there was nothing she couldn’t ask for.

"Because I don’t deserve you."

"No Desi, you deserve much better than me, but I promise you will never find someone who loves you more. I think working for yourself is a wonderful idea. That way you can give me a job when this medicine thing doesn’t work out." The more they talked, the more veils of hurt were shed from Desi’s heart.

"Harry you are going to make such a great parent."

"You both will be wonderful parents to my grandbaby," said Mona from the door. She walked in with a bag in her hand and headed for the bed. Not having them both at home to take care of had driven Mona to the hospital.

"Please tell me that there is some of your chicken salad in that bag Mona?" The last food Desi had eaten was at the restaurant the night before, which was hours before.

"Of course there is sweetie, Mona’s going to take good care of you, and you bonehead, what you doing up there? Desi needs to be resting, not being pawed by you. Sit in that chair and let the poor woman eat. I swear to God Almighty if you haven’t been a troublemaker since the day they brought you home. I hope for your sake Desiree that your sweet baby doesn’t take after this one." Mona pointed at Harry. Harry was sitting in the chair Mona had assigned her to and was shaking her head at the woman’s complaints about her.

"I’m still in the room you know. You complain you old goat, but you love me just the same. And you know what? My kid will too," said Harry. Mona was fixing to retaliate for the goat comment when a small whirlwind flew into the room. Desi and Mona looked and listened to the little boy that talked as fast as he ran.

"Dr. Harry I knew it was you, I told my daddy. Hi my name is Charlie and I’m five. Dr. Harry fixed my owie I got when I was a baby. Soon I can move all my digitals." The blonde headed little boy had made himself comfortable on Harry’s lap and was just as comfortable explaining the flex cast on his arm to the other two women in the room. A fall from his changing table had left Charlie partially paralyzed in one arm, but it hadn’t stopped him from becoming the out going child that he was. "What are you doing here Dr. Harry? We came to visit my new baby sister. I really wanted a brother but daddy said we can’t return her for one."

"Congratulations Charlie, I know you are going to be a terrific brother to your new baby. How about you move your digitals from me." Harry’s medical school professors would pass out at the use of terminology but it was what Charlie understood.

"I can’t too good yet Dr. Harry, but I’m still trying," said Charlie with a slump in his shoulders. After a pep talk from his tall friend the recovering patient felt much better about the movement he did have, and somewhat understood that he would get more with time.

"You’re doing great little buddy. Now go see your new sister and I’ll see you next week."

"Is Dr. Harry taking care of you too? She’s the best you know, my daddy told me so," Charlie told Desi. His father stood in the room to make sure the little boy didn’t wear out his welcome.

"That she is Charlie, and yes, Dr. Harry is taking care of me. We are going to have a baby," answered Desi. She hadn’t considered having a child that looked like her until Charlie had walked in. I wonder if I talked this much, thought Desi as she listened to his unending monologue.

"That’s great Dr. Harry, I’ll draw you a picture for your new baby" The lady on the bed seemed as nice as Dr. Harry. "If it’s a boy can I come over and play with him?"

"You bet Charlie buddy. You can teach him how to draw," said Harry. The little boy smiled at her as Harry picked him up and carried him over to his father. "Hey Stew, congratulations on your new addition. Tell Karen I’ll come by later and take a look."

"Thanks Harry, sorry to barge in on you but once Charlie heard you there was no stopping him. Doesn’t seem too long for you two huh?" When he and his wife had first brought Charlie in, Harry had mentioned her partner was expecting as well.

"Actually we’re a little ahead of schedule so I’m trying to talk Desi into waiting a few more weeks." Harry introduced them then walked the father and son to the door. Desi felt warm inside to be able to witness this side of Harry. She knew Charlie through Harry’s explanations of his procedures, but the medical analysis didn’t portray the young life that had just filled their space. Nor did Harry brag on her bedside manner with her patients. To them, Desi could see, Harry was more than the goddess of the bones. She was their friend and someone that they could talk to. Age was unimportant.

When Harry walked back in Desi crooked her finger at her to get her to move closer. Harry looked behind her then pointed a finger to her chest. "Yes you, come here." The kiss Desi bestowed left Harry dazed for a moment and a little weak kneed. Mona turned and looked out the window, not wanting to intrude on the tender moment the women were sharing.

"What was that for?"

"Cause I wanted to, and because you are simply the best thing around Dr. Harry. I love you honey." They kissed again until Desi pulled back and looked at her strangely.

"Are you having another contraction?" Harry asked, poised to hit the call button.

"No, but I swear the sandwiches in Mona’s bag are calling my name. Could you bring them over here so I can talk back?" asked Desi with a smile. She was hoping that her bigger than normal appetite was going to disappeared once Harry Jr. was born, if not she was going to have a serious weight problem to deal with. As it was, Desi was hoping the baby weighed about twenty-two pounds. Then it would explain the weight she had already put on. The laughter coming from Harry didn’t deter Desi’s appetite and she just smiled around the bite she had just taken.

"I’m wondering if this kid is going to be born with feathers?" Harry got a glare from both women in the room and decided it was for the best if she just stopped talking all together. The fact that most women put on the majority of their weight in the last month was not something Harry was willing to bring up now.

"Not another word out of you bonehead." It made Mona feel good that Desi’s appetite was good throughout the pregnancy. There were women that had nine months of hell, but the little blonde had sailed through without any complications until the early contractions. "Not one more word out of that smart mouth of yours."

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"If you make a sound I’ll snap your neck and be done with it," whispered Tyrell. The snake hadn’t moved and was busy cleaning a patch of Byron’s neck with its tongue. The surprisingly warm smooth body had tightened its hold on his arm and had no intention of moving. Less than one hundred yards in front of them the warden and the deputy that had stayed with him were still in the flat-bottomed boat with their backs to them. Tyrell could hear the spin of the reel from the man’s fishing gear every time Garrett cast out into the dark water. Garrett wasn’t really interested in catching anything, he was just passing the time until he heard or saw something out of the ordinary. His gut was telling him there was more swimming out there than fish.

Tyrell could feel the breath escaping Byron’s nose start to even out as the killer so close to his neck made no move to do him any harm. Until the two lawmen decided to move on they were stuck in the position they were in. The two other Simoneaux’s could only stand and watch knowing that any sudden movement on their part would alert the cops in the boat as to where they were.

"Warden you copy?" The radio cut through the still quiet of the swamp. The deputy heard the noise and was rousted from his nap. He shielded his eyes from the glare and wondered how long they had been floating in the same spot.

"Go ahead," said Garrett after he had unclipped his radio from his belt.

"We found another one warden. The boys headed back toward the back gate said they found him floating about two miles from where you are. If you pull out your GPS I’ll give you the coordinates of where they are."

"Go ahead," said Garrett with a sigh. It had been his intention to find all seven men alive. Once the information had been relayed to the warden, the deputy with him put the small electric motor over the side and headed in the direction where they were pulling Roland out of the water. The boat was far away enough for Garrett and Gary not to hear the relieved sigh escape Byron’s mouth once Tyrell released him from the chokehold he was in.

The dark brown eyes had tracked the progress of the boat and struck as fast as the reptile wrapped around Byron. Before the snake could react, Tyrell closed his fist around the neck close to the head and squeezed. He applied so much pressure that the blood squirting from its head covered Byron’s face. The two police officers never looked back as Tyrell threw the snake against one of the trees to get it away from them.

"Thanks man, I owe you one." Byron scooped up a handful of water to clean the blood off his face. The fear that had over taken him when the snake had swum up had even taken his mind off the itching.

"Remember that pretty boy. Relax for awhile cause we got some more swimming to do tonight. I say we go down about twelve miles or so then walk the rest of the way until we can get to some place we can call for help. If the current is moving as fast as that FBI guy says, then we should cover that before the sun comes up again," said Tyrell. The two brothers started to follow him as he started on the last mile to the river, only the older Byron stayed behind. The ache in his jaw was winning out over the itch that prevailed over his whole body.

"Who died and left you in charge boy?" asked Byron Sr.

"Daddy shut the fuck up and let’s go," said Byron Jr. The situation they were in didn’t thrill him either but Tyrell was their best bet to get out there and back into the city alive.

"I ain’t in charge you old shit. I’m just getting the hell out of this cesspool. If you want to stay here then that’s your choice. Ain’t nobody tellin’ you to follow me, but let me tell you, call me boy one more time and there’s only going to be three of us walking out of here. Got me old man?" Tyrell got only a small nod from Byron before turning again and continuing his trek.

What they all wanted to do more than anything was sleep. They had been moving for hours without any thought to shutting their eyes in these surroundings. It would be important to try and get some before getting into the more turbulent water that night. To try the swim without rest would be suicidal, and Tyrell hadn’t come this far to die now.

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"Are you sleeping?" The socked feet resting beside Desi on the bed hadn’t moved in the last hour, and she wondered if Harry had drifted off as a result of their active night.

"Yes."

"Well would you consider waking up for a minute and help me get to the bathroom?" The ever-smaller bladder would not be something that she would miss from this whole experience. Now that it was coming to an end, Desi wondered how long she would have to wait before they could try it again. Her relationship with Rachel was so important to her that she wanted to give her child the same gift. With Harry she was now in a position of dreaming of a family knowing that they would all be safe in the tall surgeon’s life.

Desi thought back to the day they had left Ellie’s office after their first try to get pregnant and how Harry had looked and acted. They had gone home and taken a nap together and had talked about their future that night as the picnic dinner Harry had brought up surrounded them on the bed. Over two weeks had gone by before Desi worked up the courage to try one of the pregnancy tests that they had bought.

Harry had been paged earlier that morning to go in for an emergency surgery at Charity. Two of their attending surgeons were away at a seminar and Harry had volunteered to take calls in their absence. Even though she had promised to wait, Desi was anxious to see if there was a baby in their future. Sitting on the edge of the tub she waited for the blue line to appear at the end of the stick, praying the whole time that their first try would be a charm.

At six that night Desi sat in the surgery waiting area along with the family that was waiting for Harry to come out of the swinging doors with news of their daughter. The distraught mother had told Desi that on her daughter’s way home from the late shift at her job, a man who had fallen asleep at the wheel had hit her. The impact of the other car hitting her daughter’s just in front of her driver’s side door had severed six of her fingers as well as broken both of her ankles severely. The paramedics had retrieved all of fingers and since early that morning Harry had been meticulously reattaching them before moving to repair the ankles.

"Do you know Dr. Basantes?" asked Bridget, the young woman’s mother.

"Yes, Harry and I live together. Not that I’m prejudiced but your daughter is in the best hands in the city after what’s happened to her. Harry will do her best to make sure she’s all right. What’s your daughter’s name?"

"Bailey. She is our only child, but she’s been such a blessing I never did mind that I didn’t have any more. Do you have any children Desi?" The conversation that they were engaged in eased Bridget’s nerves for her daughter.

"No ma’am, but I’m holding out hope that one day soon I’ll be able to experience the happiness you’ve had in having a child. Harry’s a little messy around the house, but I’m betting she’s going to make a wonderful parent."

"Oh, that’s the type of relationship you have." The woman next to her didn’t look gay, but she did talk about the doctor like the woman had hung the moon.

"I’m sorry if I misled you as to what Harry means to me. Believe me Bridget we are not much different than you and your husband. Our love isn’t any less real," said Desi gently. The woman had enough to worry about without any lectures from her.

"I’m not being judgmental Desi, I just assumed when everyone said Harry Basantes, that well you know, I thought she was a man."

"When it comes to shopping and coordinating clothes, I’m not so sure she isn’t, but Harry is most definitely a woman." When Harry walked out to the waiting area, she found Desi and Bailey’s mother laughing about something. She wasn’t sure why Desi was here, but if the older woman found some comfort in her lover’s presence then Harry was glad she had come.

"Mrs. Priest I wanted to talk to you about Bailey," started Harry. Desi moved over a chair so that Harry could sit down and talk to Bridget and fill her in on what they had accomplished in the operating room. Twenty minutes later Harry had answered all the woman’s questions and was still trying to get her to understand the reason she would find leaches on Bailey’s fingers once she was moved to a room.

"Trust me ma’am, they are not voodoo medicine. They are an accepted medical treatment, which while not used often, is quite effective for what Bailey needs. The leaches are only used once then disposed of. They will rid Bailey’s fingers of the old blood cutting down on infection, and will excrete a blood thinner to help with circulation. That will be beneficial to getting fresh blood to flow into the reattached digits. I only have your daughter’s best interests at heart Mrs. Priest." What Harry was suggesting had lost its appeal somewhere after the dark ages, but sometimes Mother Nature knew best.

"That’s what Desi said, so I guess I’ll go with her opinion," said Bridget. The dark arched brow thrown in Desi’s direction finally got the mother to smile and release the air she had pent up in her lungs. Harry’s low calm voice had soothed away the fears of Bailey’s recovery and Bridget was ready to see her daughter. It would take months, but after physical therapy the young woman would be fine.

"It’s nice to have such a good PR department working for me in the waiting room," said Harry with a smile for Desi. She was surprised to see the blonde sitting there when she had walked out, but was glad Desi had been there to keep Mrs. Priest company during her daughter’s surgery. It had been a long day trying to put back the pieces that had been torn off not in the neatest of fashion, but Harry was confident that most, if not all, the fingers would be saved.

They walked off together toward the locker room so that Harry could collect her stuff before making rounds with her students. The staff at the hospital had all gotten to know Desi in the past months when she came to visit Harry, and waved to her as she walked by with the surgeon.

"Not that I’m complaining, but what are you doing here?" Once they were in the locker room Harry pulled Desi into an embrace and kissed her. Desi had gotten Rachel to cut her hair, at Tony’s urging, into a more stylish shorter look and Harry had had trouble keeping her fingers out of it ever since. Not that Desi had looked old before, but the cut had taken years off her face, and to Harry, she looked like the young teenager she had left on the front porch swing years before. Only now the teenager had on a casual but stylish DKNY outfit, and wore makeup that was only found at the counter at Saks.

"I thought that I would treat you to dinner tonight. In case you don’t remember tonight is our anniversary."

"Anniversary?" asked Harry trying to put on a confused face.

"Yes, this is the night that you first screwed up the courage to kiss me. I, of course, had been wanting for you to do it for years before that, but sometimes Dr. Basantes, you aren’t too swift on the uptake. Unless you have a date with some other blonde in the hospital tonight, I want to take you out. Who knows, if you’re good I’ll let you kiss me again on that same swing later on." The fact that Harry had not forgotten that momentous occasion had filled her heart with happiness that morning when she answered the door to the surprise Harry had ordered. The deliveryman from the florist had a bouquet of two-dozen pink roses, each with a chocolate kiss attached.

"I would love to go out with you my love, if you don’t mind making rounds with us first." When they were done, Harry changed into the outfit Desi had brought with her, saving them a trip home. Desi had made reservations at the Bella Luna Restaurant in the French Quarter. It was one of their favorites since the windows of the second story eatery opened to the Mississippi River allowing its customers to hear the river traffic floating by. The good food was accentuated by the romantic surroundings of Venetian glass light fixtures and candle lit tables.

There was an ice bucket by their table with a bottle of champagne awaiting their arrival when they sat down. One waiter came to open it while another brought a small gift wrapped box to the table and placed it on Harry’s plate. Desi smiled when Harry looked truly surprised by the unexpected gift.

"What’s this?" Harry asked as she picked up the small box. The box was wrapped in white paper with a white ribbon not giving the surgeon any hint as to what was inside.

"Open it and find out." Desi picked up her glass and held it out to the middle of the table. "But first let’s have a toast." Desi waited for Harry to pick up her glass and clink it against hers before continuing. "Here’s to true love and the gifts that it brings to our lives."

"Amen," said Harry. She tore through the paper and the ribbon and lifted the top off before just slumping back in her chair. It took her a minute to find the strength to pick up the white stick in the box and look at it. Desi saw the hands that had soothed away so much pain in the past shake as Harry held up the pregnancy test so that she could see the blue line running down the center of the test area. They were going to have a baby in about eight and a half months. A child that the two would love unconditionally even though their conception had been anything but conventional.

It was one of the only times that Desi had seen Harry cry sporting one of the brightest smiles she had ever seen. In the months after that night the good doctor had become a walking cloak of protection when it came to her partner. There was never a time that Desi felt uncomfortable asking for anything that she craved or needed, no matter the time or trouble.

"I’ll bet you’ll be glad when you get rid of that pressure on your bladder won’t you baby?" Desi was having more trouble sitting and getting up by herself as time progressed in the pregnancy.

"Considering that everyone in your family except your mother is a big ox, I’m surprised the baby hasn’t flattened the thing by now. But you’re right, how in the world will I be able to fill my day when I don’t have to go to the bathroom two hundred times an hour?" Harry knew Desi was teasing, since her partner had loved every aspect of being pregnant and carrying their child.

"You could always paint the house," said Harry. They laughed as they walked around the room for a bit to stretch out the muscles in Desi’s back. The one thing that they were both grateful for was that the contractions seemed to have stopped and maybe Ellie would let them go home.

"Hey sis, how are you doing?" asked Rachel when she walked in. The couple was standing by the window kissing as Harry rubbed her hands along Desi’s lower back under the hospital gown. "Isn’t that how you got in that condition to begin with?"

"You are just a laugh a minute runt." Harry didn’t let Desi go, but did close the back of the gown now that the door was open.

"I wanted to talk to the both of you about what happened last night if that’s all right? I don’t want to put anymore pressure on you Desi." Desi’s sister walked to the window to be near them and waited for Harry to respond. As the doctor in the family Rachel would go along with whatever medical opinion Harry gave.

"We might as well do it while we’re in the hospital just in case my wife goes into labor," teased Harry. They hadn’t brought up the subject of the girls’ long lost mother until now. Whoever June Fontaine was, they would have to deal with her. "What do you remember about your mother?" asked Harry to the both of them.

"I would think Desi would be the one to remember if there is any memories to be had Harry. The woman supposedly died in child birth with me remember?" Harry moved Desi back to the bed to make her comfortable before they got any deeper into the conversation. When Harry went to move to the chair she had been sitting in while Mona was visiting, Desi grabbed her by the belt and shook her head.

"No I want you with me honey." Desi pouted a little and gave Harry her best puppy dog eye when she saw reluctance on the face Desi knew so well. "Please?"

"OK, but if Mona comes back in here you had better take up for me." Harry teased her as she climbed into the bed behind Desi.

"I promise I’ll protect you honey," said Desi. The feel of Harry’s warm chest against her cheek made her feel instantly better.

"I don’t really remember anything about our mother Rachel, and since daddy didn’t have any pictures of her lying around I just have an image in my head as to what I think she might look like. The thing I always found kind of funny was that daddy never really talked about her. I would just think that he would want to so that Rachel and I would have some clue as to what she was like, but that never happened. The pain of her loss was the only thing I could think of why he wouldn’t want to do that."

"Did he ever tell you where she was buried?" Harry laughed a little when Desi’s hand slipped into the front of her shirt and scratched the skin on her abdomen. Before the baby hadn’t allowed Desi to sleep on her side anymore, Harry would always find Desi’s hand stretched out on her midsection when she woke up every morning. The act seemed to center them both.

"No, again I should have questioned myself when the graves weren’t side by side, but I didn’t. It just never occurred to me that she would still be alive. Why would he have to lie about that?" asked Desi to no one in particular.

"I don’t know honey, but I think maybe we should talk to this woman and find out what Clyde’s ulterior motives were. Knowing daddy, she forgot his dinner one night and he sold her into slavery," said Rachel. The look on Desi’s face made her sister smile. Desi looked so happy that it was hard to remember the times when it would be weeks before a smile would crease her face.

Every night before Rachel went to sleep in the house she shared with Byron and Desi, she would pray that Desi would find happiness in something or in someone else. For the longest time Rachel had harbored ill feelings for Harry for leaving them alone after heading off to college. It wasn’t until she had said something in front of Desi one day that her sister had finally told her the truth.

Looking at the two of them now, it was hard to conceive that they had been separated for any time, much less years. Rachel remembered the first time she had come home and found the same dreamy expression on Desi’s face she had lost so many years before.

The bedroom door was open which could only mean that Harry had been called out to the hospital. From the light of the full moon Rachel could make out her sister’s form on the balcony looking out into the gardens. Her crutches were resting beside her and Desi had a peaceful look on her face as she took in the fragrance from the sweet olive trees that were planted under the structure she stood on.

"Mind a little company?" The shop had closed hours earlier, but Rachel had accepted a dinner invitation from one of her clients and had spent the most of the evening talking to the woman that had treated her to a night out.

"Hey you, no come on out here and take a deep breath. This place is like magic," said Desi.

"You always have loved those trees haven’t you Desi?" The hairdresser had a feeling that the house’s owner hadn’t bothered to tell her sister one of the main reasons she had decided getting the house they stood in now.

"Yeah. Don’t you remember there was a grove of these in that little park Harry and I used to take you to?" Desi relived more pleasant times from their past.

"How could I forget, Harry was the best swing pusher in the world. Want to know a little secret Tony told me? Only you have to promise not to tell," said Rachel.

"What? Come on I promise, now tell me."

"He told me that when he walked Harry through this house, she stood right here for about an hour not moving. Tony was worried sick that something had finally snapped in her head when the tears started streaming down her face, but he didn’t want to interrupt whatever memories she was reliving. When she finally turned around she gave him a check to accompany her bid without another word. Weeks later Tony said he finally worked up the nerve to ask her about that day when he was helping her unpack. Harry told him that if you ever came back she knew this would be your favorite place in the house. It would be her way of letting you know that she was thinking of you as part of her life even when you weren’t here."

It was like a sense of déjà vu from Tony’s story when she looked at Desi standing there. Her sister wasn’t talking and there were tears running down her face. The space Desi stood in was a gift from a tortured soul that hadn’t forgotten the touch of her love. The greatest gift that Harry had given her was the strength and patience of her hope. The hope that Harry had clung to that Desi would share in her life again in a house that was purchased just for her.

Rachel felt the strong arms pull her against an equally strong body that still felt the same after all those years and she joined her sister in a good cry. The younger sister that had never mattered to Byron, was as loved by Harry as she was by Desi. Rachel should have walked away when Harry let her go and walked toward Desi, but she stayed if only to see what loved looked like. When Harry’s hand cupped the side of Desi’s face, her sister never opened her eyes but her lips parted in expectation. The kiss wasn’t one of passion or seduction, but one that conveyed all the feelings both had missed for so long. It told of the loneliness each heart had suffered while they had been apart, and it promised a lifetime of future happiness. Whenever Rachel caught the faint scent of the small white blossoms of the sweet olive trees, she thought back to that night. To her it would always be the night that her sister finally accepted the fact that Harry would hold her like that forever.

"Clyde had a reason for everything he did Rach, you should know that by now. This one would have been a whopper of an explanation if the old man were still with us I’m sure. Only one way to find out though," said Harry. The thought of digging Clyde up and beating the shit out of him anyway crossed her mind as she held Desi. The thought of wanting the best for your children and protecting them was becoming a reality in her life, but Harry wondered if Clyde realized how much pain he had brought his girls with the decisions he had made. He had long ago negated all the respect Harry had had for the man when his bigotry had stolen years from her and Desi.

"Would you be there when we did this Harry?" asked Rachel.

"You just try and stop me runt. You and your sister are my family and I take that responsibility seriously. Let’s give June Fontaine a call and see what her side of the story is and what she wants," said Harry.

When Ellie walked back in she found both Harry and Rachel up on the bed with Desi. The one that needed rest was the only one not sleeping, but Desi looked quite content to be sharing Harry’s embrace with her sister.

"How are you feeling?" Ellie asked Desi. The doctor spoke softly so as not to wake Harry and Rachel.

"Pretty good actually. Thanks for telling them I could eat something, if not I would have been afraid for the staff. No more contractions since last night, but what happens to the dilation that I already have?"

"The trick is to stop the body from wanting to spit that sucker out, and stopping the contractions is the first step. Now what we have to do is confine you to bed for the duration and see how much time that gives us. If you promise to be good I’ll send you home," said Ellie.

"She promises to be good," said Harry from under Desi. Sleep had vanished as soon as Desi had started talking, and Harry knew that Desi would be more comfortable at home in their room. With Mona and her mother there would be no way that Desi would be allowed to do anything that would start the process over again.

"Ah, my voice of reason," teased Desi. The thought of spending more than two weeks in this room was depressing her, so she would do anything that would allow her to go home.

Later that day Harry propped her up on the headboard with extra pillows so that Desi could see the television better. Mona had brought up lunch for both of them and now they were going to watch a movie. Rachel had called the number June had left and they had made arrangements for her to visit the Basantes home again that night.

As the opening credits rolled on the screen, Desi leaned further into Harry and enjoyed the hand that was rubbing her stomach. "Honey do you think that this woman is really my mother?"

"I didn’t really get a long look at her before I had to rush you up here last night love, but from what I did see she looked like you two could be related. What I don’t understand is how a mother could just walk away from her two children? I mean could you imagine us leaving the baby at the hospital and just walking away?" The body resting against her own shivered at the thought. This was something that they had both wanted and had planned for, the thought of giving up on that dream seemed unimaginable.

"Must have been something important enough to her to spook her away. Daddy was a little heavy fisted when we were growing up, and the thought of me being with you was something that he wasn’t going to tolerate. The beating I got wasn’t enough to keep me away, but the choice of never seeing Rachel again was too much for me to take. I had always been the buffer between them and I didn’t want her to have to face him alone. In a way he was a good training ground for Byron, only even daddy wasn’t that cruel. The one bright spot the both of us could always count on back then was you Harry. I don’t even want to imagine how pathetic my life would have been without you to pull me through," confessed Desi.

"That my dear is my job, back then and now. Only now you get to whack me in the head with a wooden spoon if you aren’t happy. Mona told me those were the rules, so I think it’s best if you just nod and go along with her," teased Harry.

The end of the movie played without an audience as the two women slept. Their dreams that afternoon revolved around the life they were building together and the newest member that would join them soon. Miles away at the edge of the swamp four men waited for the opportunity to continue their journey home. They slept fitfully in the mud and dreamed of all the things they missed the most since being locked up in a cage for their crimes. Closer, a woman prepared to meet the children she had left so long ago, and prayed that they would understand her reasoning for leaving.

Before Harry’s eyes had closed to join Desi in sleep, she laughed thinking that the pattern they represented on the Fates loom must have been quite colorful in the particular section they took up. All these new threads and intricate knots may have been fun for the weaver, but for those it represented it made for interesting theater. Only they were not actors on a stage, and it was their lives they twisted. One thing the tall surgeon promised her sleeping companion was that they would have the happy ending no matter the cost.

Part 4

"Hi, welcome to the Basantes residence," said Mona when she opened the door. Their visitor was again dressed in a striking outfit that complimented her still slim figure and blonde hair. Mona couldn’t help but think this would be what Desi would look like as she approached middle age. They’ll still be the best looking couple on the block once they hit the peak of the hill if this one and Dr. Raul are any indication, thought Mona.

"Thank you, my name is June."

"I’m Mona, I work for the girls." From the look on the woman’s face, Mona could tell she had seen Harry carrying Desi down the stairs to the sunroom. Just like when Desi had come to them with a broken leg, the elevator attached to the staircase was not necessary when Harry was home. For all of Desi’s protests, the old woman knew that in Harry’s arms was her preferred method of transportation.

"Nonsense, Mona is our in-house grandmother and tamer of tall good looking surgeons," said Desi. It was the one time that Harry had picked her up to carry her downstairs that Desi had been grateful her partner loved holding her like this. Desi would need Harry to get through this meeting without losing her composure. She looked at the woman who proclaimed to be her mother and smiled. "Welcome to our home. This is Harry Basantes, my spouse."

"Thank you for having me," said June as she followed Mona to the back of the house. Mona continued with their friendly talk as her way of putting them all at ease, especially Desi, whom she feared did not need this stress now.

"Anybody could do that Desiree, all you need is a wooden spoon with the bonehead’s name on it. Please June come this way, I have y’all set up in the back room. Rachel and Serena are already back there. Harry, Sherry is coming over with my grandbabies to help me get dinner together. What you feel like eating?" Mona led June to the back room that attached to the kitchen. Sherry was Mona’s youngest daughter and the mother of three of her own children. The ten, eight and three year olds loved coming to Dr. Harry and Desi’s home to visit their grandmother since Harry indulged their every whim.

"I feel like…," started Harry as she looked down to Desi’s beautiful face before completing her request. "Fried chicken," whispered Desi with a smile that was soon answered by one of Harry’s. "Fried chicken Mona," finished Harry. Harry was glad that the woman in her arms was relaxed enough to kid around, it would make the upcoming talk that much easier.

They sat on the sofa near the bank of windows and sat pressed up against one another. Rachel and Serena were seated on the loveseat in the room and were sipping the ice tea Mona had brought in earlier. June had taken a seat on the chair Mona had pointed out to her and looked nervous about what was to come. "Would you like something to drink?" asked Harry.

"No thank you, maybe later," answered June as she wrung her hands in her lap. The problem with wanting something for as long as she had was now that she had it in front of her, June didn’t know where to begin.

"Sometimes I have found that just jumping into the deep end of the pool lets you get over the shock of the cold water. You said your name was June Fontaine and you are our mother," said Desi from the circle of Harry’s arms.

"As hard as that is to comprehend, it’s the truth. I am your mother, and you have to believe above all else that I love you both. I can’t begin to ask you both for your forgiveness for what I did, but I can ask you for your understanding as to why I did it. I married Clyde when I was a young woman because I didn’t have much say in the matter. My father wanted me out of the house and somewhere he didn’t have to take care of me. Clyde was the best choice at the time so I took it, and hoped for the best. Almost nine months to the day of our short and plain ceremony, you came along Desi and it was as if someone had given my life meaning when they put you in my arms. Your father worked and I stayed home and took care of you," started June. She paused as she looked at the beautiful blonde plastered to the tall woman’s side. Harry was someone who loved her daughter, June could tell from the way they were sitting. June remembered that Desi was just learning to walk and say mama when she left.

"I loved you so much and about four months later I found out I was expecting again. Your father wasn’t thrilled but got another job to make ends meet. That took him out of the house for most of the day and that was all right with me. It wasn’t that Clyde was a cruel hearted man; he just wasn’t someone who showed much emotion or affection. Before I really started to show with Rachel, we got a new neighbor a few doors down. I saw her unloading the back of a van as I was sitting outside feeding you Desi. She waved to us when she heard you cooing from your highchair and the smile she gave us made me want to go over and introduce myself. A few weeks later I did finally get to meet her when I saw her walking up the street from the bus stop.

Bobbie was a New Yorker down here for a year to work at the hospital for her residency. She came from a long line of doctors and for a change of pace she had come down south to practice before heading home. It didn’t matter to her that I was uneducated and just a mother, Bobbie stopped by every day after that when she came home in the early afternoon. Unlike your father she played with you and showed an interest in my wants and me. For the first time in my life I looked forward to seeing someone, finding myself putting on lipstick to make myself look better. To make a long story short, I fell in love with her. Your father found out just after your birth Rachel when he walked into the hospital room and found us kissing." June stopped for a moment and dabbed away the tears that were streaming down her face from the painful memories. Her children had obviously thrived without her, seeing them there with the people that cared most about them.

"It’s ok, I think I know the end of your story and believe me it doesn’t vary too much from my own. Daddy forced your hand didn’t he?" asked Desi. The woman looked so distraught that Rachel had moved to comfort her. Desi would have gone if getting up from her seat hadn’t been such an ordeal.

"He demanded a divorce right on the spot and said if I came home to see you he would have me shot on sight. He was so angry that I believed him. Before our court date, Clyde threatened to turn me into child welfare and tell them that I had been doing nasty sexual things to you Desi, which would have resulted in jail time for me if I didn’t go along with what he said. I gave up my parental rights to the two of you and promised to never see you again. Clyde told me he was just going to say that I had died so that you two would never ask about me. With nowhere else to turn Bobbie took me in. Despite the pain of losing you two, she loved me and gave me a life in New York.

There hasn’t been a day that has passed by though that I haven’t thought about you, and I get the papers sent to me up there so that I could check the obituary page. I found Clyde’s name finally and set out to find you both to see if there was a chance to rebuild a relationship. Only by that time, the house had been sold and there was no trace of the two of you. For years it seemed like you both had dropped off the face of the city. It wasn’t until we hired a private investigator that we finally found someone in the neighborhood that remembered you Desi and told him your married name. From there we found about your accident and that you had moved in with your doctor."

No one spoke for the longest time, the only noise in the house coming from the kitchen as Mona and her daughter caught up on their week and prepared dinner. It was in that precise moment that the sisters figured out how much Clyde had stolen from them, and where his hatred had been born from when it came to their chosen lifestyle.

"I think that I can speak for Rachel when I say that I’m glad you came here and talked to us. It’s kind of a shock to find you have a mother after dreaming about one since I was a little girl, but it’s a good shock. Harry baby help me up," requested Desi. When she was on her feet she walked to June and gave her as good a hug as her girth would allow. It was a nice feeling to have family more than Rachel and Harry.

"Thank you," was all that June whispered as she opened her arms to Rachel as well. The three shared tears of happiness and sadness at the hand life had dealt them.

"Where is Bobbie now?" asked Rachel wanting to know more about this woman.

"She’s at the hotel waiting for my call actually. I know that there is a part of her heart that bleeds with the blame of what happened. We never had children after the two of you, but we always felt that the both of you were ours. Maybe now we can enjoy our grandchildren." June placed her hands on Desi’s midsection and felt the life within moving around. June choked out tears when she thought that her presence the night before might have put their little one in danger.

"June she’s all right believe me," said Harry guessing what the problem might be. June’s slight shoulders shook as she cried out the tears of pain for the separation and pain that Clyde had caused them. She was sorry for the man’s death but not for the second chance she and her children would get because of it.

"I’m so sorry for all that I’ve done to you, but mostly for leaving you with Clyde. I just know that there was more that I could have done to save us all from this," said June. Harry moved out of the way so that Rachel could join her sister and mother on the sofa. Desi gave her a look that told Harry she was all right so Harry stepped into the kitchen to join Mona and her daughter. The small blonde smiled through her tears when she heard the squeals of the children when they spotted Harry. From her peripheral vision, Desi saw that Serena got up and joined Harry in the kitchen.

For the next forty minutes the small family got to know each other again as the laughter continued to filter out of the kitchen. It came as a surprise to all three women when the doorbell rang; there was only Raul and Maria missing and they wouldn’t be using the bell. A few moments later Harry walked in followed by a tall slender woman with salt and pepper hair. The newcomer stood and looked at the two young women sitting with June and instantly her eyes filled with tears.

"Thank God that you didn’t turn her away," was all that Bobbie said before she stepped into the room. She had experienced her own shock when the phone to their hotel room had rung and it wasn’t June but Harry. Bobbie had heard of Harry from some of her colleges who had referred some difficult cases to the brilliant surgeon. To know that one of June’s daughters had ended up living with her was such a coincidence.

"I hope that you all worked up an appetite in here because Mona and Sherri cooked up quite the feast in there. Dr. Margolis what would you like to drink?" asked Harry. Desi had held up her hand to get Harry moving back to where she was sitting. Leave it to her partner to invite the only person missing from their little reunion. With Harry’s hand firmly ensconced in hers, Desi looked over her mother’s companion. While they waited for Bobbie’s response, three-year-old Benjamin ran in and threw himself at Harry’s legs.

"Please call me Bobbie, Dr. Basantes, and since I’m on vacation I’ll have a beer. Who’s this little guy?"

"Don’t call her Dr. Basantes, it might swell her head, and this little guy is Benjamin. I’m Desi and this is my sister Rachel. It’s a pleasure to meet you; June has told us so much about you since she got here. Have a seat." Harry let her hand go for a minute to pick up the little boy. The thought of what a wonderful parent Harry was going to make went through Desi’s head again.

"Believe me when I tell you that June and I have had many conversations about you two for over the past thirty years, so I feel like you are my own. We weren’t physically here for all the things parents should be here for but we were in spirit. Thank you for inviting us into your home." Bobbie relaxed a bit as she sat next to June. In all of their scenarios it was much more difficult to get the two sisters to understand what happened. For Desi it was her own history with Harry that had allowed her to forgive so easily. They had been apart so long already, she had no intention adding to that with regret.

Mona came in and announced dinner and was properly introduced to June and Bobbie. Both women took an instant liking to the woman who had in many ways become Desi’s mother since her time in the house with Harry. Mona, with the help of her daughter and Harry brought in plates of food for everyone so that Desi could stay seated comfortably on the couch. As they ate and talked about how they had all come to this place Bobbie mentioned Harry’s medical nickname and wanted to know if she was indeed the ‘goddess of the bones’ she had heard so much about.

"That is the rumor that goes around, but the name was not my idea. I do my job and I enjoy it that’s all." The mischievous look in Desi’s eyes told Harry she was in for it.

"Harry is definitely the ‘goddess of the bones’ as well as many more things as far as I’m concerned. And she got the nickname because she is that good," complemented Desi. The squeeze to her fingers told her that Harry had appreciated the kind words in her behalf. Desi was proud of the accomplishments Harry had achieved and loved to brag when the opportunity presented itself.

"I don’t doubt it Desi, I have heard nothing but praise from my associates who refer patients down here. Had I known you two were together, June and I would have made it to some of the symposiums that the hospital here hosts with Harry as the main speaker.

"Are you a surgeon?" asked Rachel.

"No I’m a pediatrician actually. One surgeon in the family is enough I think. Mona that was wonderful," said Bobbie. They finished dinner and Mona and her daughter had coffee and desert waiting for them.

June looked around at the room they were sitting in now that the hard part of their visit was over and things were going so well. The house Desi and Harry shared was so different than the penthouse apartment she and Bobbie shared in New York. Not having known her girls except for the very first moments of their lives June wondered whose taste the house represented. Desi watched her from Harry’s side and tried to guess what her mother was thinking about. That’s one word I never imagined myself using in this lifetime — mother, thought Desi.

"Would you like a tour?" asked Desi.

"Goodness no, I know you must be tired dear. I was just admiring your beautiful home," answered June.

"I bought it for her," said Harry without any prompting. The desire to buy the house had been more of a whim than any real wanting of it. It had only taken one walk through the gardens and then through the house to convince her that Desi would have been happy there. It had been only a fleeting wish, but Harry still thanked God for every day for making it come true. Harry still remembered Desi’s first months in the house changing it only subtly to make it more of a home for them.

"My little girl is a lucky woman then," said June. Bobbie brought June’s hand to her lips at her partner’s sentiment. The fact that the two young women had retained some of the love they had taught them at such an early age was heartwarming.

"No ma’am, I am the lucky one here. I met Desi when she was in the second grade and I have been in love with her ever since. No material possession I could give her could ever repay her the happiness she has given me." Desi’s eyes filled with tears at Harry’s declaration and she pulled her surgeon down for a kiss.

"And you Serena, do you enjoy your job?" asked Bobbie. Up to that point the blonde sitting next to Rachel holding her hand had been somewhat silent.

"Yes Dr. Margolis, I do. It gives me a huge amount of satisfaction to put away the assholes who like to beat up on their wives. I can’t ever imagine professing to love someone then beating them," said Serena tightening her hold on Rachel’s hand.

"And may you never know that Serena," said June. Serena just stayed quiet on that, not wanting to drag the evening down with stories of her marriage and the hell it had been on her body whenever her husband had had a bad day at work.

"I hate to cut this short but I know that Desi needs her rest and we don’t want to impose any more tonight," said Bobbie. Desi had turned her face into Harry’s chest whenever she had to yawn trying to hide but obviously the two older women had noticed it. The expectant mother had wanted this day for so long that she didn’t want it to end, but she was tired. Above her Harry could feel the disappointment in her wife’s body when June and Bobbie got up to leave.

"Why don’t the two of you let me and Serena go back to the hotel, check you out, and collect your things and you stay here with us? We have the room and I’m sure that Desi and Rachel would like having you so close by to catch up on old times. After all you haven’t heard about the disastrous perms they gave each other in my senior year. If you are here in the morning, you’ll even get to meet your first grandchild Butch. He is out on the town with my parents tonight, but I know he would love to meet the two of you," offered Harry.

"A grandchild?" asked June.

"Yes ma’am, he’s a wonderful little boy," said Rachel smiling at Serena.

"We would love to have you both," added Desi.

"Are you sure?" June asked tentatively.

"Positive. You can hear all about their formative years and Mona can tell you about mine and what a bonehead I am," said Harry.

"Well all right, but I’ll come with you Harry," said Bobbie.

"Come on folks I’ll show you to your rooms," said Mona after hearing Harry’s invitation. Harry got up off the sofa first and pulled Desi to her feet.

"Let’s go baby, I’ll get you upstairs before I go." Before Desi could protest, Harry had swept her back into her arms and headed toward the stairs followed by two smiling parents. After she had deposited Desi on their bed, Harry turned to June and asked her, "Keep an eye on her for me until I get back?"

"You bet Dr. Basantes. I’ll take good care of her from here on out."

Just like everyone that stepped into the master suite, June noticed the picture on the mantel and the happiness and love it depicted. "Have you always loved her like this?"

"No, I broke her heart and mine in the process to make daddy happy and keep Rachel safe," said Desi looking at her sister when she said it. As always the pain was just as intense for Rachel knowing what her sister had sacrificed for her.

"I’m sorry," said June without turning around from the picture she was looking at.

"I’m not. The pain and agony of losing Harry is what has made the getting her back so sweet. I found in her my champion and my safe haven. I would endure the pain a thousand times again if it always brings me back here," said Desi. Rachel let the tears flow down her face and mouthed the words, "Thank you."

"Could you do the same for me?" June asked of both of them. She finally turned around and faced her judgment for the sins she had inflicted on the two people that had mattered the most to her.

"What, forgive you?" asked Desi. Rachel nodded her head in agreement from beside her sister.

"Yes."

"Mother, you never have to ask that of me. I can’t speak for Rachel, but I will not condemn you for the choices you have made." Desi held her sister’s hand wanting Rachel to answer for herself.

"And neither can I. I think it is time that we bury Clyde once and for all, and the pain the bastard brought to all of us along with him," said Rachel. Both the sisters held up their hands to the woman across the room smiling when June ran to them and their offer of forgiveness.

"That doctor of yours is a smart cookie," said June. The three of them were sitting on the bed waiting for all their mates to get back from the hotel where June and Bobbie had been staying. None of them were fooled as to why Harry had left them alone.

"Not to mention tall, good looking and devastatingly sexy," added Desi. They all laughed together as they shared girl talk about the three women they lived with.

"Is she looking forward to becoming a parent so soon after getting you back honey?" asked June.

"Let’s hope so mom." June smiled at the title both the girls had started using about forty minutes into their talks.

"Aren’t you sure?" asked June again.

"I’m not talking in generalities here, I’m talking about right now because my water just broke," said Desi holding her midsection. The small contractions she had been having since waking up from her nap that afternoon had gotten worse throughout the evening but she didn’t want to ruin her little family reunion. With a little more force in her voice Desi told them, "Let’s go, it’s time."

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"I said it’s time to go."

The four men on the riverbank slid into the water and tried to stay as close to the shore as possible, not wanting to get carried away by the strong current. Tyrell figured if they stayed in the water until the skies started to lighten with dawn it would bring them past the area that the authorities had set as their exiting point. With any luck he would be able to lose the Simoneauxs in the night and go the next leg into the city alone.

Unlike the swamp they had just traveled through the river was muddy and cold, but surprisingly free of wildlife. As they traveled along with the current downstream the four men watched the traffic over the bridges they floated under and wondered what part of the state they were traveling through. The water was cold enough for the three Simoneauxs to forget their rashes for a while and just concentrate on getting back to the city where their problems began.

Only one of the three was considering the consequences of their actions so far and how much more time would be taken from his life once they were caught. Mike wanted nothing more than to just swim to the shore, sit and wait for the guards to find him in the light of morning. The only thing that was holding him back was the knowledge that either Tyrell or his brother Byron would kill him before letting him give their location away.

Without question the three family members followed Tyrell out of the water when he made his way into the trees lining the shore. The sky was still dark and like he had a sixth sense, Tyrell moved through the forest in search of only one thing. Two miles inland he found what he was looking for. The deserted gas station along the country road looked like it would be a while before the owners came to open the doors to any business that would happen to drive by, but off to one corner was what Tyrell was looking for, a payphone in perfectly working order.

The people of the inner city in a place like New Orleans had to plan for any contingency because of the shit that life handed them at times, and Tyrell was a master of the circuit. In every letter his sister sent him every week, scattered throughout the nuances of her life in the housing project were numbers instead of punctuation. The seemingly odd placed digits in her last letter were his ticket out of here. From his memory he dialed a number and followed it, when prompted. The stolen calling card number hopefully hadn’t been discovered yet and would put him through to his friend Dexter for a ride the rest of the way into the city.

"Somebody better be dead," said Dexter into the receiver in his bedroom in New Orleans.

"No brother not dead, but I do consider myself reborn," answered Tyrell. From the tree line his partners in crime watched and waited for him to finish his call, each formulating his argument for Tyrell to take them along. Once his plans were fixed, Tyrell had no intention of leaving them behind.

"Ty is that you?" Dexter sat up in bed and waited for the man to answer him. The two men had known each other for years and Tyrell had gotten him out of more trouble than Dexter could ever repay him for. The way that he tried was to take care of his sister while Tyrell waited either to escape Angola’s fences, or die within them.

"Yeah it’s me. Listen to me Dexter, I need a ride back into the city for me and three other guys I want to come along if only so they aren’t found anywhere around here and give my plans away. We’ll take them as far as maybe the downtown area then cut them loose." Tyrell finished his phone call by giving his friend as much information of their location as possible. Now all they had to do was wait where the Simoneauxs where hidden now and look for Dexter to make his appearance. If by ten the next night he could not find them he would call the phone Tyrell had used to try and locate them.

"Sit tight brother and I’ll be there by tonight. I’ll try and find some delivery truck that won’t spook anybody around there and we’ll use that."

"I’ll be waiting."

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"Where is he?"

"Desi honey, try taking some deep breaths. The orderly said he would be right back with the ice chips and I’m thinking he wasn’t lying to you," said Maria trying her best to sound soothing. Harry’s parents had helped get Desi downstairs after returning from a dinner date with Butch, calling Harry from the car on the way to the hospital. The contractions were still about fifteen minutes apart so Ellie had gone to take a nap in the doctor’s lounge until it was closer to show time for the Basantes baby.

If Desi had been thinking of giving some smart reply to Maria’s comment it was bitten off by the next contraction that was two minutes sooner than it had been on their previous schedule. As the pain was at its peak Desi felt the warm solid body slide in behind her making it almost bearable. Harry rubbed her hands along Desi’s midsection and whispered encouraging words into her ear.

"Thank God you’re here baby, this hurts like a bitch. I’m thinking of maybe hiring Tony to do this for us the next time," said Desi as she sunk into Harry’s chest. Without having to be asked June, Rachel and Maria moved out into the waiting room with the rest of the entourage already out there. "Before this really begins I want to tell you that I love you and I think this is a really good thing we’re doing."

"That’s good to hear sweetheart, because unlike a bad puppy we can’t give this little sucker away." Harry brought her head around to face Desi wondering where the strange comment had come from.

"Oh, I don’t want to give it away, I’m just telling you that I will be cursing soon because of the pain and I didn’t want you to get the wrong impression. Now take your clothes off and get comfortable, it’s going to be a bumpy night."

Harry climbed down off the bed and changed into a set of scrubs that had been left at the end of the bed by one of the nurses. The birthing room they were in had a bank of windows that overlooked the city skyline from the Superdome side and Desi alternated her visual perusal between that and the tall familiar body in her underwear in front of her. When Harry put on the pants and pulled the drawstring closed Desi smiled at the fact that even in this situation Harry had a way of talking to her more base side. "I look at you like that and it makes me want to have more of your children Dr. Basantes."

"Let’s pop this one out Desi then we’ll talk about it. Did you have a nice talk with your mother?" The phone call from her father had centered on the fact they were in route to the hospital with Desi and not about what emotional shape they had found Desi in when they got home.

"Yeah, she seems to be a nice woman who I would like to get to know. She told me that Bobbie is thinking of retiring soon so it would make it easier for us to see each other more often. I have to tell you though, I’m still having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that she’s my mother and she’s still alive. I never even considered wishing to know her since I had come to terms that she was gone. The fact that I didn’t remember her left me without even the fantasy of what having her in my life could have meant to Rachel and me. You know what I mean?" Desi moved down a little on the bed to give Harry some room to move behind her so that she could hold her.

"Yep I can understand that. I never really asked you about her because you and Rachel seemed reluctant to talk about her. The fact you didn’t know much to even comment about never crossed my mind baby. I’m glad that she finally found the two of you before you all lost anymore time. What I’d like to know is how your father turned out such caring individuals like you and your sister when he was such a son of a bitch?" Harry massaged Desi’s shoulders in an attempt to have her as relaxed as possible before the next contraction. The fetal monitor was starting to spike signaling the next one and Harry brought Desi more fully against her chest in support.

Four hours later Ellie made the predication that it wouldn’t be too much longer before they could start pushing. As the contractions got more intense so did Desi’s grip on Harry’s legs along side her. Their doctor was sure that her friend Harry would walk out of the hospital with two perfect imprints of Desi’s hands in the form of bruises on her legs.

"You know when I let you go this morning I was figuring that you would give me at least a week’s reprieve before I saw you again Desiree," said Ellie as she pushed the sheet back into place covering Desi’s feet.

"You know Ellie, you could just kiss my ass the next time you’re down there checking things out," said Desi in a not too pleasant voice. The evil little part of her brain had been calling for drugs since the afternoon and she was about to give into it. Everything about the room including Harry was starting to get on Desi’s nerves and there seemed to be no end to the agony she was in. "Oh God not again," Desi managed between clenched teeth as another contraction ripped through her.

"Ok Desi I think we are ready to rock and roll baby," said Ellie from the foot of the bed. The nurses in the room put her legs up into the stirrups and Harry pushed Desi up a little to make it easier to push. "I want you to start taking big cleansing breaths for me Desi, Harry can help you out with that, can’t you doc?" asked Ellie. For her first pregnancy Desi was progressing nicely, but Ellie wanted to make sure everything was all right before the next step. This baby was still a few weeks early, which wasn’t unheard of, but Ellie would have preferred more time.

"Can’t I start pushing? I really think that would be a great idea don’t you?" The small blonde was ready to begin her life as a parent with the baby on the outside of her body, but knowing Harry’s streak of being a pleasure hound Desi was sure the kid was in there hanging onto her ribcage to stay in the nice warm cocoon they were swimming in.

"I think that’s a great idea honey. Ready?" Ellie looked up and locked eyes with Harry as a way of telling her everything was all right. Desi had her eyes closed tight as another contraction hit her and the urge to push became greater. "Push Desi come on."

There was no mirror to show her what was happening but Harry could see the head and shoulders out in the reflection of the windows in front of them. Desi had reclined back against her for a moment to take a slight break before the order came to push again from Ellie. Harry was amazed that once her partner had been allowed to push on a regular basis she had kept her comments to the occasional grunt and moan.

"One more Desi and that should do it. Let’s make it a big one," ordered Ellie. Holding Harry’s hands, a sweaty Desi pushed up in the stirrups and let lose a scream that was followed a moment later by the lustful cry of a baby.

"Dr. and Mrs. Basantes meet your son." Ellie held up the baby boy and placed him on Desi’s chest. The tired mother wrapped one arm around him as she brought Harry closer with the other. To Desi it was the beginning of another happy chapter in the fairytale she was living with Harry, and this big boy was a definite surprise. She had been convinced for the past four months that they were going to have a baby girl, but that didn’t mean that she nor Harry were any less pleased.

"He looks like you love," said Desi looking into the blue eyes of her lover. Harry was looking at the both of them through tears she was so happy. Baby Basantes had yet to open his eyes and despite his messy appearance his head was covered with fine black fuzz. Like his mother before him, the small creature stole Harry’s heart in an instant.

"But let’s hope that he acts like you baby. God Desi he’s just perfect, thank you." Harry looked on as Desi ran her index finger over the baby’s brow in an attempt to get him to calm down, or maybe to convince herself that he was real.

"Excuse me ma’am, I just need to borrow him a second. I promise I’ll bring him right back after he’s been weighed and cleaned up a little." The nurse took the little boy and walked out with him while Ellie finished up with Desi.

"You did a fantastic job here my friend, I do believe I have to put in one stitch and that’s it," said Ellie. Their friend and doctor was cleaning Desi off after the small woman had dispelled the afterbirth.

"Honey you want to go out and tell everyone the good news?" asked Desi. The warm body behind her just wrapped her up in a large hug and didn’t feel like it was moving any time soon.

"Yeah in a minute, I just want to tell you how much I love you and that this is the best thing anyone has ever gotten me. We have a son baby, can you believe it?"

"Let’s hope you like this feeling honey, because this won’t be the last one we have."

Harry ran out to the waiting room and told everyone the good news. When she swung the door open most of the group was taking naps after watching the hours pass by waiting for the happy outcome. The surgeon ordered everyone home knowing that they would be back early the next morning to meet the new addition. Desi was holding the baby when she got back to the room, and Harry had to smile when she saw her partner had unwrapped him and was taking inventory of fingers and toes. The best part of the sight was the look of pure bliss on Desi’s face as she looked at their son.

"Have you thought of a name yet?" Desi looked up at Harry and wiped the few tears that had escaped her eyes away.

"You won’t go for Harry Jr. will you?" answered Desi with another question.

"Come on baby you don’t want to do that to our kid do you?"

"I happen to like the name Harry baby, sue me. I have to admit I thought this little guy was a girl so I’m at a loss now. Looking at him though, I see the one person in this world that I love more than anything so that’s all I was hoping for." Desi held her hand out so that Harry would finish coming into the room and join her on the bed. When Harry sat down Desi handed over the baby so she could watch Harry’s face.

"Hey there little man, welcome to our family. I want to promise you and your mother that I will always take care of you and I will always love you." Harry brought the infant to her shoulder and hugged him. His hair was sticking out in all directions but Harry had never seen a more beautiful baby in her life. When she brought him down and held him so that they could both look at him, the baby finally opened his eyes as if to look for the person with the deep voice that had been talking to him for months. Under the dark hair were two beautiful green eyes that paid tribute to his mother Desi.

"How about we compromise and use Harry as a middle name?" asked Desi. Harry tore her eyes off the baby and looked at Desi with an amused look on her face. In the end she would agree to whatever the small blonde wanted and to make it easier on Desi, Harry just nodded her head. Desi looked at Harry again and it just came to her.

"Jackson Harry Basantes." Desi knew that Harry wouldn’t mind their son sharing the name of one of her childhood heroes. Ever since their first Halloween party they had attended, Desi had become partial to the male name that had been used by the very female Jackson Lafitte.

"Welcome home Jack," was Harry’s only response. At hearing his name, Jack yawned and gave a small cry. Desi untied the top of her gown and gave him what he wanted. The door opened slightly and Rachel stuck her head in and asked to come in for a minute.

"I promise I won’t take long, but I wanted to see my nephew before I went home. Serena is waiting at home with Butch and I had to get a look so I could describe him." The room was dark and quiet, the only sounds were the small sucking noise that Jack was making as he enjoyed his first meal.

"Come here Runt and meet your nephew Jack," said Harry.

"Oh my God, he’s so cute," said Rachel. For that one moment all the adults in the room forgot about the danger that was coming their way. Byron and his family seemed a million miles from them.

Harry sat in the rocking chair next to the bed and propped her feet on the bed leaning back to get some sleep. The dawn came but went unnoticed by the small family sleeping in the room. Desi was sleeping holding on to a socked foot while Jack slept on the side of Harry in a small bassinet the nurse had brought in for him. Both women were instantly alert when they heard the loud cry a short time later.

"Thank the gods you didn’t carry this bruiser to term Desi. He was two weeks shy of full term and still managed to weigh eight pounds two ounces," said Harry leaning over to pick Jack up. "I think someone is hungry isn’t that right Jack?"

Desi held him against her and fed him as they were both cradled against Harry’s chest. When she was done Harry changed Jack’s diaper and put him back in the bassinet to help Desi into the bathroom. Even though there was no chance that the baby was going to fall out of the bed, it made Desi smile to see Harry rolling their son in after them. When they stepped back into the room Harry took the opportunity to hug Desi to her and not have the large bulge in the way of her squeezing her partner tight.

"At it again?" asked Mona from the door. Their housekeeper had come prepared with a breakfast from home knowing the Harry wasn’t a big fan of hospital food.

"I’m making up for lost time. Come here and meet my son Mona," said Harry not letting go of Desi.

"Unless you are forgetting the little woman in front of you bonehead, I’ll come in and meet y’all’s son." Mona put her package on the bed and moved to the bassinet. The old sure hands picked up the small bundle that was wearing a blue stocking cap and held him against her chest and closed her eyes. Mona sat with him in the rocking chair and unwrapped the blanket from around Jack and just looked at him. "What’s your name little boy?" asked Mona in a singsong voice.

"Jackson Harry Basantes," answered Desi. The smile on Mona’s face was almost as bright as the one on Harry’s from the warmth in Desi’s voice.

"Welcome home Jackson Basantes," said Mona. If there had been any lingering doubts about Harry’s heart and how safe it was in the hands of Desiree, the little baby Mona held against her ample chest put those to rest. Not that people who didn’t love each other didn’t bring children into the world, but the identical looks she saw in the young faces staring at her told her this little guy was not a mistake. He was an extension of the love Harry and Desi shared.

Before Mona got too comfortable the room filled up with both families wanting to get their first look at the new addition. By late that afternoon Desi was holding Jack up to her shoulder to get him to go to sleep while Harry finished up in the shower. Running her hand over the tiniest green scrub suit she had ever seen, Desi smiled remembering Raul handing her the bag in exchange for his grandson. The tears that had come all day started again as Desi thought about the proud looks on Harry’s parents’ faces when they sat and admired the baby. In a small way it was Desi’s way of making up for all the pain that she had caused their own child with the choices she had made years before. Harry had never shared what she had gone through with her parents not wanting to prejudice their feelings when it came to Desi. For the longest time Desi didn’t quite believe that until she sat and had a long talk with Tony about it as she packed for her first trip to Florida with Harry.

"She’s going to hate me isn’t she?" asked Desi. The bag in the corner represented Harry’s quick packing job that morning before heading to the hospital. So far hers was three times the size and still Desi was adding to it.

"No she isn’t girl, stop worrying. Maria doesn’t know what happened between the two of you. What’s got your panties all in a twist sweetie?" Tony asked as he held up a pair of Desi’s silk dark blue underwear.

"I find it hard to believe that the Maria Basantes I remember would not have asked what happened when I suddenly disappeared and Harry got depressed, Anthony." Desi snatched the pair of panties he was twirling on his finger and shoved it back in her bag. She wasn’t aggravated with Tony but she had to take her bad mood out on someone.

"Believe it baby. Not about the asking part, the mother hen does plenty of that, but Harry threatened us with bodily harm if we said anything. For a long time she tried to convince Harry about the virtues of finding someone who would appreciate her. Well tall, dark and hard headed didn’t go for it and it drove Maria into the city every so often to try and reason with her. I just think Maria didn’t want Harry to go through life alone. Then along comes Miss Serena and I thought Maria would volunteer to have children for them, but our esteemed attorney didn’t have the staying power you did Desi girl," explained Tony. The look of open jealously that crossed Desi’s face told him that this was still a sore subject with the small blonde across from him. He reached across and took one of Desi’s hands in his and pulled her to sit on the bed.

"I can’t compete with her Tony."

"You don’t have to love. Serena is beautiful, successful and she loved Harry to distraction."

"Thanks you are making me feel so much better," laughed Desi throwing her hands in the air.

"Let me finish. Serena was all those things Desi, but the one thing she wasn’t was you.

Harry’s mind was made up so long ago that if she had settled down with Serena or anyone else it would have been a case of just that, settling. I hope that makes sense to you at all? What she felt for you, and still does, is something you could write some sappy romance novel about. Instead of feeling sad about what happened, you should feel glad that Dr. Basantes didn’t give up on her dreams, because my little hayseed, her dreams were all about you."

"Thank you," Desi whispered over the baby’s head. Maria had welcomed her back with arms wide open once she had seen the smile on Harry’s face from the minute they stepped off the plane. Desi remembered the week as a learning experience of all things Harry, and laughing at the odd combinations the tall doctor liked to eat.

"For what?" asked Harry stepping out of the bathroom toweling off her hair. She had just gotten back from rounds in the hospital, comfortable in leaving Desi and Jack in the room with their collection of friends and family. Jack’s pediatrician, Kenneth had made a room call and declared the little guy healthy and extremely cute, so he had been allowed to stay in their room.

"For loving us so much and for giving me and Jack such a wonderful place to go home to." Harry pulled the towel down around her shoulders and watched her family lounging on the bed. She nodded her head at Desi’s pantomimed question as to if the baby was asleep, then moved to pick him up and put him into the bassinet. Once Harry had him covered and had kissed his forehead, she moved to the larger bed in the room to follow the crooked finger aimed at her.

"It is my pleasure loving the two of you baby," answered Harry. Desi pushed Harry onto her back so that she could snuggle up to her side resting her head on the broad slightly damp shoulder.

"Speaking of home, when do we get to go back there?" The staff had been more than accommodating to Desi, but she was anxious to start enjoying the baby at their own place.

"If you promise to be good and not strain yourself I’ll send you home tonight," said Ellie from the door. Her partner was trailing behind her and moved to the baby she had heard so much about from the nursing staff while Ellie finished her conversation.

"Really?" asked Desi.

"Really. I figure you have Dr. Harry, Maria and Mona. If that list of characters doesn’t keep you in line, I see a prison sentence in your future," answered Ellie. Her comment didn’t get the laugh she thought it would and Ellie wondered about the suddenly grim look on Desi’s face. It was the first time she had thought about Byron and his family since the labor pains had begun and not hearing anything new, Desi guessed that they had not been found yet.

Harry felt Desi stiffen over her and jumped in before Ellie could dig herself in deeper. "Don’t worry about Desi, she’ll be fine. With everything happening in our lives I’m sure we would all feel more comfortable at home," Harry directed the comments to Ellie. With two fingers she gently moved Desi’s head up until she could see the green eyes that still held a touch of fear in them and spoke more gently. "I am not going to let anything happen to you or Jack baby, so stop worrying about that. Byron and his goony family will have an easier time getting to meet the President than they will getting close to you. I’m going to get us checked out and bring the car around, how’s that sound?"

"That sounds like the best plan I’ve ever heard. I love you honey and I believe you." Desi pulled Harry’s head down and kissed her.

"Would you girls keep my partner company for a minute while I run out to the garage and get the car?" In less than an hour Harry had taken care of their paperwork and pulled up to the front of the hospital to pick up Desi and Jack. Ellie and Sam stood behind the wheelchair the blonde was sitting in holding Jack and wheeled the two outside as soon as the Range Rover pulled up to the curb.

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"Get in and make it fast," said Dexter as the van he was driving pulled into the deserted garage. The four men dressed only in their underwear came running out of the woods and into the back as soon as Tyrell recognized his friend behind the wheel. Dexter had stolen a moving rental van as soon as the business closed down so that the police hopefully wouldn’t be looking for it until morning. By then he would have it parked back in the lot with only the mileage as a clue that it had been used.

"Hey man thanks for doing this for me," said Tyrell sitting in the back as Dexter slowly pulled back out onto the road.

"No problem. Hey I guessed at some sizes and there’s some clothes back there. The blue bag is your stuff Ty, your little bit sent it to you."

Tyrell was looking forward to seeing his sister without a bunch of guards looking on. In his time behind Angola’s walls Diana had not had much opportunity to come and see him because of the difficulty of traveling in her condition, but had written to her brother every week. It made him angry that even though she couldn’t move her legs, his sister was still in constant pain after the accident that had left her paralyzed. "Thanks."

"No need Ty, she misses you man. She didn’t want to see you get out like this and be hunted forever but she is going to take what life gives her and deal." Byron listened to the conversation trying to figure out who the two friends were talking about. Sitting in the woods all day Tyrell had never mentioned some woman waiting for him at home, nor did he tell them the name of the friend that was picking them up and bringing them back into the city. Tyrell had listened though, to both Byron and his father, talk about the women that had been to blame for them being in jail. Their escape had to do with payback, but his was to look after his sister. One person that the younger Byron talked about captured Tyrell’s attention, that person was someone named Harry. This doctor that Byron hated so much was the first person Tyrell was going to find and barter with once he was back in town.

They traveled the rest of the way in silence, the fugitives falling asleep almost immediately to the droning sound of the tires. They had been moving almost constantly from the moment they sprinted out of the bathroom and through the back gate into the swamp.

In the early morning before dawn, Dexter pulled into an empty parking lot in downtown New Orleans and pulled out a large pistol from his waistband. Tyrell nodded his head and got out of the passenger side to open the back of the panel van. As soon as the door opened, all three Simoneauxs woke up and looked out to see Tyrell standing by the back door in a dark t-shirt and jeans. The three of them were wearing differing outfits that smelled like Dexter had found them on the sale rack at some thrift store but it beat the alternative.

"Get out and forget you ever met me," ordered Tyrell. Dexter and he had decided to drop them off someplace far away from their own destination. If the three got caught, they wouldn’t have much to say about how they had gotten there and where Tyrell had disappeared.

"I ain’t getting out here big man," said the younger Byron. The middle of the city was not where he wanted to get out of the van. By sunrise the place would be crawling with workers and cops.

"I think the man asked you all polite and all to get out of the van," said Dexter cocking the nickel plated pistol in his hand and holding it out in front of him. Mike was the first one out, followed by his brother and father. Before they could lodge any more complaints the yellow Ryder van pulled away and turned at the corner.

"Let’s go home and have a talk with your mother boys." Byron Sr. turned in the direction of their old address and started walking, expecting his sons to follow him. After he administered an adequate punishment for Monique’s sins, Byron was thinking of heading toward his garage and seeing how things were running.

"I’m not going to fucking tell you again daddy, she is gone. You fucking killed her and that’s the end of the story. Now let’s find someplace to hide until I can think of what we need to do next," said Byron. The mistake of not having left his father back in Angola was coming back to bite him in the ass now. Staying in a group and not getting caught was going to be difficult enough without having to drag a crazy old shit with them.

"How about we head toward the French Quarter? It’s Friday so it should be crowded by tonight and during the day today we can hang out by the river," suggested Mike. Maybe I can grab a burger before we get sent back and put in some hole for doing this, thought Mike as he watched Byron nod his head.

"Great idea Mikey. There may be hope for you yet little brother." As the two young men walked in the opposite direction their father had been headed the one thought that ran through Byron’s head was, "Where are you Dr. Basantes, and are you ready to see me?" In the van that was miles away from them the same thought ran through Tyrell’s mind. The tall surgeon was someone he was looking forward to meeting.

Part 5

The first two weeks of Jack’s life were spent at home relaxing in the rooms upstairs. Harry had taken the time off and was starting to get the hang of parenthood, though the thought of going into surgery with only four hours of sleep a night was making her head spin. Desi promised her that when the time came she would buy Harry some earplugs and hope for the best. Serena had kept them updated on the manhunt going on from New Orleans to the gates of Angola, but so far it was as if the swamp had swallowed the four remaining men whole and it was not ready to give them up.

Mona had been acting as secretary for Harry as well as cook for the family since Dr. Basantes had turned off her beeper the minute they stepped through the door with the baby. The two sets of grandparents were enjoying their short babysitting stints when the girls squeezed in a nap, and the hospital and medical school had called only in cases of drastic emergencies for phone consultations, knowing that Harry wasn’t going to leave the house under any circumstances.

Harry’s medical offices ran as scheduled with other attendants seeing the patients that couldn’t be rescheduled and the easy work load had allowed all her employees to come by the house and meet Jack. The clinic phones had gotten busier toward the end of the second week since the patients knew Harry was due back by then, so it wasn’t suspicious to Irma the receptionist when a man called Friday afternoon trying to schedule an appointment with the tall doctor.

"When will she back?"

"She should be back in the office Monday morning sir. Would you like for me to check and see when the first available appointment is for?" asked Irma.

"I really need to see her before then if it’s possible."

"Well sir it’s Friday afternoon now, so Monday is your best bet unless you want to go out to the free clinic at the Desire Housing Development tomorrow. Dr. Basantes is helping a friend administer free immunizations tomorrow." Irma looked at the appointment book for Monday’s schedule and went on, not realizing that the free information she had just given out was exactly the opportunity he was looking for. "How about Monday at three in the afternoon Mr. ?" The only answer Irma got was the dial tone from the other end signaling the man had hung up.

Harry took the steps two at a time after finishing her run on the treadmill in the workout room. It had taken her waking Jack up a couple of times before Desi had exiled her from the room to burn off some energy. Harry had found that their son had the same effect on her as his mother when it came to physical contact. She loved looking at him as he tried to focus on her face when she was talking to him, and she loved the way he felt in her arms when she held him. Going back to work was going to be a nightmare.

Stepping quietly into the room, Harry saw both Desi and Jack in the bed taking a nap. Desi was on her back with a hand on the baby lying next to her. When she heard the shower running Desi opened her eyes and smiled. At least she’s learning.. The recovering blonde figured the baby would be spoiled rotten in a month’s time if Harry kept up at the rate she was going, not that she was fairing any better in the holding him category. It was so much nicer to hold him while he slept that it was a struggle to let go of him when naptime rolled around.

"Hey sweetie, want me to put him down for you?" asked Mona. The housekeeper had followed Harry upstairs to see what they wanted for dinner. The girls had promised to venture out of their bedroom and into the dining room to join everyone that was coming over.

"Thanks Mona, he should be out for another hour before the dinner bell rings again. At the rate he’s going I should be hospitalized by next week from dehydration," joked Desi. The fact she was going to have a moose for a child should have crossed her mind before now, considering the genetic pool she had dipped into.

"Yeah but think about how nice they grow up to be and how happy you are going to make some young lady or man someday. The Basantes clan is a collection of overgrown troublemakers from the time they come out the womb, but hell if they ain’t easy on the eye. I always thought God made them that way so that the folks in their lives don’t kill them at an early age. You mix that dark hair and those blue eyes with your good looks, and Jackson is sure to be a killer in the handsome department," said Mona as she looked down on the sweet sleeping face. She was betting if she had known Harry at this age the face would not have varied much from the one she was looking at now.

"I remember walking down the hall in high school one day on my way to meet Harry for a ride home when I saw her leaning up against her locker reading a book. She had finally grown into that body and her looks had lost all traces of adolescence and it took my breath away. From that one moment, I wanted her to be mine in every way and not just as my best friend. I’ve always loved Harry, but that was the first time I ever lusted after her," said Desi. The same blush that had crawled down Desi’s face then was making a reappearance much to Mona’s delight.

"And was she worth the wait Desi?" Mona’s question made the red on Desi’s cheeks flush hotter and darker making the young woman fan herself from thinking up an acceptable answer.

"Think about the best time you have ever had Mona then multiply that by infinity and you’ll get your answer. Harry is multitalented in a whole lot of different areas, and that part of her that strives always to please is an extra added bonus," laughed Desi.

"Well girl, I didn’t think all that screaming was because she was hurting you," quipped Mona bringing the blush up a notch.

"You are so mean to me," said Desi. The two of them were laughing quietly when Harry stepped out of the bathroom. To avoid the temptation that would get her thrown out of the bedroom again, Harry walked directly to the bed and stretched out next to Desi.

"What’s the matter?" Harry asked cupping Desi’s cheek.

"Nothing, Mona and I were just talking about you. I missed you," answered Desi as a way to change the subject. She leaned into the soft hand on her face and smiled up at Harry.

"You were the one that sent me downstairs baby," said Harry trying to sound miffed. They didn’t take their eyes off of each other when Mona started talking until they heard the snapping fingers.

"Before you get all involved in whatever you find so interesting in those pretty green eyes doc, what do you all want for dinner?"

"Surprise me beautiful lady." The smile that lit up Mona’s face told Harry that she had made the older woman’s day. "And as for you beautiful lady, if you missed me after a short run maybe I should pass on going with Kenneth tomorrow," Harry told Desi.

"No, you promised him and he’s counting on you. I just wish I could go with you again this year. I had a blast with y’all the last time you volunteered for this. Those kids need you Harry, don’t back out now. Just think if Jackson didn’t have us looking out for him, wouldn’t you want some good looking, caring doctor taking time out to give him his shots?"

"I guess, I just don’t want to leave the two of you yet." Harry fell back into her pillow depressed that her time to be home all day was coming to an end.

"We can’t fool around yet, but how would you like to make out with me on the swing until your son wakes up and demands his five o’clock feeding?" Desi’s answer came in the form of two strong arms that picked her up and carried her outside. Desi smiled into Harry’s kiss, thinking about Ellie’s stern orders of a six-week hiatus in the bedroom. What you failed to mention Dr. Ellie is that just because you can’t doesn’t mean that you don’t want to, thought Desi as she sucked Harry’s tongue into her mouth.

The next morning Harry drove three streets down from her house to pick up Kenneth at his. The project the two were headed off to was one that they had participated in since getting out of medical school. The clinics located in the housing developments throughout the city always gave free vaccinations, but through a media blitz every fall a Saturday was set aside to remind parents to bring their children in and get them updated on the needed shots. Most of the children they saw were patients of Kenneth’s clinics at Big Charity, but they loved seeing the tall surgeon with him because of the cases of candy bars she brought with her as a reward for sitting still through the examination and shots.

More than one mother sat up straighter when Harry walked in with Kenneth. They all knew through the grapevine that the tall dark hair doctor was single, and they lined up every year to take a shot at catching Harry’s eye. Harry walked into the clinic along side Kenneth wearing a short lab coat, blue jeans and tennis shoes. In a conversation with Kenneth about Jack’s progress she missed the watchful eyes of the man sitting in a late model sedan in the parking lot. He had been waiting for her arrival for an hour and once the two doctors went in through the front door he was headed toward the back entrance.

"Who wants to go first?" Harry put the boxes she was carrying down and greeted everyone in the crowded waiting room. Some of the kids who remembered her from the past few years ran up and started begging for a piece of the assortment of candy they knew were in those boxes. Harry remembered the fun Desi had had the year before handing out treats after Harry was through with their exam. They had to make another candy run before lunch, and the kids that were waiting to see Harry had fallen in love with Desi’s story telling abilities. Harry’s face brightened with a smile when she remembered thinking that her wife was going to be a great parent after watching her with the kids in the clinic. A year later it was nice to see her prediction come true with Jack.

"I’ll go first Dr. Harry. Where’s your lady friend that came with you last time?" asked the seven year old in front of her. The boy had just started first grade and had wanted to tell Desi that his teacher had read them one of the stories she had shared with them the year before.

"She couldn’t make it this year buddy but she did make me bring extra chocolate bars with me," answered Harry as she ran her hand over his head.

"She didn’t want to come?" The little boy persisted. In this neighborhood you got used to disappointment at an early age, and it seemed that the lady with hair like sunshine was no exception to that rule.

"No buddy she did want to come, but we just had a baby and she’s got to stay home until she’s feeling better. Would you like to see a picture of him?" Taking a seat in one of the hard plastic chairs Harry pulled a picture out of her breast pocket and held it out to the little boy. Harry had taken the shot of Desi and Jack sitting on their bed at home and for sentimental reasons had taken it with her that morning.

"He looks like you Dr. Harry."

"That’s cause he is mine buddy. Let’s get started with you so you can have first crack at the candy." After the innocent conversation Harry had with the little boy Kenneth heard the collective disappointed sigh released by some of the women waiting with their children. Harry’s old friend let out a light chuckle because the proud parent putting the picture back in her pocket never seemed to notice the attention she drew to herself whenever she entered a room.

"There you go Max," said Harry three hours later. She held up the box of candy and let him pick one before finishing with his chart. Turning to the boy’s mother she continued her consultation. "He is up to date on all his vaccinations, but I would like to see him in my clinic soon. Max is walking with a slight limp and I want to run some tests to find out why." The woman nodded her head and took the card Harry handed her that contained all the information she would need to call for an appointment. Telling mother and child goodbye, Harry turned her attention back to young Max’s file and filled in the information for the clinic worker’s.

When the door opened without a nurse calling out a name Harry assumed it was Kenneth coming to get her for lunch. Two large hands closed around her throat before she could turn around and it took a second to calm herself down enough to think of a plan of action.

The escaped Angola inmate had waited three hours in the broom closet for the patient procession into the small exam room to slow down before making his move. The person he had thought so much about was just on the other side of the door and this was his chance.

"Hello doc." The big man didn’t want to hurt her but he didn’t want to take the chance that she would call out to the police officers roaming around outside on their regular patrols.

He felt the long exhale coming from Harry thinking that it was a strange reaction for the woman to have in her situation. He never got to finish his thought as suddenly an intense pain bloomed from his instep, groin and thumb seemingly simultaneously. Harry had relaxed a moment before slamming her foot down on his from her sitting position. The action relaxed his grip letting her get up quickly turn around and bring her knee up between his legs with deadly intent. When that made him double over in pain, Harry grabbed his hand and twisted it behind his back by the thumb. In less than ten seconds he found himself going from the position of power with his hands around her neck, to having Harry over him as his face pressed painfully into the top of the desk in the room.

"Have we met? Wait, let me guess, you didn’t care for my bedside manner and thought you would lodge a complaint. Is that it?" asked Harry. Tyrell didn’t answer right away when she applied more pressure to his thumb. It felt like it was about to pop out of place or something if she pulled up any more.

"No we ain’t met, but we have an asshole in common," answered Tyrell finally through clenched teeth. He was trying to move up the desk slowly in an attempt to release some of the pressure she was putting on his appendage.

"Really? Who would that be big man?"

"Byron Simoneaux." Byron’s last name hadn’t quite made it past Tyrell’s lips when the pain let up on his hand and he was lifted up off the desk and into Harry’s fist. The vicious upper cut split his lip and whipped his head back. Where in the hell did this big bitch learn how to fight? The question floated like a fog in Tyrell’s head as Harry’s other fist knocked the air out of his chest when it connected with his midsection. When he brought his hand up to his mouth to wipe away the blood it found its way back into Harry’s grip and thumb lock.

"Byron Simoneaux is an asshole I agree, so before I start actually breaking shit on your body why don’t you tell me how you know him?" asked Harry in a calm voice. Harry was sitting behind him on the desk not looking at him and her voice dripped with so much hatred that Tyrell thought this might have been a mistake. Sorry Diana, I let you down sister. His continued silence brought her head slightly forward to look at him. "You’re the fourth guy the police are looking for. Tyrell I presume?"

"Yeah doc, and please believe me I’m not here to hurt you. I just want to talk to you." The pain in his thumb was becoming unbearable but Tyrell didn’t feel like he was in a position to complain.

"Talk Mr. Lagrie, I’m all ears."

"If I promise not to touch you in any way again, will you let me up? I’m in a bit of pain here Dr. Basantes," requested Tyrell. The fact she had overpowered him so easily was still making his head swim.

"Funny, I don’t feel a thing," said Harry. Before letting him go she reached over him for something in the supply drawer and was twirling it in her fingers when he lifted himself off the desk. The ease in which Harry twirled the scalpel in her fingers made him think that she could slice off some vital part before he got a hand on her.

"I have a sister named Diana who needs your help," started Tyrell. He stopped when Harry put her hand up.

"What a noble reason to escape from prison Mr. Lagrie. The fact that you took with you the human pile of garbage that is Byron Simoneaux and his family makes me a wee bit dubious of your warm and caring side. Let’s see if I get this straight? You beat a man to death for beating up on your sister, go to jail for it and then escape so that you can schedule an appointment with me? Does that about sum it up?" Tyrell flinched when she took a step toward him not knowing what she was going to do next.

"Yes doctor, that’s about it. Only taking Byron and his posse wasn’t part of my plan. The opportunity presented itself and I took it, I ain’t here to apologize for that. The way I figure it is, I need you to fix Diana and you need me to find Byron before he finds you." Tyrell cocked his head to the side and waited for her to answer. The good doctor had done her homework when it came to the people that were a potential threat to her family. The fact that Byron had tried to take the woman before him on made Tyrell think he was even more stupid than he had given him credit for.

"Tell me Mr. Lagrie how I could possibly need you?" Harry put the scalpel down beside her and reached for a candy bar out of the box on the table. The fact that this guy had made it into the city filled her with dread. If he was here that meant that Bryon was probably roaming around somewhere too.

"You help my sister and me and my posse will find Bryon for you. He don’t like you much doc, and my guess is he won’t mind going back to the farm if he takes you out before he goes." Tyrell explained as he gingerly massaged his sore thumb. As the silence lengthened, Tyrell began to think that the only thing Harry was considering was a call to the police.

"Call my office Monday for an appointment for your sister Mr. Lagrie and let’s see if there is anything I can do." It worked in her favor to let this guy go for now if it meant getting her closer to finding Bryon.

Kenneth walked in and paused right after she had given Tyrell his directions. He had finished with his last patient of the morning and was ready to go to lunch with Harry. His friend looked deceptively calm eating a candy bar with a scalpel next to her leg and the man standing across from her was bleeding from a large gash in his lip. "Ready to go Harry?"

"Yep." Harry pulled out a card from her back pocket and handed it to Tyrell before heading out of the exam room ahead of Kenneth. With one more look at Tyrell, Kenneth turned and followed her out. He wasn’t about to ask why the guy was bleeding and why Harry wasn’t doing anything to stop it.

As soon as the passenger side door closed, the two of them sat in the Range Rover for a few minutes not talking as they watched Tyrell limp out the back door to an old car parked in the corner of the lot by the dumpster. Kenneth looked down to Harry’s flexing fist after Tyrell drove slowly away trying to think of a way to frame his question.

"What in the hell is going on?" asked Kenneth, so much for finesse.

"Whatever do you mean Kenneth?"

"Who is that guy and why does he look like he’s having a bad day?"

"He is having a bad day because he made the mistake of grabbing my throat when he walked through the door. I took exception to that and damn if his foot, family jewels and face didn’t get in my way in trying to release his hold on me." Harry started the car and pulled out of the lot headed toward the local neighborhood restaurant they ate at when they were in this part of town.

"What in the hell does that mean?" The cell phone clipped to his belt came off and Kenneth was dialing 911. He stopped when Harry grabbed it from him and shook her head.

"That asshole was the one that helped Byron and his twisted family get back into the city. Forgive me if I want him to roam around for a while longer if it means me finding the fucker before he finds Desi and Jack." At a traffic light Harry turned and faced Kenneth to see if he was going to cooperate if she handed the phone back to him. When it looked like he would, she continued down the street waiting to go into details once they were seated in the restaurant.

After they ordered Harry explained what had happened and what Tyrell wanted from her. Kenneth sat and listened without offering any input knowing it would not be appreciated at this point in the conversation. When Harry finished Kenneth looked into her blue eyes and tried to gauge the level of fear she must be feeling at having her family threatened. "Are you going to tell Desi?"

"Yes I am. I really don’t want to but I promised her there would be no secrets between us, so I have no choice but to tell her. You know Kenneth, I should have killed the mother-fucker that night I broke his jaw. The only thing is, I would have done it in front of Desi and that I didn’t want to do. I just hope the bastard is smart enough to stay the hell away from my family."

"Where do you think he is?"

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"That’s the third time you’ve asked me that in an hour Mike, I don’t know where he is. I woke up and the crazy mother was gone," said Byron to his brother. The three of them had spent the last two weeks by the docks eating out of garbage cans and trying to stay out of sight. They had gotten up that morning to find that Byron Sr. was nowhere to be found.

"What are we going to do Byron? I’m for leaving the city and trying to make a fresh start somewhere else." Of all the things Mike was missing, the shower they had run out of at Angola was high on his list as he raised his arm and sniffed.

"Don’t worry about fresh starts Mike, we are going to have every opportunity at that but I have some unfinished business with Desiree and her big dyke. Tonight we’ll start walking toward the uptown area and see what my wife has been up to while I was rotting in jail. The bitch didn’t even come to visit." The tone of voice Byron was using didn’t hold a hint of sarcasm making Mike think that his brother was just as crazy as his father. Either that or both of them have really strong senses of denial, thought Mike as he watched his brother’s profile.

"Byron, you and Desi aren’t married anymore, remember? She divorced you so there was no reason for her to visit you in jail," said Mike in an attempt to bring the man back to reality.

"I know that dumb ass, but no papers are going to make me believe that Desi doesn’t still belong to me. That girl never could figure out what was best for her. I’m thinking once we sit and have that long overdue talk she will come around to the way things are. She married me and she’s going to die married to me if that’s what it takes to get her back."

The old man was getting closer to his destination as the sun started to go down. Despite the cooling temperatures Byron Sr. was sweating by the time he sat down in the alleyway behind his old house. At dusk he heard the slamming of two car doors and a few minutes later the lights at the back of the house came on. He forgot about the chill that was setting in when he realized there had been two people coming out of the car and entering the house. Monique had found someone else to take his place while he was in that vile place she had sent him.

"Oh darlin’, I hope you are ready for me tonight because I’m dying to see you," Byron mumbled to the garbage can next to him. In the light that spilled out of the kitchen window Byron could see the changes to his house and yard. There was a new coat of paint on the outer walls and trim, and newly planted shrubs and flowers bordered neatly trimmed grass.

His laugh sounded demented as Byron whispered, "Hi honey, I’m home."

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"I’m up here honey," Desi yelled out the bathroom doorway. The baby and she had spent the day in the room doing some rearranging in the closet getting out some of the clothes she had worn early on in her pregnancy. After feeding Jack, Desi had taken in him into the bathroom to get him cleaned up before Harry got home.

Harry paused at the door for a minute to watch Desi gently pour water of the baby’s stomach while she cooed to him. The scene looked so perfect that Harry hated to shatter it with the news she had to share with Desi. "Hey baby, how was your day?"

"Which one of us are you talking to?" teased Desi turning her head a little to draw Harry into the room. "Because if it’s this little guy here, I want to put my two cents in first before he starts to complain about having to do domestic chores today."

"Don’t waste your breath complaining son, your mother and Mona don’t want to hear it, so it’s a wasted effort." Harry came in and wrapped her arms around Desi’s waist and put her chin on her the smaller woman’s shoulder. She kissed Desi’s temple as a form of greeting so as not to distract her from what she was doing. "Everything go ok today?"

"Yes honey we were great. We missed you though and we’re glad you’re home," answered Desi. Jack was looking past her in Harry’s direction after hearing her voice. "How did your day go today? Did you see a lot of patients?"

"Interesting and yes."

"Interesting?" Desi looked into the mirror to see Harry’s face, not liking the tone of voice she had used to answer her questions. The blue eyes stared back at her and watered up instantly sending Desi into action to see what was wrong. "Honey hand me that towel please?" When Harry held up the bright yellow towel Desi lifted Jack out of the baby tub and handed him over to her so that they could get him dressed. Harry walked out to the changing table they had set up in the bedroom and kissed the top of his head before putting him down for Desi to dry him off. Looking at the two people Harry loved most hardened her resolve and promise to not let anything happen to them.

Desi dressed Jack in a footed all in one set of pajamas and sat him in the infant seat in the middle of the bed. Once he was strapped in Desi turned to Harry and wrapped her arms around the taller woman’s waist and pulled her close. Harry’s odd behavior was scaring her but Desi didn’t want to push her into telling her what the problem was.

"This guy came to see me today," started Harry. The story came tumbling out from over Desi’s head as Harry kept her eyes on Jack. When she was done, Desi took the hand Harry had used to punch Tyrell and kissed the knuckles. Desi understood where Harry’s tears were coming from but she had every confidence that they were going to be all right.

"All he wants in exchange for helping us is for you to see his sister?" They had moved to the sofa and she was sitting in Harry’s lap in an effort to stay close to her shaken up partner.

"Yeah, some guy beat her up and left her for dead a few years back. She survived the attack but it left her in a wheelchair for life. The problem is that even though this woman Diana doesn’t have use of her legs, she is still in horrible pain according to her escaped convict brother. He told me that if I agree to help her then he would get his boys to hit the streets and find the three Simoneauxs." Harry relaxed and put her head on Desi’s shoulder enjoying the fingers her partner was running through her hair.

"And you agreed didn’t you?" The question was whispered into Harry’s ear followed by a soft kiss to tell her that Desi wasn’t upset if she had.

"Yes I did baby. I would have anyway if this guy had called me from jail, he didn’t need to go to such extreme measures. But if it brings me any closer to Byron, I would do anything. If something happens to you and Jack, it would kill me." Harry’s throat closed up from the thought and she couldn’t go on.

"I know, honey. I know. Just like I knew you wouldn’t turn his sister away. That is who you are Harry, and it is the reason that I love you so much sweetheart. I want you to promise me something though." Desi kissed Harry’s forehead letting her fingers drift down to the strong neck that was so tight it had to be giving Harry a headache.

"What?"

"That you will not go anywhere near Byron or his family. If they are in New Orleans then I want you to let the police handle them. I feel the same way you do. If something were to happen to you Harry I could go on just for Jack’s sake, but I wouldn’t want to. You own my heart honey and without you I am lost." They sat looking at the quiet baby for an hour then moved to the bed to pick him up to bring him downstairs with them for dinner.

As Desi helped Mona set the table, Harry held Jack and talked to Serena on the phone to update her on what had happened. "You have to promise me that you won’t go to the police until I have the chance to talk to Tyrell again tomorrow. The only reason I called is that Desi made me, so don’t let me down."

"Harry this is a dangerous game you are playing and you have a family to consider now," answered Serena from the other end. The assistant district attorney was pacing her living room with the phone waiting for Rachel to get back from the movies with Butch. Now that there was a chance that the Simoneauxs were back in town it was making her anxious for their safety being out alone.

"That’s exactly what I’m doing Serena. I tried the police way before and they let the son of a bitch escape from Angola, so this is my way of protecting what’s mine," Harry shot back. Mona looked on without making any comment about what was going on. She was sure that Desi or Harry would fill her in when the time was right. The one thing that made the edges of her lips go up in a smile was the look on Desi’s face with Harry’s last statement.

‘What’s mine.’ Desi let the words ease into her heart and fill one more void. When Byron had flexed his muscle in whom Desi belonged to, it did just the opposite. It was a reminder of the life she had been relegated to with no means of escape. When Harry said it, it was a reminder that Desi was now a part of her family. Harry owned her heart just as much as Desi owned hers. Putting the fork in her hand down on the table Desi walked up to Harry and Jack and put her arms around both of them.

"And he said Byron and the evil spawn rode into town with him," persisted Serena. Where in the hell are the two of them? Serena asked herself looking out the window for Rachel’s car again.

"Yes, that you can tell the police. Just don’t tell them who told you," ordered Harry squeezing Desi to her. "Tell them to start looking for three homeless looking guys around town. Knowing this group, I doubt they will separate." Harry finished her conversation and clicked off the phone. When they sat down to eat both the young women filled Mona and their parents in on what was going on. Mona promised Harry with conviction that nothing would happen to Desi or Jack while she was at work. With all of them there Harry felt better about having to go back to work.

"Ready for bed?" Desi was buttoning her shirt back up from feeding Jack while Harry burped him.

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"Yeah honey I’ll be right there."

"Well hurry up or I’m starting without you," said policewoman Joann Palmer. She and her husband William were still enjoying the feeling of owning their own home. Any clue or sign of the old owners had been wiped clean by Joann and William in the months they had lived there. Because of her job Joann knew the house’s history, but it hadn’t turned them off from buying it.

The neighbors had welcomed them because of the cleanup they had done both inside and out, and for the two police cars that were always parked in front of their house. The young couple were both patrol cops who had been assigned to the neighborhood they had chosen to live in, and had made it a priority to get to know their neighbors. Joann often saw William sitting down with one of the older residents with his partner having coffee or a coke as she drove past with her own partner. The four of them were part of a new community-policing program that had been enacted by the mayor and the police commissioner.

The first thing that Byron Sr. saw when he came through the kitchen window was the utility belt hanging in the open closet in the hall. He removed the 9mm from the holster and moved toward the laughter coming out of the bedroom. Monique calling out to the guy living with her had sent him over the edge and Byron had decided that they were both going to die.

"Miss me?" asked Byron when he stepped into his old bedroom. William’s red hair and upper body whipped around to the man standing in the doorway with his service pistol in his hand.

"How in the hell did you get in here?" William demanded moving off his wife. Joann’s gun was in the nightstand between the bed and the door and William didn’t think he could get it in time.

"The better question is what the hell are you doing here with my wife?" The gun in Byron’s hand felt good and it felt even better when he raised it and aimed it at the head of the man in the bed with Monique.

"Sir please put the gun down, this is my wife Joann," said William waving his hand behind him at his wife. He had softened his tone in an attempt to get through to the man holding his gun. "Maybe we can sit down and help you find your wife if you let us."

"I don’t need your help asshole, I already found my wife and she’s sitting right behind you," screamed Bryon. When Bryon looked past William he could see Monique sitting there holding the sheet up to cover her naked chest. "Monique you slut. You put me in that hellhole just so you could fuck this guy."

When the name Monique came out of Byron’s mouth, Joann knew who they were dealing with. Monique Simoneaux had died in the front room of the house at her husband’s hand and after escaping from the state penitentiary Bryon had come home. "Sir, my husband is right, Monique isn’t here but if you put the gun down we can help you find her."

The light that flew from the end of the gun looked like a camera flash in the dark bedroom to Joann. One minute she was trying to reason with the crazed man in their house then in the next instant she was trying to hold up William’s dead weight as it slumped on her chest. The blood leaking from the hole in his chest was quickly being sucked up by the white sheets pooled around their bodies. Byron had pulled the trigger when William had reached behind him to comfort his wife.

"Ralph call the police, I just heard a shot coming from next door," said the neighbor’s wife. She was standing in her own kitchen getting a glass of water before bed when she heard the shot go off followed by Joann’s screams.

"Yes that’s right, two police officers live there. It’s the Palmer couple, Joann and William. Please tell them to hurry," said Ralph into the phone. He had heard the shot too as he locked the front door for the night. Not long after hanging up the phone the older couple could hear sirens getting closer to their quiet street. Like a domino effect, the front porch lights of every house on the block flicked on as the police cruisers stopped haphazardly in front of the Palmer home.

"You can’t escape from me this time Monique. They kept telling me that you were dead but I knew it was a fucking lie. I was good to you, you stupid bitch and this is how you repay me?" ranted Byron. Monique was just sitting on the bed cradling the man’s head in her arms and crying not paying attention to what he was saying. "Listen to me you whore," started Bryon again stopping to listen to the noises coming from outside.

Joann had retreated into herself to deal with William’s death. She knew from the size and location of the wound that there was no way that he had survived. William we were supposed to grow old enough to play with our grandchildren here in this house. You left me too soon, thought Joann as she smoothed her husband’s hair down. "No," she screamed when Byron yanked her out of the bed and pressed the muzzle of the gun into the side of her head. The sheet fell away and the crazed man pulled her naked to the front of the house.

"Shut the fuck up Monique, I have to think." Pulling the curtain aside Byron Sr. could see that the front of the house was full of cop cars. There was no way he was going back to jail. "Been there, done that," he said to the assembly outside. Joann cringed when Byron lowered his hand and caressed her breast before putting one arm around her midsection to pull her closer.

"Joann or William come to the door and tell us what’s going on," ordered the voice magnified by the megaphone he was using.

"Monique we are going to go out there and tell them everything is all right. You say anything otherwise and I’ll shoot you where you stand." Keeping the gun aimed at her head Byron opened the door with the other one and pushed Joann forward enough so that everyone outside could see her.

"Sir please lower your weapon and step away from Officer Palmer. You are not doing yourself any favors by harming a police officer. Just step away from her and everything will be all right," said the officer in a normal tone. The bullhorn he had just been using was hanging in his hand at his side so as not to scare the man into doing anything rash.

The neighbors held their breaths as they watched the action on the porch of the Palmer house. Just like Joann had in the bedroom, the police and the couple’s friends watched Byron’s finger turn white from the pressure of pulling the trigger back. At the last minute all of the academy training that had been drilled into Joann’s head took over helping her comrades finish the tableau Byron had begun.

The bullet ripped through her bicep and the minute Joann’s body dropped to the floor of the porch, the police in the yard opened fire. Byron was dead before he hit the wall behind him. The multitude of bullets that hit his body made him perform a sort of jerky dance as each one found its mark. In the end, Byron’s body twisted and fell into the house landing in the same place that Monique had died months before.

The police moved from the yard into the house as soon as the gunfire stopped. They surrounded Joann as the paramedics went to work on her. The only sound that broke the dead silence that had prevailed since the last shot was fired were the orders the paramedics were issuing, and the sobbing coming from Joann. She had lived, but at what expense?

Another group of paramedics rushed passed them into the house, their equipment piled on the stretcher between them. In the back room William was bleeding profusely from the bullet wound in his chest, but his brother officers had found a faint pulse. The neighbors that were standing out in their yards in a colorful array of sleepwear bowed their heads in prayer along with the police present when the young couple was loaded onto separate ambulances and rushed to further life saving care.

Thankfully only one body bag was removed from the scene, and no one would mourn his passing. Two policemen that had witnessed similar violence a year prior at the same address looked at the large blood stain in the living room.

"Where do you suppose his sons are?"

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"I don’t know."

"Detective Landry is there anything that you can tell me?" asked Harry in a tired voice. Desi was curled up behind her listening to the one sided conversation from the middle of the bed. They had both just gone to sleep when the phone had rung and both thought it was the hospital calling Harry for some emergency. Considering who it was, Desi was wishing now that it had been either Charity or Mercy on the other end.

"Not yet Harry but rest assured that their father is dead. It’s a crying shame that two of our own got injured to accomplish that, but it’s done. Hey on another note Serena told me that congratulations are in order for you and Desi," continued Roger. He was at the Palmer residence bagging evidence after receiving a call about what had happened. He and the other officers couldn’t understand why Bryon Simoneaux Sr. had come back to his old house and attacked the new owners. It didn’t make any sense.

"Thanks Roger, keep in touch." Harry put the phone back in the cradle and rolled back into bed with Desi. The second her back hit the mattress, Desi was lying on top of her trying to get warm.

"I wish that we could make love honey," Desi whispered into Harry’s chest.

"It won’t be long baby and I can’t wait." Harry didn’t quite know why they were having this conversation but Desi’s mind sometimes went around the block a couple of times before pulling up to the point.

"I just want to feel alive and free and that’s what making love to you does for me. I want to say how sorry I am for all of this." Desi propped herself up and put two fingers to Harry’s lips to forestall the coming reprimand. "No let me finish. I’m sorry that my past choices are now bringing us all this pain but I promise that from here on out my choices will be all about you and Jackson. You know what else I want?" Harry’s shaking head made Desi laugh and pull away her fingers so that Harry could talk.

"No, what do you want my love?"

"I would like a chicken salad sandwich." Despite the helpless feeling they both experienced from the call, Desi’s request and Harry’s subsequent laughter brightened the mood.

Byron and Mike watched the kitchen lights come on from their perch on the top of the wall that surrounded Desi and Harry’s house. They couldn’t see in since the inside plantation shutters were closed, but that didn’t matter to Byron. The fact they were sitting there with no one seeing them was good enough for now. Little by little they would get closer till the night came that both Harry and Desi would be within his grasp. In the middle of his little celebration, one of the shutters did open and the two men fell off the wall in a hurry when Harry seemed to look right at them.

"What’s the matter honey?" Jack was in his infant chair on the middle of the table and Harry had been standing right behind her, but when Desi turned around from the refrigerator Harry was gone.

"Nothing I just thought I heard the cat from next door." Harry answered without turning around. It was like a strange feeling of being watched had come over her when she stepped into the kitchen.

"Are you two ok?" asked June as she walked in and tied off her robe. Desi’s mother and partner had arrived back late that night after taking some of their old friends out to dinner. The week they had spent with the girls so far had been great, but she and Bobbie had wanted to give the new family some privacy on the last day Harry was going to be home.

"Great mom, want a sandwich?" The bowl of Mona’s famous recipe came down on the counter along with the loaf of bread as Desi set out to make she and Harry a snack.

"Gosh dear, aren’t you tired of that stuff already?" June sat down at one of the stools along side the counter and watched her daughter work.

"No this stuff is great. I think Mona introduced it to me so that I would get pregnant again right away. What are you doing up, couldn’t sleep?" asked Desi. The sandwiches were temporality forgotten when Harry stepped back next to her. Desi put the knife she had been using down and pulled Harry down for a kiss.

"Bobbie and I were talking and I heard you two walking down the hall so I thought I would check on you before I turned in."

"Nothing serious I hope Ms. Fontaine." Harry reached into the bowl, picked up a piece of chicken with her fingers and popped into her mouth.

"Harry, if Mona catches you doing that I will not be responsible for what happens to you," reprimanded Desi with a swat to Harry’s arm. Harry reached back into the bowl and fed Desi a piece, appeasing the woman who protected her from Mona.

"Please Harry, I wish you would call me June, and no it’s nothing serious. We were just discussing what we wanted to do after Bobbie’s retirement." The tie to her robe became suddenly fascinating and June wouldn’t look them in the eye.

"Would Bobbie consider semi retirement in New Orleans taking up some of Kenneth’s slack?" It was a guess on her part, but Harry was betting that now that June and Bobbie knew they were welcomed, they would want to spend more time with both Desi and Rachel. The fact that there was a new grandson in the mix didn’t hurt her chances of talking them into the move Harry figured.

"You wouldn’t mind us being around so much?" June walked over to Jack and picked him up and held him to her shoulder. Desi smiled at Harry before giving her a quick kiss in thanks for what the big romantic goofball had done for her before answering the question.

"Mom, don’t you think we have had enough time stolen from us? Having you so far away won’t make it easy for us to really get to know each other, and it will make spoiling Jack that much harder. Don’t you agree?"

"You’re right honey. Maybe I’ll get my chance at mothering babies after all," answered June as she kissed the soft dark hair covering Jack’s head.

"Well then that’s settled," said Harry taking a bite of the sandwich Desi had handed her.

"What’s settled?" Bobbie had wandered through the house looking for June after her partner had been gone so long.

"You are moving in with us as soon as you get back from packing up all your stuff. The two of you are welcome to stay here as long as you like, but be forewarned that in five weeks I will be chasing your daughter naked through the house. You will know when that day comes from the shrieking she will be doing, so you might want to consider staying behind locked doors when that day comes, I think it might be for the best." The blush was deep, quick and very visible to everyone in the room, and after Harry got a good look she took one quick step away from Desi.

"Harry Basantes, I can not begin to tell you the kind of trouble you are in." Desi pulled a wooden spoon out of the container on the stove. With sandwich in hand, Harry turned and ran out of the kitchen toward the stairs with a red hot blonde on her heels. Once they had both left the room June and Bobbie looked at each other and started laughing.

"I’m thinking that our little Desi has her hands full with that one," said Bobbie as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Yes, but don’t they look like wonderful together? Harry is completely gone on her and I couldn’t be happier. Now I wish that we hadn’t waited so long in coming back sweetheart if only for the satisfaction of watching you beat the crap out of Clyde. The thought of what he might have stolen from them just pisses me off."

"Just like us June, everything works out in the end. We have had a wonderful life together and shared in the joy, however briefly, of two beautiful girls. Now we get to have grandchildren and discover our kids again, so dwell on that my love." Bobbie moved closer to the woman that she had loved for so many years and kissed her softly on the lips.

"Do you think they will give us any more of these?" June asked, kissing the top of Jack’s head again. The wonder of just looking at him hadn’t worn off since the first time she had seen him in the hospital.

"According to our daughter-in-law, they should be well on their way by next year with the next one. Hopefully Desi will forget about that whole birthing experience by then."

"Sweetheart trust me on this one, a woman never forgets that. That’s why babies are so cute, it fogs your brain to the pain." They both laughed again before following Harry and Desi upstairs to deliver Jack back to them.

"You don’t think?" asked June looking up the stairs.

"What?" Bobbie looked at her.

"You know….,"

"Oh, that they’re having sex?" asked Bobbie enjoying her wife’s own blush.

"Yes. I don’t want to go in there with Jack if they are other wise occupied."

"Honey they have to wait a while for that, not as a test to their willpower but because Desi’s body is so not ready for that."

"Well that didn’t stop us after Rachel, or maybe you have forgotten that part?" asked June.

"Nope I didn’t forget that part," answered Bobbie stopping a few feet from the closed master bedroom door.

"Harry….Oh God Harry," they both heard Desi’s voice through the oak.

"And it seems to run in the family," finished Bobbie making a quick about face with June back to their room. Hopefully Desi had fed Jack before they had gone downstairs, if not, June was waking up Mona to go and give him back.

Part 6

"Harry?" Desi’s head popped off the pillow after hearing the muffled name through the closed bedroom door.

"Honey, I think someone is at the door for you." The thought of moving was not an option Desi was willing to address at the moment. Running up the stairs after Harry had resulted in a leg cramp and the doctor with the magic fingers had offered swift relief.

"Yes?" Harry shouted toward the closed door not moving from her position on the bed.

"Are you naked?" asked Mona. Seeing June at her bedroom door moments before had made the older woman start laughing, but she had volunteered to venture into the exotic zone, as Mona liked to think of it, down the hall.

"Do you want me to be?" Mona heard what sounded suspiciously like a slap to naked skin. In fact Desi had just delivered the blow to Harry’s butt for her smart answer to Mona.

"Come to the door Harry," answered Mona in a no nonsense voice. Harry crossed the room and opened the door a sliver big enough to stick her head out.

"Yes darlin’, what can I do for you?"

"When did the baby eat last?" Harry smiled at the inquisitor at their door. Mona was standing there tapping her foot with her hands on her hips trying not to take up too much time.

"Thirty minutes ago so he’s good to go for a friendly visit with his grandmothers." Mona nodded her head and started back toward June and Bobbie’s room stopping when Harry called out to her. "Tell Bobbie I think she’s a weenie for not coming out here herself, but we love her anyway."

"Harry you are so bad," said Desi from the bed. It had taken Harry all of about ten minutes to get them both naked from the time they had entered the room. Harry’s explanation had been it was better to administer the massage that way.

"No baby I’m good, I’m very, very good. Now let Dr. Harry rub what ails you."

"Don’t get carried away doctor, Ellie said you don’t want to break anything down there." Desi gave her a no-nonsense look over her shoulder as Harry moved back into position.

"I promise only to rub the parts that are on the outside baby, no worries. I have been dying to touch you all day." Harry started on the calf muscle that had cramped on the way up the stairs working her way down to a small delicate looking foot. When she pressed her thumb into the arch Desi let out a long moan.

"Oooh knock yourself out honey, though I don’t know why you would want to? I need to lose about fifty pounds before I even start to resemble what I looked like nine months ago." Desi sounded every bit as disgusted as she felt. She loved Jack and wouldn’t have traded the experience for anything, but the little guy had done a number on her figure.

"Breast feeding and about six weeks will bring back the Desi you are used to seeing in the mirror my love, but just remember that I love you no matter what you look like. Um….that didn’t come out right did it?"

"Just for that you get to look at the front." Desi rolled over and put her foot back into Harry’s hands. Instead of moving back to the massage, Harry started kissing at the toes before moving up Desi’s body closer to the blonde head for a better look.

"Save me from the torture," teased Harry as she hovered over her partner. Desi ran a finger softly over the stitches on Harry’s brow admiring the job that Nurse Sally had done.

"If I send your mouth into the line of duty it won’t hurt these will it?"

"No just don’t scream, your parents are in the next room. I don’t want them thinking that I am some kind of barbarian." Needing no further encouragement Harry started back down Desi’s body learning some of the new terrain along the way.

"But you are a barbarian Harry, but trust me honey, it works for you." Desi let her head drop to the pillow under it as Harry started placing soft kisses to her collarbone. It was nice to feel her partner on her without the bulge getting in the way. Having Harry pin her to the bed had been a complete turn on for Desi from the first time they had made love. When she had gotten pregnant it was something Harry refused to do not wanting to hurt the baby.

"Promise me you’ll tell me if anything hurts ok?" asked Harry. She had moved down some more and two pink nipples stood alert and called her name.

"Don’t worry about anything sweetheart, just go with you gut and I’m sure I’ll be fine. Now let’s get going because after this you still owe me a chicken salad sandwich." Bright green eyes closed as Harry moved her kisses to Desi’s breasts. Moving further down, Harry started softly never pressing too hard on any one spot. Desi was still healing and the doctor in her didn’t want to do anything that would impede her progress.

When Harry got to the to the top of Desi’s thighs she made herself comfortable lying on her stomach. With Desi’s feet on her shoulders, Harry could see a little bloody discharge mixed in with the usual liquids she found in the general vicinity but there was no way in hell she was going to stop. She used just the tip of her tongue to start a massage of a different nature getting an instant response from Desi. Harry felt two feet push into her shoulders as Desi’s hips came up and off the bed a little.

"Ok, that’s really good." To make sure Harry wasn’t thinking of moving, Desi grabbed two fists full of hair and hung on.

"Yes, I would have to agree with you baby." It was the only conversation Harry was willing to stop for as she flattened her tongue and applied a little more pressure. She reached up and tweaked a nipple between her fingers getting some unintelligible grunt out of Desi.

"Faster honey," ordered Desi. Her hips picked up the tempo Harry had set, and true to her word Harry’s hands never went near anything lower than Desi’s nipples. To keep up her end of the bargain Desi kept her volume to a quiet roar. With a few more swipes Harry sent Desi over the edge then moved up the bed to hold her as the after shocks rippled through her body. Desi finally opened her eyes when she felt Harry pick up her hands and examine them in the moonlight.

"Can I ask what you’re doing?"

"Just checking for all the hair I just lost. You were pulling pretty hard there at the end pumpkin."

"If I can’t make any noise then I have to let my energies out some other way." Desi smiled up at her then leaned up and kissed the tip of Harry’s nose. "Thanks honey, I think I needed that. The kissing we did earlier, and the thought waiting six weeks to do anything about it was working my nerves."

"Well I’m glad that we were able to work something else on you baby. And speaking of baby, think Jack has outlived his welcome down the hall?"

"Are you kidding me, they are probably working up a list on why he should stay with them on a more regular basis. Between your parents and mine, I’ll be shocked if we get him back at all." Desi moved into her usual position pressed to Harry’s side when her partner moved off her. Hearing the sigh Desi released, Harry waited to hear what was on her mind. "It still seems kind of strange to say ‘my parents’ after all this time. Do you like my mother and Bobbie?"

"Yeah baby, I like them a lot. I can’t say that I fully understand her reasons for leaving you and your sister behind, but I’m trying not to judge. Now that we have Jack, I can’t think of either of us just moving away and leaving him with anyone, much less someone like Clyde. But those were different times and prejudices against relationships like ours was even worse than we can even imagine now. As long as June and Bobbie are here to love you and build a relationship with you, then they are welcome in our home. I take my job of protecting you seriously though baby, so if those intentions change they’re out on their butts." Desi tightened her hold around Harry’s waist as an acknowledgement of appreciation for her thoughtfulness.

"I know honey, and I wouldn’t want you to ever change. Now doctor, how about I show you a good time?" Desi pushed a little closer and moved to get on Harry.

"Nope."

"No? You do find me repulsive don’t you?" Desi went to move to the other side of the bed before she started sobbing when Harry pulled her in tighter.

"Desiree you know better than that, I don’t find you repulsive. What I do know is that you had a baby two weeks ago, and you aren’t supposed to be doing anything strenuous. What I have in mind would definitely fall into that category, but it can also wait until you’re healed. Trust me darlin’, I plan to collect with interest." When Desi finally looked up there were tears in her eyes over what Harry had just said. Yeah you definitely aren’t Byron are you? To prove she was telling the truth, Harry gave Desi a repeat performance of their earlier activities before getting up to retrieve their son.

June got up from the large antique bed in the room she and Bobbie were sharing when she heard the knock on the door. A clean freshly showered Harry was standing in the hall wearing a white terry cloth robe when June opened the door. "Is my grandson in any danger of becoming a decadent soul hanging around with you?" The same blush she had seen on Desi’s face earlier in the kitchen was now running up Harry’s face.

"Ah no, decadence lessons don’t come into play until his senior year in high school. Did he behave?"

"Like the little angel everyone knows he is," said Bobbie. She walked up behind June holding a sleeping Jack handing him over to Harry.

"Thanks, we appreciate the last minute baby sitting job." The rumble of Harry’s voice made Jack’s eyes blink open as if looking for his biggest fan. "Hey there little man, I know a beautiful lady down the hall that is missing you like crazy. Did you know you are the luckiest baby in the world in that she’s also your mother." Bobbie put her arm around June as they both watched Harry move back toward the room at the end of the hall cooing to her son the whole way. As a way of telling her he was listening, Jack did a full body stretch in Harry’s arms before curling back up to listen to more.

"I have a feeling that is the kind of parent you would have made my love," June told Bobbie. The pain caused by the separation from her children would never fully heal in June’s heart. But looking at the tall young woman that cradled her grandson as carefully as she did her daughter’s heart, and knowing she had been a part of Desi and Rachel’s lives for so long made it more bearable.

"I think that it is the kind of parents we both still have the opportunity to be sweetheart. The girls are older now, but I think they still have room in their lives to need us. Thanks to the type of young women they grew up to be, we still have the chance to help them out. They forgave you June. Try to forgive yourself now."

"They’re both great aren’t they?" asked June in a tone that begged for reassurance.

"Yes my love, and they found wonderful people to share their lives and their children with. I think that they also find it an extra-added bonus to add us into that equation. Let’s try to be happy and make up for lots of lost time." June nodded her head before looking up into Bobbie’s eyes. Had it not been for the compassionate woman that had shared her life, June would have lost her mind years ago. Bobbie pulled her back into the room and closed the door.

"Hey," said Desi softly when Harry walked in with Jack. She took a mental snapshot of her two favorite people and how good they looked together. Jack was only two weeks old but he seemed to be undergoing constant changes. He was becoming more alert and it amazed Desi that he seemed to know when Harry was around.

And Harry, it was just fun to think about it. Considering how she had acted when Desi was pregnant, she knew that once the baby was born Harry would be a goner. It was nice to be right watching her when she interacted with their son. There would never be a moment, Desi knew, when she would have to ask Harry to play with him or spend time with him. Just like she had done with Rachel so many years before, Harry would make sure Jack knew that he was wanted and loved. That there was one person in the world besides Desi that he could turn to and count on to always be there. Harry had done for Rachel what Clyde had never gone out of his way to do, and it made Desi happy to know that Jack would have the same.

"Jack was just telling me how much he missed you. He totally agrees with me in thinking you are the most wonderful person in the world." Harry laid the baby in the middle of the bed on his back so that they could both look at him. He was dry and content for the moment so she thought they could enjoy a little family time together. Desi wiped away the few tears that had run down her face as Harry sat down and reached out to hold her hand. "What’s the matter baby?"

"Nothing, just happy is all. Really honey, I saw you walk in with him and it made me think how great it is that we finally have our family. That, and how lucky Jack and I are to have you. I know it sounds sappy, but I think I was about fourteen when I first thought about what it would be like to have a baby with you." Desi picked Jack up and cradled him in her arms so that they could both move closer to Harry. She was pulled in by one long arm and kissed on the temple. Jack got a finger to hold so that Harry could admire his tiny fingernails.

"That would have made me fifteen, and I was thinking about how I could kiss you and not have you run screaming into the night. You were starting to fill out in the most wonderful places and it made my heart race whenever you stepped into the room. You know what the greatest thing is?" They both watched Jack blink his eyes and wave one small fist in the air.

"What?" Desi turned a little so she could see Harry’s eyes when she answered.

"You still make my heart race when you walk into a room Desiree. And you know what else?" Harry was whispering the questions into her ear and Desi was feeling a little racing of her own.

"No, what?"

"I want another one of these little guys. Only next time I think we should have a little girl with blonde hair and green eyes. A little girl that will grow up to be as beautiful as her mother. A little girl that I can spoil as much as I plan to spoil this little fellow and you for as long as you will let me."

"I don’t know if you can put in an order for anything that specific baby, but I’ll give it a shot. The fact that you want to have more children makes me happy. Rachel means so much to me that I want to give Jack that gift." Desi looked over her shoulder and kissed Harry. Before they could get any more involved they found out how quickly Jack could go from contented baby to screaming hungry baby.

After he was fed and asleep, Desi joined Harry in bed ready to go to sleep herself. "Good night honey. Get some rest, tomorrow’s a big day."

"What happens tomorrow?"

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"Tomorrow you get to go and see your new doctor."

"When are you coming home Tyrell?" asked Diana. They talked on the phone several times a day, but Diana had yet to see her brother since he had escaped from jail. His friends had been giving him different places to sleep and she could understand his staying away. An unmarked car cruised by her apartment several times a day looking for Tyrell knowing he would show up at his sister’s sooner or later, so he had been smart to stay away. Diana missed him though and wanted to see him.

"Di you know that can’t happen for a while. I want to take care of you before the bastards that are looking for me find me. Dr. Basantes promised me no cops, and I want to believe her. Hell I don’t mind going back if she can help you. I’m going to see you tomorrow at her office. Chick is going to pick you up in his van and drive you over. I’ll meet y’all there." Tyrell was calling from the payphone down the block from his sisters swiveling his head throughout the whole conversation keeping watch for any cop cars that slowed down around him.

"Can you find those two white boys brother?"

"Don’t you mean three?" Diana relayed the story she had watched on the news that afternoon about the oldest Simoneaux that had escaped with Tyrell. The reporter had been standing outside Byron’s old house talking about the action that unfolded the night before leaving two injured police officers and a dead escaped convict. Yellow police tape billowed in the wind like the house had been decorated for some kind of party.

"I knew that old creep was a crazy fuck. After tomorrow, I’ll start looking for the other two with the help of some of my friends. Though I don’t know if this Basantes woman needs my help. Given the chance today, I think she would have beaten the shit out of me with no problem. If she gets her hands on Junior, who she really has something against, I don’t hold out any hope for him. Get some sleep Diana and I’ll see you tomorrow." Tyrell hung up the phone and pulled his jacket collar up against the cold night air. The wind was starting to blow some clouds in that night and he hoped the rain would hold off until his sister was safely in the clinic the next day.

As he crossed the street to one of the abandoned apartments in the development, Tyrell vowed to keep his promise to help find Byron and Mike. He already had some of his old friends looking around the one place in New Orleans easiest to hide. The French Quarter was big, but not to someone that knew it. Only they hadn’t had any luck yet but they vowed to keep looking.

Tyrell ducked down quickly when he saw the police car coming up the street slowly. The guy in the passenger seat had the spotlight on and was shining it in the empty buildings looking for suspicious movement. He held his breath when they past the garbage can he was hiding behind hoping they didn’t direct the beam to the other side of the street.

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"Man that was close."

"I’m telling you we have to get out of here. First that woman was looking out the window at us and now the cops are cruising around here like crazy. They probably have orders to shoot us on sight if they find us. Let’s go back to the Quarter and look for daddy." Mike’s heart was about to beat out of his chest after the spotlight from the police car scanned the top of the shrubs they were hiding in. After they had jumped down from the wall surrounding Harry and Desi’s house, he and Mike had started to dig through garbage cans looking for something to eat. I didn’t think it could suck any more than this to be me, thought Mike as he pressed his face to the dirt.

"She didn’t see shit you little pussy, so calm down. First off, forget about the old man, he’s gone. There is no way in hell we are going to find him now; he’s on his own. Crazy bastard probably went and got himself caught by now. And secondly, we have to find a way into that house. I didn’t come all this way to leave without Desi now." Byron looked up to find the cruiser about a block away. He sat up and started eating one of the pizza pieces they had found in the can at one of the houses along side Harry’s. A smile broke across his face as he chewed slowly thinking about the woman that had taken Desi away from him. This time it would be different. This time he wasn’t leaving until that tall unnatural bitch was dead.

"The next time you call me that, you are on your own Byron. I’m tired, hungry and stupid for thinking that you could keep me out of jail. The facts are we are going to get caught, and when we do, we ain’t ever getting out. Desi’s big friend in there is going to make sure that will be our reality. I’m thinking the best thing we can do is just turn ourselves in and hope for the best." Oh God, is that a big wad of hair? Mike gagged when he looked at the piece of pizza he was eating.

"Stop being so sensitive Mikey. After I’m finished dealing with my wife, I promise we’ll get out of New Orleans and start over. We’ll go someplace small. Hell, we are great mechanics, how hard can it be? You just have to understand that I can’t leave here without setting things right. Desi was mine Mike, and that bitch took her away from me." Byron had softened his voice trying to get his brother to see reason. If the opportunity came up he would need Mike’s help to carry it out. If the last time he had gone against Harry had taught him anything, it had taught him that he couldn’t do it alone.

"Byron, you lost her because you broke her leg with a fucking bat. Has that little bit of information escaped your warped little mind? Fuck, you are as bad as daddy when it comes to self-denial. I was never any Romeo, but I’m thinking women don’t appreciate when you do shit like that."

"You don’t understand shit Mike. How would you like coming home after a hard day and find your woman crying over some bitch she knew in high school? There’s a limit to what a man has to put up with in his own house. I could have made her happy if she had given me the chance." Byron threw the crust in his hand behind him and moved away from his brother. His anger grew as he thought about all the times he caught Desi crying, how she never responded to his touch, never moved when he made love to her. She had never given them the chance to work because she was too busy thinking about someone who had moved on and never looked back.

"Byron, you should have realized that she wasn’t going to love you like a wife should, when the wedding and relationship were worked out by daddy and Clyde. She didn’t have a choice and now I know why. Clyde just didn’t want to deal with the humiliation of having Desi go off with that doctor." Convincing Byron to walk down the aisle with Desi hadn’t been a hard sell for the two fathers. Desi had been a beautiful girl that the Simoneaux boy had wanted to possess from the first time he had seen her. He knew she didn’t love him, but that would come later. His father had managed it in his own marriage and so would he. "It’s not your fault, so let’s just go." Mike spoke softly hoping to reach Byron. There had to be a little bit of reason left in his mind. If it came down to it, he would leave on his own and do what Byron had said. Start over somewhere where people didn’t know him and had never heard the name Simoneaux.

They sat in silence after that in a stalemate. They had been sitting under the bushes for hours and both of them were fighting sleep. In what seemed like a few minutes after closing his eyes, Mike woke up first hearing the rumble of the garbage truck coming down the street. Ah, here comes breakfast. He rubbed his hands over his face trying to ignore how grimy the skin felt under his hands. He looked both ways down the quiet street then shook Byron roughly to get him moving. "Come on it’s time to go. The sun’s coming up."

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"And you are just now waking up? You are going to be one of those kids everyone is envious of, aren’t you my boy?" Harry talked to the wide-awake Jack as she changed his diaper. She had forgotten to close the shutters in their room the night before and the sunlight had woken her up just past six in the morning. They had gotten up a couple of times in the night with Jack’s feedings, but he had lasted from his two o’clock feeding until Harry found him lying quietly in the bassinet when she untangled herself from Desi. He looked up at her with his fist in his mouth as she put on the new diaper trying to be tolerant as big fingers tried dealing with the small snaps of his sleeper.

The one-sided conversation continued as Harry carried him downstairs to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. The only good thing about having to go back to work was that she didn’t have any surgeries scheduled for the next two days. She would only have to make it through clinic hours at the Mercy facility then she could come home. The one interesting appointment Harry did have on tap was Tyrell Lagrie’s sister. There had been no further news on any of the escaped men after the media coverage of Byron Simoneaux’s death at his old house. Mona came into the room and patted the baby’s back as Harry stood watching the dark liquid drip into the carafe.

"Have a good night?" Mona decided on that question since she figured asking to hold the baby on Harry’s first day going back to work was going to be futile. She started taking things out of the refrigerator and putting them on the counter for breakfast trying to decide if she should tease Harry about the night before or not.

"Yes I did, and so did Desi, so don’t tease her about it." Mona looked up with an innocent look on her face and pointed to her chest. "Yes you, don’t stand there like flies won’t land on you Miss Mona. I know you better than that. It’s hard enough having both sets of our parents here without you giving her a hard time too." Harry walked over and kissed the older woman on the head handing Jack over for her to hold for a minute. At the rate he was going with the number of adults in the house, Harry figured Jack would learn to walk when he was twelve.

"Good morning my baby," Mona cooed to Jack. She laughed when he turned his big green eyes on her and sucked on his hand harder. "Harry this little boy is going to be a big wad of trouble just like you."

"Oh yeah, how do you figure?" Harry reached up and took two mugs down from the cabinet over the coffee pot. The steaming cup of tea she had made for Desi was already sitting on the counter cooling off.

"I can remember coming to work for your mama and having you look at me with the same eyes this boy’s giving me now. You could have broken every window in the house, but that wide-eyed innocent look never changed. I can see that in a few years my boy Jack is going to be in here hiding from you and Desi after causing all kinds of hell, looking for protection just like you did when Maria was on the warpath about something." Mona finally looked up from the sweet face when Harry walked over and put down a full mug of coffee the way Mona liked it on the counter.

"He couldn’t have found a better friend than you Mona, I know I never did. I don’t think I could have become a doctor if I had gotten all the spankings I had coming to me."

"Harry, I know I tease you all the time but I love you, and you have made me very proud with the way you turned out. Look at you all grown up with a son of your own, and a woman up there that loves you. I guess what I’m saying is that I owe you for giving me a home and making me feel like part of your family. When I lost my Joseph, my kids wanted me to come and live with them, but I felt better here with you. We helped each other through some rough patches and I’m glad we get to enjoy the good times now." Mona handed Jack back to his mother and tried to hide the tears that had formed in her eyes.

"Thank you Mona, hearing that from you means a lot to me." Mona waved her hand in Harry’s direction trying to get her to be quiet, but Harry kept going. "No, let me finish. The best things in my life are Desi and Jack, but what makes that picture complete is that you are here too, to look after them and protect them, like you did me. This is your home Mona. It’s your home because you are an important part of my family. You are all the grandparents I never had all rolled up into one, and it thrills me that my son will have you too."

"Get out of here, and bring that baby back to his mother Harry, he looks hungry. Then get in the shower and get dressed, you have to go to work today," answered Mona making shooing motions with her hands. Harry leaned over and kissed her forehead one more time before taking her two mugs and her son and going back upstairs.

"Hey baby," Harry whispered when she sat on the bed. Desi sat up and leaned against her taking sips from the mug Harry was holding to her lips trying to become coherent. Her partner handed her the baby when her eyes finally opened and helped Jack find his own breakfast treat.

"I love you." Desi yawned before leaning back for her good morning kiss. The coffee Harry was drinking smelled good but she was going to have to stick to decaffeinated beverages until they had weaned Jack off of breast milk. Desi was already worried about Harry having to go to work with so little sleep; they didn’t need to add to the problem.

"I love you too sweetheart."

"Where have you two been?" Desi looked up at Harry after making sure Jack was all right.

"In the kitchen with Granny Mona. She was telling me how proud of me she was for bringing the two of you home. I’m pretty proud of that fact myself," said Harry tightening her hold on her family. "It’s going to be a hell of a long day away from you two."

"You are the best thing that ever happened to us honey, Mona’s right. I know what you mean about being a long day. Jack and I are going to miss you, but we’ll call you a lot today to check on you." They sat together watching Jack eat then put him down when he fell asleep again. While Harry was in the shower Desi went down to help Mona get breakfast together. They hadn’t talked about it, but Desi was getting nervous about Harry seeing Tyrell and his sister. Serena had told her that the man had beaten a man to death and Harry would be alone with him. Desi figured it was her right to worry even though Harry had been truly alone with him the day before, and had taken care of him.

After breakfast, Harry said goodbye to Desi and Jack before opening the back door. The weather was starting to get windy and cloudy, dropping the temperature drastically from the day before. The rest of their houseguests were starting to stream into the kitchen but left the little family alone for a moment. Harry kissed the baby’s head and then Desi’s lips before greeting the four new adults in the room. "You all keep an eye on my two favorite people here, and I’ll see you this afternoon." To the baby she said, "Be good for your mommy little buddy, and don’t let all these guys give you a hard time."

Desi laughed at her partner’s warning knowing that as soon as she walked out the door the two sets of grandparents would be lining up for holding duty. She started them off early handing Jack to the closest one, and Maria happily complied. With her arms empty she walked back to Harry and put her hands on the sides of Harry’s face and pulled her down. When the kiss ended Harry looked like work was the last thing on her mind. "Have a good day honey, don’t work too hard and I love you."

"Does that happen every morning?" asked Raul of Mona. She looked up from the skillet of eggs she was cooking and snorted.

"Yes, but only on clinic days. Surgery days Harry leaves here before the little one gets up, so God only knows how she bids her goodbye on those days."

"Harry, I have to admire you for ever leaving the house," her father said from the table. He lifted the paper up as a barrier before Harry could make any comments.

By ten that morning Harry had seen four new patients and seven follow up patients before Diana wheeled herself into the waiting room. When she saw that there were no suspicious looking people in the room, she called for Tyrell. He had met her and her ride in the lobby and was waiting for her call in the men’s room down the hall. The nurse who took their information explained everything they would be doing that day and the tests which would be necessary before Diana got to see Harry.

"Since your initial surgery wasn’t done at this hospital, Dr. Basantes wants to run a few tests and get some new x-rays of the injury site. Don’t worry though, it can all be done in this building and we’ll have the results right after lunch. Do you have any questions?" asked Becky, one of Harry’s office nurses.

That was a polite way of saying ‘your surgery was done in the charity hospital cause you have no money’. Diana shook her head and signed in all the places where the nurse pointed to in order to have the tests run. She and Tyrell were shocked when they found themselves in one of Harry’s exam rooms at one thirty.

"I’m used to waiting all day to see a doctor, this is different. Thanks for doing this for me Ty, I hope this one can do some good." Like Desi had done so many months before, the siblings sat in the consultation exam room and admired all the pictures of Harry with some of her patients.

"Good afternoon Ms. Lagrie, I’m sorry to keep you waiting. I’m Harry Basantes." Harry held out her hand positioning herself so that Tyrell was in front of her.

"Nice to meet you doctor, you know my brother Tyrell." Diana pointed to the man sitting next to her.

"We’ve met. I’ve been looking at your pictures Ms. Lagrie, and I’m not liking what I’m seeing." Before the two could get alarmed Harry explained that the first surgery had left a tremendous amount of scar tissue in Diana’s back, which would explain her pain. The scar tissue was pressing on nerve endings in her back and that was most likely causing her discomfort. "It’s not a simple procedure but it can be done, and I can almost guarantee that you’ll be more than pleased when we do."

"Is there any chance that you’ll do this for my sister?" asked Tyrell. They had gotten more answers and gotten more accomplished in a day than they had since Diana’s accident. The convict could see where it would have been an easy choice for anyone to leave Byron for this woman. Tyrell could tell that Diana had been instantly taken in by the compassionate doctor holding her hand while she explained what was wrong.

"I assumed that’s why you were here, not just to get my opinion but to retain my surgical services. Of course I’ll do the surgery, all you had to do was ask. You two are aware that I don’t just practice here? I teach at the medical school and Diana’s case will be of interest to my students." Harry started writing orders in the chart sitting on her lap. The look on Tyrell’s face when she had given them the last piece of news did not project happiness.

"You won’t do it here?"

"Do what here?" asked Harry.

"The surgery. You are going to ship her off to Big Charity?"

"Mr. Lagrie, I will agree that life is not fair. Your sister unfortunately is one of the many people in this state with no type of insurance, so yes the surgery will take place there. It insults my integrity as a doctor and as a person that you would think Diana will get any less than my best effort just because of the location." Harry turned her attention to the woman in the wheelchair and reached for her hand again. "I have a lot of influence here Ms. Lagrie, but not that much. What I am talking about here, in case you didn’t understand, is an extensive hospital stay followed by physical therapy. If I do the procedure there, the state picks up the tab and we both get what we want, and that’s for you to feel better than you do now. Is that all right with you?"

"Yes Dr. Basantes, I just can’t live with the pain anymore. Don’t mind Tyrell, he’s just looking out for me like he always has." Diana patted the hand holding hers while she shot Tyrell a look that told him to calm down.

"Now Mr. Lagrie, I believe you have a job to do for me." Harry wasn’t holding out any hope that the man would find Byron and Mike but stranger things had been know to happen in New Orleans. The main reason she had insisted Serena not call the police on the big man sitting beside his sister, was his history. What he had done was violent, but it would have been the same course of action she would have taken if someone had done what happened to Diana to Desi.

"You promise you’ll fix her?" There was a look of pleading to be assured in the dark brown eyes that made Harry aware of how much this man had sacrificed for his sister.

"You have my word Mr. Lagrie. You two take the rest of the day and tomorrow to get ready, and I’ll be waiting for you Wednesday morning. Becky will tell you where you need to go and what you need to bring with you. Remember this won’t be a short process so make arrangements to be our guests for at least six weeks." Becky stepped back into the room with a list in her hand when Harry called. After knowing they had no other place to be, she sent them to the hospital to pre-register.

Harry headed to her office to call Desi and tell her how the appointment went and that she was all right. She cracked open a pistachio nut from the bowl on her desk before dialing her house number, smiling when she thought of her favorite potter.

"Basantes’ residence," said Mona.

"What are you wearing?"

"Harry you fool, what do you want?"

"I want to talk to my girl if she’s available."

"Hold on. Oh, before I let you go, when are you coming home?"

"In about an hour, I just have a few more people to see then I’m out of here. Why, you need something?" Harry leaned back in her chair and popped another nut into her mouth.

"No, I have everything I need but, the weather is turning nasty and Desi’s starting to worry about you. That means come home bonehead." Mona pointed her finger in the air like Harry could see her.

"Put your lethal digit away grandma, I’ll be home soon I promise."

"I didn’t think you thought my fingers were lethal, but I’ll keep that in mind the next time you’re feeling frisky." Desi laughed at the choking sound coming from the other end of the phone.

"Sorry." Harry coughed trying to get the pistachio skin out of the back of her throat.

"Don’t be sorry Harry, just get home. It’s freezing outside and it’s starting to rain." Desi gripped the phone as she looked at the driving rain outside from the sunroom wishing Harry were home.

"Just two more patients and I promise I’ll head out. I just wanted to tell you I saw the escapee and his sister, and lived to tell about it."

"Harry, are you sure you are not going to get in trouble for this? If the police find out you are holding out on them, I’m thinking they are going to be pissed. I know you are doing this for me so we can find Byron, but I think you should call Detective Landry and tell him."

"Let’s talk about that when I get home baby. Go kiss Jack for me and I’ll be there in less than an hour, if I can."

The drive home was far from pleasant and Harry was glad the house was so close to the hospital. The rain had started just after nine that morning and had kept up at a steady pace all day. Harry noticed there were cars parked on the median ground on the way home, people hoping the extra eight inches would keep the rising water out of the vehicles. Uptown was beautiful, but a driving rain could flood it in a matter of hours. When she pulled into her driveway, the trees that were visible through the rain were waving and losing the last of their leaves in the wind.

Mona looked up from her cutting board when the backdoor slammed shut to see a dripping wet Harry standing in her kitchen. "She’s upstairs in front of the fireplace waiting for you. And change out of those wet clothes before you go anywhere near the two of them bonehead," shouted Mona to the retreating figure. Harry had leaned over and kissed Mona’s forehead before starting up the stairs, leaving the woman to her domain of pots and ingredients.

"Oooh honey, you are all wet."

"Yeah damn wind was driving the rain so hard that it didn’t make a difference that I parked under the overhang."

"Well get out of that before you get sick."

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"What choice do I have dumb ass."

The two brothers were still sitting in the bushes behind the Basantes house, both shivering as the temperature started to drop along with the rain. Through a hole in the brick fence Byron had seen Harry drive up to the side of the house and run through the unlocked backdoor. He guessed that because of the bad weather there had been hardly no traffic along the back street, and there had been no sign of Desi all day. The need to get warm and dry had become more important than trying to get into the house they were watching as the day progressed.

"We have the choice to get out of here and someplace dry at least. Since we don’t have any money, we are stuck with these clothes, but if we don’t get warm we are going to die out here stupid." Mike was looking forward to going back to Angola. He would have to look at dull gray walls for the rest of his life at night, and hard labor during the day, but he would be dry and full while he did it.

"Come on, there’s got to be some place around here that we can crash for the night and get dry. This stuff doesn’t look like it’s going to stop any time soon," said Byron. He got to his feet and helped his brother up while looking down both ways of the street, trying to find a solution to their current problem. Half way down the block he saw a man putting suitcases into the truck of a car while his wife waited on the porch for him to finish.

"Let’s go." Byron hit Mike on the arm to get him moving. The couple driving down the street never noticed the two men heading toward their house. They were headed to Texas for a week’s vacation and the only thing that they were worried about was the weather they were going to have to drive through.

Seeing no alarm system in place, Bryon broke through the back window and crawled into the dark space. He took a moment to let his eyes adjust and to make sure there was no one left in the house. The room he had landed in seemed to be one of the bedrooms, and he could see the couple had left the bed unmade and the closet doors open. "Come on Mike, there’s nobody here."

Mike crawled in after his brother relieved to be out of the freezing rain. Being on the run for almost three weeks had not been a fun experience, but things were starting to look brighter. They were in an empty house that had a bathroom, and hopefully food that hadn’t been thrown out by someone. Bryon was already taking a tour of the house seeing what booty he could run across, but Mike decided to stay in the master bedroom and take a hot shower. When he stripped and started the shower, Mike took the opportunity to brush his teeth while he waited for the water to get hot. The face looking back at him in the mirror was one he hardly recognized. His beard was almost fully grown in and his hair had gotten longer. There were black circles under his eyes and along with the new hair growth, the gaunt look made him appear to be a different person.

"All right." Byron screamed from the kitchen when he found the keys to the car parked in the garage. The fact the people that owned the house were gone meant they wouldn’t miss it until they got home, and the police wouldn’t suspect them driving around in a new looking sedan. The refrigerator didn’t have much food in it, but there was plenty of beer and sodas. Byron had better luck when he looked in the freezer. The space was crammed with microwave dinners and Tupperware containers of cooked food. "Yes this place will do nicely for now. We even have a key to the front door." He slipped the wad of keys he had found lying on the kitchen counter in a bowl into his pocket and slammed the refrigerator closed. As he went to move away to tell Mike about their good fortune, something caught his attention on the door of the appliance.

Byron cocked his head to the side trying to figure out what he found so familiar about it. The dark hair and the face, he had seen them somewhere before. He pulled the card with the picture printed on it off the frig sending the little magnet that had been holding it up flying across the kitchen. ‘We would like to announce the birth of Jackson Harry Basantes,’ the printing started. He read the whole thing four times before he let the scream of complete fury out. It was the line ‘to the proud parents Desi and Harry’ that had made his blood run hot.

Mike came running out of the bathroom dripping water after hearing his brother scream. "What in the hell was that?"

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"It sounded like something hit the roof." Harry got up from her comfortable spot behind Jack and Desi to see what had made the loud crashing sound.

"Harry?" Raul called up from the kitchen as he made his way toward the stairs. He and Maria had been sitting with June, Bobbie and Mona in the kitchen talking about places they had visited over the years when they heard what had sent Harry into the hall.

"I heard it papi, but I don’t see anything." Harry walked into every room on the second floor of the house looking for anything out of the ordinary. With the Simoneauxs still on the loose she was taking no chances with her family’s safety. When neither she nor Raul could find anything broken or tipped over Harry put on a rain slicker to go outside for a look around.

"You are going to be careful aren’t you?" Desi brought the hood on the jacket up to cover Harry’s head and snapped it closed. Their fears were like a shadow that followed them around. They didn’t talk about them often, one not wanting to add to the other’s burdens, but they were there non-the-less and they would be until Bryon and family were caught.

"I’ll just take a walk around the house and come back in, I promise. On a night like this I don’t want to be outside any longer than I have to. If it will make you feel better, just follow me through the windows." Harry kissed Desi’s forehead and stepped out the back door.

The wind was blowing leaves and other debris across the lawn, and when it hit the exposed parts of her skin it felt close to the freezing point. Harry headed into the backyard first looking up at the house to see if there was anything broken. Desi watched her from the sunroom wondering why her partner had stopped and pulled the hood off her head. Without needed to see anything else Harry headed back inside.

"What did you see?" Desi helped her off with the rain gear frowning at Harry’s wet hair and cold skin. She should have the flu by ten tonight.

"A big oak branch sticking out of our roof." Harry stood and allowed Desi to towel off her head before taking her hand and heading toward the stairs. She needed to get into the attic and see what was getting soaked by the torrential rain still falling.

"Let’s go big guy," said Desi. They headed out of the kitchen followed by the other five adults in the house.

Maria stood at the bottom of the steps leading up to the attic holding Jack, who was getting fussier by the second, and looked up waiting for someone’s head to poke through the opening. "Well, what do you see?"

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"Son of a bitch."

"What?" Mike stood in the kitchen dripping thinking that Bryon had run across someone else in the house. Without another sound Bryon handed him the card in his hand and turned to grip the counter. Mike thought he was trying to anchor himself to something to keep from running out of the house.

The card was a heavy linen paper, with fanciful writing down at the bottom. A picture of one of the most beautiful babies he had ever seen graced the top. It was a birth announcement, and his face paled when Mike saw whose it was. If Byron had been hard to control before, this would prove to be the breaking point.

Mike remembered one of the worst beatings Bryon had given Desi was when he found she had been taking birth control pills behind his back. Bryon had wanted children, it was what men did, procreate. The comments by their parent’s friends on the fact they didn’t have any children after so many years of marriage had driven his brother insane. Byron had taken them to mean that there was something wrong with him not Desi.

"I’ll be home in twenty minutes." Bryon stood at the sink at the back of his father’s garage washing the grease off his hands. Desi sounded almost surprised to hear from him since the sun was still out and it was so early in the afternoon. His habit had been to stop at his favorite watering hole in the afternoons and have a few drinks with his buddies.

"Ok. Dinner’s not ready yet, do you want me to go out and get something?"

"No we can eat later, I just missed you today and wanted to come home and see you. Don’t disappointment me Desiree." The tone of his voice, and the fact he was coming home early clued her in as to why. Unlike other women, Desi didn’t mind that her husband went out without her almost every night. When he did it meant that he usually too forgone to be very amorous when he got home, but about twice a month his need to sleep with his wife outweighed the need to hang out with his buddies.

"I won’t." She hung up trying to hold back the feeling of repulsiveness that always accompanied these calls. "Well I have twenty minutes, that should give me time to take a shower and get ready." Desi spoke to the empty room before heading toward the bathroom.

The steam from the hot shower she had taken was still thick in the bathroom. Desi had stood under the stream of water longer than she had planned in an attempt to relax. It was the reason she didn’t hear the backdoor close and Bryon coming into the bedroom they shared. She pulled the packet from where she kept them taped out of sight under the sink and popped one out. The small blue pill had just cleared the back of her throat when she felt the first blow to the back of her head.

"You fucking, conniving bitch." He started there and worked his way through everything he thought was wrong with her. Unlike the other times she had angered him, Desi didn’t have the protection of clothing, and he railed against naked skin.

Rachel had found her two hours later dazed and bleeding and had driven her to the hospital. For what seemed to be the hundredth time, her sister refused to press charges scared that it would only make their situation worse. The one that had started out to be the protector now counted on her younger sister to take care of her.

Byron had given her a grace period of three months to recover from her lesson before he tried to initiate any intimacies between them again. A week after that, he had broken her leg with a baseball bat, and the pills that had made him so mad had become a permanent part of her of her past, just like Bryon.

The sight of Desi’s battered face was still fresh in Mike’s mind, and now Desi had given Harry the one thing she had solidly refused his brother. A child. Not only a child, but a son to carry on this woman’s name. He looked at the picture again reflecting on how much the baby looked like the woman he had seen at Desi’s side during the trials. That was the one thing Bryon had wanted more than anything, a little boy that he could show off to his friends and mold to be like him.

"I know you don’t want to hear this, but I think now more than ever that we need to leave here. She made her choice Byron, and it wasn’t you. Desi has a life now with this doctor, enough of one that they had a baby. Who knows, maybe it was this Dr. Basantes that had the kid because it sure looks like her in coloring." Mike stared at the picture in his hand. The thought of having a family and someone to share his life seemed like something so remote and foreign because of the mess he was in, it depressed him.

"Does that bull dyke look like someone that would get pregnant to you Michael?" Byron didn’t raise his voice and he didn’t turn to face his brother.

Great, this is all I need. Mike tried to reach Byron even though it was futile. Once the rage took over he was a lot like their father. "Why don’t you grab a shower and I’ll try and find us something to eat. Go on it will make you feel better. After you get some rest things will look better in the morning."

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"If you say so honey, but that looks like one big branch and one big hole in our roof." Desi looked at the damage from behind Harry using the big body to block the cold wind coming through the damaged section of the roofline.

"Baby if it can be fixed by money, then there is nothing to worry about. If that branch had fallen on one of us, then we would have problems. The only thing that won’t be salvageable will be our Christmas decorations I’m afraid. The house needed a new roof anyway, this will only speed up our timeline. Let’s go down and move my parents into another room. If this rain keeps up it’s bound to start leaking through their ceiling before too long." They all moved down the stairs and into the master bedroom where Maria had gone with Jack when it started to get cold in the hall.

Harry helped her father move he and her mother’s possessions into the last empty bedroom while the rest of the household went down to finish dinner. Jack had been fed and was taking a nap in his carrier oblivious to the two women looking at him.

"He looks so much like Harry did when she was a baby. I brought her home from the hospital and wondered if there was something wrong since she didn’t cry and carry on like Raul had done. Harry and her brother both have their father’s coloring and looks, but they couldn’t be more different if I had set out to accomplish just that. Looking at this little guy it seems almost impossible that he doesn’t belong to her. Not even Raul’s children look this much like the Basantes clan. They have the dark hair and the eyes yes, but their looks favor their mother more. Jackson will be the spitting image of Harry." Maria ran her finger along the dark hair softy so as not to wake him. The child she spoke of seemed to have achieved such happiness and a sense of peace in the last year, that it made Maria happy in return. Amazing that all it took was one small blonde to bring back the Harry I remember.

"You don’t know how much I prayed for that Maria. Harry is the kind of person you want more of in the world. I was just happy to do my part in making it happen. I promise to do everything I can to make her happy, I hope you know that."

"I know Desi, you don’t have to try to hard. Harry loves you and will move the heavens to make you and this baby happy, of that I have no doubt. It is time I think, for you to forget the past and live like Harry does for the future. A mother knows her child. I look into those blue eyes now and I see nothing but peace, you have given her that and so much more. Now, my wish is to look into yours and see the same thing. I can’t pretend to know what you went through sweetheart, but now you have a family that loves you, a son that needs you and a woman that worships you. Think of that, and let it finally heal you." Maria moved her caress from the baby to Harry’s partner.

Desi was happy the older woman knew even after all that she had suffered, but there were times when Maria looked at Desi and saw that haunted pained look that broke her heart. With a gentle hand she wiped away the tears that had fallen down the smooth cheeks, and was glad that everyone had given them the privacy to have this talk.

"Thank you Maria." Desi had wondered if Harry’s parents would truly accept her, this put her fears to rest.

"No my dear, thank you. In about twenty-five years or more you will understand why it is so important to have a good person steal the heart of your child. Jackson will always love you, but one day he will not need you. That will fall to the person that he loves. Harry needs you Desi, more than anyone or anything else in her life. My comfort now comes in knowing it is you she can turn to. You are a strong and special woman Desiree Basantes, remember that when you think there are things in this world that might hurt you. That is what stole Harry’s heart when she was barely seven." Maria smiled through her own tears and welcomed the embrace Desi wrapped her in. She was a little angry with herself for waiting so long to have this talk with her daughter-in-law, and that was who she regarded Desi as now.

"It means so much to me that you think that. I doubt myself sometimes, you know? I wonder if I can make Harry really happy, if I’ll be a good mother and it scares me to think what will happen if Byron ever comes back." Desi stopped talking when she felt the two strong arms wrap around her and the kiss that was softly placed on her neck.

"If he comes back, I promise nothing will happen to you or to Jack my love. Not as long as I have breath will anything bad ever happen to you because of Byron." Desi turned and faced Harry intent to make her promise not to put herself in harms way because of her, when Harry put her fingers to her lips. "Nothing will happen to you I promise, and I have too much to live for to take stupid chances. I love you, and we will face whatever life throws at us together. Broken tree branches, escaped convicts and dirty diapers are no match for us baby. I’m looking forward to spending years with you Mrs. Basantes, you have to know that I adore you."

"I love you too, and you’re right. There is nothing we can’t beat if we do it together."

Part 7

"I mean it Steven, I want you here by eight at the latest. I have a new baby and a wife that are upset because there is a big fricking hole in my roof. If not, the next time you fall off of one, don’t call me." Harry had waited as long as she was willing to call the contractor who had done most of the remodeling and repairs on the house when she had bought it. Over the years she had come to trust him after meeting him on the operating table more than once after on-the-job accidents. He was so appreciative of her services, his crew had finished in record time and on budget.

"Come on Harry, I have a million things going on in the city and this weather isn’t going to help any." Stephan paused, "Wait a minute, what baby?"

"Desi gave birth a little early, so you don’t want my boy shivering in the house do you? Eight o’clock Steve, I mean it." Harry took Jack from Desi and burped him while Desi buttoned her pajama top back up. They had made fires in all the rooms the night before and prayed for the rain to stop. The night had passed with them all staying fairly warm, but the rain had not cooperated and was still falling in sheets.

"All right doc, I’ll pull some guys and we’ll be over there before the rest of your roof caves in. The way my luck is running lately, I’ll break my leg by this afternoon and need you to put me back together. If that’s the case, I want it done right." Steven hung up already thinking of who he could send to St. Charles to work on Harry’s roof. He picked up his truck keys and his cell phone planning to make the calls on his way to the job site.

"Is he coming?" asked Desi. Harry had been on the phone rearranging her schedule all morning so that she could be there when the work crew arrived. With everything else going on, Harry didn’t want her to have to deal with putting the house back together alone.

"Yeah, he’ll be here in ten minutes if I know him. Once we get him here, the secret is to keep him here. Steven is a good guy but a little unfocused. If this was the building of something like bookshelves, I could see him taking weeks but I want this done by today if he can do it."

"Honey that’s one big hole." Desi took the baby back so that Harry could get dressed. Her partner had a way of doing the impossible and expected everyone else to do the same.

"I just want the hole patched today baby. He can take his time with the rest of it if he wants. Just remember that Maria and Raul will be right next door until the hole is fixed and the ceiling in their room is patched." Harry smiled at the look that crossed Desi’s face. The visiting Basantes couple had no intention of going back to Florida until the Simoneauxs were safely back behind bars, and the fact that they were only a wall away had just occurred to Desi.

"I’ll be willing to run out and get anything he needs. Not that I don’t love your parents Harry, I do honey. It’s just..." started Desi. Harry pressed two fingers to Desi’s lips as a smile creased her own lips.

"I know baby, but that still doesn’t mean that I want them right next door." Harry pointed over her shoulder to the wall of the bedroom. "I’m kind of ready to spend some time alone with you and Jackson without all this stuff to worry about."

"Really?"

"Desi, I love the fact your mother and her partner are here, and the fact that my parents wanted to come to meet Jack, but I’m ready for just us. I have you right here and I miss you, does that make sense?"

"Harry, I can honestly say that I now understand why women around this city look at me like they hate me." Harry smiled at her again and leaned down to kiss her.

"I’m thinking that we both found what we were looking for and leave it at that." The doorbell broke them apart as Harry checked her watch thinking Steven was ahead of schedule. She sat down on the bed to put her shoes on so that she could go down and meet her friend.

"Harry, are you decent?" asked Mona from outside the door. She had just checked the room that Raul and Maria had been staying in and the plaster on the ceiling was about to burst from the water it was holding. If that happened then the floor would have to be redone as well and Mona was not looking forward to a house full of sawdust.

"It depends on who you ask darlin’." Desi slapped Harry in the butt for her answer to their housekeeper. Desi was convinced Mona stayed so feisty because of Harry.

"I swear, one of these days I’m just going to walk out that door and keep on walking." Mona slapped Harry on the cheek Desi had missed and laughed at the never-ending comebacks the surgeon had.

"There is no way you could live without me. Is that Steven at the door?" asked Harry. She went to check on the ceiling in her parents’ old room when Mona grabbed her arm and kept her going down the hall. There was no reason to make a bad morning any worse just yet in Mona’s mind.

"No, it’s not Steven, it’s that detective that is working the Simoneaux case. I left him in the kitchen with your parents having coffee, so I thought I would come up and hurry the two of you along."

"You are feeling frisky today, aren’t you? My mother will know more about Roger before we get down there than he does about where Byron and his brother are." Harry took the baby and put her arm around Desi’s waist as they went down the stairs. Jack was becoming more alert by the day and seemed more so when he was in Harry’s arms. Desi looked up to see him putting a small finger into Harry’s ear while he chewed on her shoulder.

"Well it’s better than her asking me about what kind of underwear you use, now isn’t it bonehead?"

"Good move Mona." Harry laughed as she and Desi entered the kitchen. Roger Landry and another man were sitting with her parents having coffee and breakfast at the table. "Good morning everyone. Roger, what brings you out this morning?"

"Harry there’s a big hole in your roof." Roger pointed a finger up and popped a piece of bacon into his mouth.

"And here I thought you made detective because you were so good looking." Both Desi and Mona slapped Harry’s butt again as soon as her mouth clicked shut, getting her to take a step forward. "I bruise easily you know."

"How are you Roger? Please ignore Harry, she’s upset because there’s a big hole in our roof." Desi crossed the room and shook hands with the policeman who had played a big role in bringing Byron to justice the first time around.

"I’m great Desi and I don’t ever pay attention to Harry, don’t worry about it. Who is the little guy Harry is holding over there?"

"Meet my son, Jackson Harry Basantes," said Harry turning the baby around so that Roger could see him.

"What, you have a copy machine in this house somewhere?" Roger looked at the surgeon and baby together and was fascinated by the family resemblance; he knew that it had been Desi who had carried the baby.

"No, no copy machine, only the answer to a lot of prayers on my part in that he look like my favorite person." Desi smiled when Harry pulled out a chair for her to have a seat at the table next to the one she had taken. New Orleans police officers seldom dropped by just for the coffee, so Desi was waiting for the bad news.

"He’s beautiful Desi, congratulations. Let me introduce you both to my new partner Oscar Ravenwing." The tall man with midnight black hair and eyes stood and shook hands with both women before taking his seat again.

"Nice to meet you officer. Now how about you tell us what’s going on?" asked Harry. Desi pulled her chair closer to Harry and leaned back into her partner’s chest before Roger started talking.

"Well you watched the news I assume and saw what happened to the elder Simoneaux. The only thing that was missing from the whole thing is the whereabouts of his two sons. It seems Byron Sr. returned to the house alone and under some delusion that his wife Monique was still alive. The one conclusion we have come up with for sure is that, if he made it into the city then so did Byron and Mike." Harry held Jack in one arm and pulled the other tighter around Desi. It was time for this nightmare to end.

"What are you doing about trying to find him?" Harry spoke for the two of them feeling Desi growing tenser in her arms.

"We are combing the other spots where they might show up. The problem the two are going to face is that they didn’t have a close group of friends they could turn to. I am going to make sure your house is regularly patrolled, and if you want I can put you in touch with the dispatcher in charge of off duty cops that pull guard duty." Roger leaned over and took one of Desi’s hands into his before he went on. "I know what you went through honey, and I promise you he won’t get that close again."

"Thank you Roger, Harry and I appreciate what you are doing for us. It’s just that with Jack here now, it’s more important than ever for Byron not to get in here again. I just want to be left alone to live my life with Harry and our son."

"Don’t worry ma’am, Roger and I are working so that you can do just that. I owe you one Doctor Basantes. You fixed up my little brother after a motorcycle accident a couple of years ago." Oscar broke his silence after he saw the lost look on the small blonde’s face. The doctor he remembered from the consult room at Mercy, he doubted she would remember him since his whole family had been crammed into the space when Harry had come out to tell them how his little brother made out.

"I thought your name sounded familiar. How is Jimmy doing?" Harry’s question made the detective smile at the fact she had remembered his little brother. There had been another family waiting along side of them that day for Harry to work her magic on their son as well. After so many patients he found it amazing she would remember one case from another.

"He’s great, only my mother is a little miffed that he bought another bike last month. I wanted to thank you again, my brother looked like a messed up puzzle when he came in and you put him back together just great." Desi patted Harry’s leg when the man sitting at their table got teary-eyed thinking about his younger brother.

"No need to thank me, I was just doing my job. It’s nice to see such a close family gather around the member that needs them the most." Harry was going to say more before the backdoor opened and a wet Steven walked in.

Harry looked out the windows in the kitchen and saw the troop of men setting up ladders to the roof. The dump truck was going to leave ruts in the grass but at least it was going to haul off the branch that had made a mess of their house. Desi watched as the young looking man with snow-white hair stood dripping in their kitchen with no one saying a word. It was obvious Harry knew him since she hadn’t made a move toward him, and Mona threw the man a towel and pulled down another mug from the cabinet knowing what the first thing out of his mouth was going to be.

"Got any coffee?"

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"I brewed a fresh pot just for you."

"Thanks." He took a sip and sat down in one of the chairs at the kitchen table. "This is the best cup I’ve had in months."

"Anything beats jail coffee Byron, so there’s no need to butter me up."

"I’m not buttering you up Mikey, just complementing you on your coffee. Is there any luck you are this good with breakfast too, honey?" Bryon put his feet up on the table and wiggled his eyebrows at his brother.

"Fuck you Byron."

"Ah come on, lighten up will you. I’m just playing with you. Let’s see if these losers left any money or credit cards in the house. If they did we can go out and have a little fun."

"I say we get out of here now. These people won’t be back for a week, which gives us a head start somewhere else. We could ditch the car once we are miles from here and the cops wouldn’t even know where to start looking." Mike thought he should give it one more shot before he left on his own. There had been no sign of his father for a couple of days and he knew the old man wouldn’t begin to know where to find them, and Byron was spiraling out of control. Going to jail for what he was up for already was one thing, but he wasn’t about to add the death of an innocent baby to his wrap sheet.

"Mike, you know I’m not leaving here until I settle some scores so quit your whining. I want to see the look on Desi’s face when I take away from her the one thing I wanted more than anything." Byron pulled open a large locking blade he had found in the garage toolbox outside. The owner kept it well sharpened and clean, almost like he had left it for what Byron had in mind.

"He’s just a baby Byron. You can’t hurt him."

"He was supposed to be mine. I can’t forgive the bitch for that. Desi betrayed me in the worse possible way. Unlike you, I’m a man, and this is what men do." Byron threw his coffee cup across the room and watched it shatter into pieces and the black liquid drip down the white wall of the kitchen. Mike looked at him and wondered what had happened to both his brother and his father in jail. The smallness of the cells seemed to have pressed in on the two of them and killed what little sanity they had going in.

"I don’t want any part of hurting a little baby Byron, you can forget that. I’m not saying I agree with what Desi did, but she made her choices and I can understand it. I am ashamed of the fact that I’m not a man like you." Mike’s watered at the memory he was reliving.

"At least we agree on something little brother."

"No, I’m ashamed of the fact I never stepped up and helped mama. Jesus, he killed her and you want to be like him? What kind of sick shit is that? Maybe, just maybe a real man is someone who doesn’t get his kicks out of beating the crap out of women." Mike’s tears ran down freely now as he thought of all the times he looked the other way when his mother walked into the room with a black eye and split lips. How many times had he seen Desi in the same condition?

"You’ve never been married, man. You wouldn’t understand. Sometimes you have to keep women in line just so that they know who’s boss." Bryon saw that something changed in his brother when his shoulders slumped and he turned away from him. They sat in silence for the rest of the morning listening to the driving rain outside.

"I want out of this." Mike broke first and confessed his greatest desire.

"Don’t worry about anything, I’ll take care of us."

"That’s what I’m afraid of Byron. What you don’t understand is that this time, there’s no fixing it if you kill someone. They’ll find us and they’ll fry us when they do."

"Nothing has happened that I can’t fix."

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"Well that’s a comforting thought."

"I’m telling you, three four days tops and we are out of here."

"Steven, you did notice the rather large tree limb sticking out of the roof on your way in?" asked Harry. Rachel walked in from the front of the house just as the towel fell away from the contractor’s hair, and the man found the hairdresser’s fingers running through the wet strands almost immediately.

"I could make you look even better if you come by and see me."

"He doesn’t have time for that, he has to fix our roof so get your fingers out of his hair. Speaking of which, answer my question." Harry shifted Jack to the other shoulder and turned her glare on Steven.

"Yes I saw the hole in the roof and I have a crew going up there as of right now. We’ll cut up the tree limb and get rid of it and then start on the repairs. I figure by this afternoon it won’t be raining in your attic if it’s still raining outside. I pulled my best guys off a couple of different job sites around the city so have no fear Dr. Harry, you are in good hands with Steven." The contractor turned his attention to Desi’s attractive younger sister and turned the talk back to his hair. "Forget what the grumpy one with the hole in her roof said, I am available to you anytime."

"Unless you are a very butch woman under all those work clothes, I would forget the flirting Steven," Harry chimed in from the table, earning her another slap to her anatomy from Desi. She turned her glare to her partner and Desi just winked and ignored her.

"Don’t even think about it Harry, I went through childbirth thank you very much, so your dirty looks aren’t doing a thing for me. Now give me your son and let me get him ready for his day." Desi reached over to retrieve Jack and Harry noticed the dark circles under the small blondes eyes. With all that had been going on, the last thing they had needed was a tree limb falling through their roof. During the night they had slept with Jack between them in an effort to keep him warm, which had resulted in Desi keeping an eye on him all night long. Probably thought I was going to roll over him or something, thought Harry. Desi swore Harry ran a marathon every night in her sleep since she moved around so much.

"I’ll come with you to help." Harry pointed to Steven as she followed Desi out of the kitchen. "And you, stop trying to pick up my sister-in-law and get on my roof. It’s a lost cause anyway."

"Well don’t make it sound like I’m so undesirable Harry. If I was interested, Steven looks like quite the stud muffin." With Rachel’s’ comment the contractor snorted into his coffee cup and walked out side. Rachel then turned her charms and attention on Harry. "Though, the real stud muffin in this kitchen is you Dr. Harry."

"Keep this up and you will never get to spend any time alone with your nephew, runt. Help your sister up those stairs while I fix us something to eat." Harry pulled out a tray and started to put breakfast items on it.

"I’ll have my eggs over medium." Rachel put in her order and left before Harry could tell her anything else.

"Rach don’t make me hurt you. I can mess with Harry all I want, but she’s off limits to you." Harry could hear Desi’s admonishments to her sister as they made their way upstairs.

"How’s she doing?" Roger took the opportunity to talk to Harry now that Desi had left the room. His initial meeting with the small blonde had steeled his resolve to bring her ex-husband to justice. Roger and his partner had volunteered for the assignment once they had heard the entire Simoneaux family had escaped.

"Desi is a strong woman Roger. She’s had to be to get to this point in her life. A life I might point out that hasn’t shown her a great deal of fairness, but she bore it all with the same grace she has shown for everything else she tries." Harry leaned against the counter and looked at the man she had first met after coming out of Desi’s surgery. Roger still looked like he slept in his clothes, but Harry could tell he still cared about what happened to Desi.

"Doc, that’s something you have a lot to do with. The woman I saw here this morning is a far cry from the one I saw in that hospital room all those months ago. I’m glad to see you two are doing well."

"I’ll be honest with you Roger. We would be doing a hell of a lot better if Byron and Mike were back where they belong. Desi cooperated with the system throughout all the arrests, the trials and everything else you asked of her. What I want now is to see the system give her the same thing back. Desi and Jack are now and will always be my priority, so if I see either of the Simoneaux brothers on this property, I will drop them on sight." Mona patted Harry’s back after her comments. Both Roger and his partner had nodded their heads as she had been talking. If the two remaining members of the convict family met the same fate as their father, the two police officers would close the file without a problem.

"I don’t blame you for feeling that way Harry. The baby and Desi should be your first priority, but you do realize that I want the same things you do and will do everything I can to see that those two bastards don’t come anywhere near this place." Roger had come to care about the two women who seemed so perfect together. He was still a little pissed with the Angola authorities who had let the scumbags he was looking for just walk out the back door of the place.

"We have quite a few people out on the street looking for these people doctor, don’t worry about that," Oscar added. Roger’s partner reached across the table and poured himself another cup of coffee.

Upstairs Desi and Rachel poured water into the small baby tub in the bathroom and stripped Jack down for his cleanup. Harry had left the heater in the bathroom on so the baby wouldn’t get sick with the chill present in the rest of the house. Rachel held her nephew and wondered what it would be like to have one of the little guys around.

"How do you like motherhood so far sis?"

"I get less sleep than I used to, my body looks like hell but I would recommend it to anyone. After Harry and I got back together there was nothing I thought that could make me happier, but I was wrong. Sharing Jack with Harry is the ultimate in happiness." Desi took Jack and lowered him into the warm water wanting to finish before he got hungry and fussy. Rachel looked on as her sister ran a soft washcloth along Jack’s legs. The clinking of dishes in the other room alerted her that Harry was finished in the kitchen. She hoped that whatever else the police had to say was encouraging.

"Come on buddy that sounds like your mama out in the other room with breakfast." Desi lifted the baby out and handed him to Rachel who was waiting with a warm towel. In a few moments they had him diapered and dressed in a flannel outfit. When they stepped into the bedroom, Harry was striking a match to light the fireplace.

"You know Desi, you could make a fortune if you could clone her." Rachel was impressed with the breakfast setup by the couch and the coziness of the fire. Serena was wonderful to her, but she didn’t have quite the romantic streak in her that Harry did.

"Nah, having a corner on the market makes her all that more valuable." Desi handed the baby back to her sister so that she could reward her big baby with a kiss.

"Where’s your barrister this morning runt?" asked Harry.

"She’s got pleadings all morning so I won’t see her until late tonight. She was telling me a very disturbing story Harry dearest. Would you care to elaborate on it?"

"What story is that?" Harry tried to act dumb not wanting to get another lecture about not turning Tyrell in when she had the opportunity. Now that she had Stephen working on their problem she was planning to drive into Charity and see if Dianna had settled in for the surgery the next morning before heading across town to a full afternoon of surgeries at Mercy.

"You helped one of those creeps stay free?"

"Come on Rach, it isn’t like I helped the guy escape. I had Serena look into his past crimes and what he was serving life for and I can’t say that I wouldn’t be in the same position he is if the same thing had happened to Desi. Besides, after introducing his head to the top of the desk where I was sitting at I don’t think he’s willing to mess with me again. I’m going to try and help his sister tomorrow and then we’ll see what happens with Mr. Lagrie."

"But he was the one that helped Byron get back into town Harry."

"Harry’s right Rachel, what’s done is over and no one can go back and change it. But it’s Harry’s job to try and help his family now. Byron and Mike won’t hurt us, I promise." Desi rubbed her hand up and down Rachel’s back. She knew her sister remembered what living with Bryon was like and the conversation they were having centered completely on fear.

"That’s right runt, I won’t let anything happen to you. You are my family Rachel, and I will protect you like I will Desi and Jack."

"I just get scared sometimes. He was so angry when they dragged him off to jail. Having his jaw wired shut prevented him from saying anything, but you could just tell by the way he looked at you Harry that he would kill you given the opportunity. I just don’t want it to come down to that."

"It won’t sweetheart. The thing you and your sister never saw in the man is that he is a coward. All men who beat on women are, but I’m not your average woman. If he has the cojones to walk back in here, his jaw will be the least of his problems." Harry took her son from Rachel in one arm and hugged the small woman to her side with the other. Harry winked at Desi over her sister’s head getting her partner to smile. Seeing that her sister was doing better, Desi looked down to see what Harry had brought up for them to eat. Looking at Harry’s plate her smile disappeared and her right brow when up instead.

"What is that?"

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"Looks like someone’s left themselves open for trouble."

"What do you mean?" Byron looked at his brother like he was crazy. The gapping hole in roof across from where they were standing was their ticket into the house. With so many workmen around it would be easy for the two of them to blend and get in.

"Wake up stupid, we just act like we belong there and we get in through that hole you see there. See Mikey, it’s like God wants us to go in there and get Desi back." Byron looked on as the man with a large coffee mug in his hands called up orders to the dozen and half or so workers crawling along the roofline. Three of the men had chainsaws and they were making good progress on the large tree limb that had caused the damage.

"You are crazy if you think I’m walking into that yard in broad daylight." Mike had gotten up that morning and foraged through the closet in the master bedroom for some clothes. The man to whom they belonged to was a little taller than he was but thank God they weren’t swimming on him. In the closet by the front door he had found a pea coat that had come in handy after the temperature had dropped overnight. Mike had cut his hair with a pair of scissors he had found, but had opted to keep the beard. Looking toward his brother, he could see that the prison food had put more than a few pounds on him and the pants and shirt he was wearing under the jacket he had taken were a little tight.

"That’s why it will work little brother, no one is expecting us just to drop out of the sky. The attic was damaged and you know there has to be easy access to the house from up there. We go in, hang out for the day, and tonight when no one’s expecting it, BAM we go in and take care of business." Byron pounded his fist into the palm of his hand to make the point.

Mike continued to look at his brother and decided this would not be a good time to tell him that he had decided the previous night to leave town without him. The younger Simoneaux had come to the conclusion that Bryon, just like their father, was too much of a liability to his freedom. His plan was to take the car the couple had left behind and drive himself back to Angola. The only money Mike was going to take from the house was enough to buy a steak dinner somewhere along the way.

"I’m not going with you Byron. If you decide to do this, you are on your own. You have to accept that the girl doesn’t want you anymore."

"She would still need me if that big freak hadn’t come between us." Byron was struggling to keep his voice down considering that they were standing fairly close to the fence surrounding the property.

"The big freak, as you call her, is who she wanted all along. I’m thinking marrying you was the last thing Desiree wanted to do, and I think she would rather die than to come back to you." Mike turned around and started walking back to the house they had spent the night in; it was time to get going.

"If that’s what you think, then that’s the way it’s going to have to be. I’ll give her the choice and if it’s not what I want to hear then she will be joining mama." When Mike heard what Byron had said he stopped walking and turned back around to face his brother. Byron was already scaling the wall and was close to the top. It was time to make a decision that could change his future forever.

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

If he were caught now he was sure the authorities would put him in the hole so long he would forget the color of the sky before they let him out. A quick scan of the area showed no cops so he walked forward with a confident step trying to act like someone that belonged there.

There was so much activity around him that no one looked his way as he got closer to his goal. The man he was following made steady progress toward the same destination, but again no one noticed either of them.

Tyrell stepped into the elevator in the lobby of Charity behind one of the numerous maintenance people working in the building. The older gentleman with a tool belt strapped to his waist pressed the button for the eighth floor then turned and looked at Tyrell. The escaped convict cocked his fist in case he had to make a quick get away as the man continued to stare at him.

"What floor you need man?"

"Sorry. Seven, please." The man turned back to the panel, punched the number Tyrell wanted and never gave his fellow passenger another look as he stared up at the readout watching the floors progress upward.

Tyrell stepped out onto the floor Dianna was on and walked with his head down toward the room she was in. He had waited until she was finished with the tests they had run that morning before coming to see her. Dianna had wanted him to stay away until at least she was done with her surgery, but Tyrell had wanted to come and offer her moral support.

There were another two people sharing the room Dianna was in. She looked up when the door opened and found Tyrell filling the opening. Clutched in his right hand was a bouquet of flowers and there was a smile on his face. The other two patients in the room were napping so they never saw the visitor enter and close the privacy curtain around Dianna’s bed.

"I told you to stay away from here until tomorrow night Ty. What if somebody sees you, I don’t want to have to worry about this surgery and you at the same time." She looked around nervously. "I’m just planning to sit here all day and read some of the magazines you bought me yesterday, I’ll be ok Ty."

"Aren’t you even going to thank me for the flowers I brought you woman before you start fussing at me?" Tyrell smiled wide enough that his sister saw his dimples appear. Ever since their father had died in a work related accident when they were young, Tyrell had been looking out for her. Tyrell had done everything within his power to help his mother make sure neither of them ended up like so many others in the inner city. The one blessing that had come from the aftermath of Tyrell’s killing of Dianna’s boyfriend was their mother had died before watching her only son being sentenced to life in the state penitentiary.

"Thank you Ty, now get the heck out of here. And remember that I don’t want to see you until tomorrow night. I promise that I’ll ask Dr. Basantes to call you and let you know how I’m doing." Tyrell stood next to her bed and pointed down to the front of the gown she was wearing.

"What’s that?"

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"Bacon."

"Why is there bacon on your plate?"

"Because I like bacon." Harry tried honesty since she knew nothing else would work. Desi had gotten a hold of her last cholesterol numbers and had become a hound after Harry for her eating habits.

"Get into the shower before you get into any more trouble Harry." Desi pointed toward the bathroom after pulling the plate away from Harry’s reach. "I want you around for a long time honey, that means watching what you put in your mouth." She looked into the twinkling blue eyes just dying to say something, but cut her off before Harry could knock her comment out of the park. "Nothing Harry, you say nothing."

An hour later Harry was dressed and standing back in her kitchen. She had given Roger and Oscar the use of the sunroom to make some calls and found them still working when she walked through. Rachel had decided to spend the morning with Desi and the baby knowing her older sister was going to have a hard time keeping Jack happy with all the noise filtering through the house.

"She didn’t let you eat that bacon did she?" asked Mona.

"Nope, don’t rub it in."

"I’m not going to rub it in hardhead, I’m just going to give you the bran muffin your little muffin bought for you." Mona held up the bag and laughed that much harder when Harry glared at her.

Byron watched her toss the bag in her hand into the passenger side of the SUV and waited to see if Harry was indeed leaving. Not one of the workmen or anyone in the house had noticed him in the yard. The tree that had lost a branch to the roofline had been partially blocking his body and Byron thought it best to just lean against it until the opportunity opened for him to get up the ladder not that far away from him.

Harry noticed the downed limbs littering most of uptown as she drove to the hospital. A call to her service told her that all the tests had been completed on Dianna Lagrie and she would be ready for surgery in the morning. The state had fought her on the MRI she had ordered, but the test confirmed what she thought she might find. Nothing made Harry angrier than doctors who gave less than half of their best because the patient was indigent, and that was what she figured had happened to Dianna.

The first thing Harry saw when she entered the room was the bouquet sitting on the windowsill. Bright wild flowers looked out of place not only because it was cold outside, but also because of the drabness of the room they sat in. "How are you feeling?"

"About the same as the last time you saw me doctor. My world doesn’t change much, just what I get to look at sometimes."

"Well I think we are getting ready to change that for you Ms. Lagrie. I can’t eat bacon, but I’m confident that I can fix what ails you." Dianna looked at the tall doctor trying to decipher the last comment she had said getting Harry to laugh. "My wife won’t let me eat things she thinks are bad for me, so for now, bacon is off my list. I’d offer to share my muffin with you but I moved up your surgery time and we are going to roll in just about an hour. Where’s your brother, I figured he would be hanging around somewhere close?"

"You just missed him," Dianna said in a low whisper. The fact Harry was moving up her surgery probably meant that she had found something worse than she first suspected. "I’m not going to die am I?"

"One day yeah, it happens to all of us, but that’s not going to be today." Harry grinned at her patient. "I just looked at all of your results Dianna, and called to rearrange my schedule at the other hospital. You and I have a date for the rest of the afternoon. Is there something you want before we begin?"

"Could you call Tyrell for me? I promised him I would ask you to do it tomorrow so he won’t get into trouble for coming here." Diana handed Harry the number where Tyrell could be reached before the orderlies came in with a stretcher.

"I’ll take care of it Dianna. Now just relax and I’ll see you down in the theater." Before they transferred Dianna to her gurney to go into surgery, a nurse walked in and handed Harry a syringe. Harry wiped the medication port of Dianna’s I.V. with a swab before she punctured the end with the needle and pushed in the contents. "Just a little something to relax you for the ride downstairs."

The phone on Tyrell’s hip started emitting a low ring as he was taking the stairs to the first floor.

"Yeah?" He didn’t recognize the number and didn’t want to give away to much information about himself before he knew who was calling him. Tyrell listened to what the caller had to say as he quickened his steps.

"When did this happen?" Tyrell stopped walking and listened to what the caller was telling him. This was a definite change in plans. "Don’t worry I’ll be there as soon as I can."

Harry pressed the end button on her phone looking at it with an amused face before scanning to the first number in memory and connecting a new call. "Hey baby."

"Hello good looking, are you on your way to Mercy?" Desi was glad for the respite of noise from the chainsaws timed perfectly with the ringing of the phone.

"No, that’s why I’m calling. I getting ready to take Dianna into surgery and I’m not real sure how long that’s going to take. So don’t worry if I’m a little late getting home today."

"Did something happen that you are going a day early?" Desi put another blanket on the sleeping Jack and moved back toward the sofa to join her sister. They had spent their morning talking and Rachel had offered to fix her sister’s hair.

"No, I just saw the extent of damage the poor woman has and couldn’t see having her suffer another day if she didn’t have to." Harry moved into the elevator and pressed the second floor key. Her staff had taken care to round up her students and by the time she arrived in the surgical suite she used, they would be waiting for her.

"Harry if I didn’t know any better I would have to say that you are the sweetest person alive. Did you eat your muffin?" Desi gripped the phone tighter and smiled at the restraint Harry was showing.

"Yes I did, and we will have a long talk about that when I get home. If I’m that sweet then I should be allowed to eat bacon."

"Harry I refuse to have this conversation with you again. Get your cholesterol level under 220 and then we’ll talk. Have a good day honey and do good."

"Thanks sweetheart, I’ll try my best." Harry slipped the phone into her lab coat and hung it in her locker. Dianna was stretched out on the operating on her stomach trying to relax and let the medicine they had given her do its job. There was some soft music playing in the room and she found herself humming along.

The hand on the back of Dianna’s head made her want to try and turn her head to see who it was. "Don’t worry it’s just me, Dr. Harry. How are you feeling?"

"I’m confident that you are going to fix me doctor. Ty wouldn’t have done all he did if he didn’t believe in you. If I haven’t said it before, thank you for doing this for me." Dianna finally did relax feeling the warm hand on her that would be responsible for taking away her pain.

"That’s why we are here. What is your favorite kind of music Ms. Lagrie?" The anesthesiologist started his job as Diana was thinking of an answer for Harry’s question. Her limbs felt so heavy and her mind couldn’t focus on the name of any songs much less a type of music. "That’s ok, how about some easy listening today?" Once the music started playing again Harry got to work.

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

With precise cuts they got the largest problem area clear so that they could start the cleanup in earnest. Pointing to the newly exposed area their teacher decided to ask for opinions and diagnosis of the damage. "What would you do?" The teacher pointed to the first student to the right.

"I would cut away and start from the untouched part."

"What would you use to patch?"

"The old stuff looks like cypress so that’s what I would use on the new section we need to build. It will take it a while before it hardens to the point of the rest of this stuff, but it will give it the same stability the roof line has had for over a hundred years is my guess." Quint had been an apprentice with Stephen for over four years and had counted himself lucky to learn from the master carpenter.

"Good work Quint. The reason the whole structure didn’t come down in last night’s storm was because of the materials the original builders used. Cypress gets hard as cement as it ages and is the only thing dense enough that our little termite friends find unappetizing. Call the lumber yard and tell them I’ll be down in two hours with the order." Stephen pulled out his tape measure now that the massive oak limb had been reduced to firewood and the extent of the hole was evident. They would cut away at the splintered wood like Quint had suggested and start at a place where the seams would cause no future leakage.

Down below them one man watched the activity in and around the attic while another watched him closer to the fence. Each waited for something to happen to make their move. Mike was closer to Desi’s studio and when he wasn’t watching his brother by the large oak tree, he was watching the windows in the kitchen to see if there was any activity in the house. The only one he had witnessed moving around on the main floor was a black woman who looked like she was cooking a meal.

As the afternoon progressed the sky became more and more overcast, driving the temperature down even further. There was no more rain but there was a dampness in the air that made being outside miserable. Byron got to the point that he couldn’t really feel his feet and fingertips, but was loath to move now that the inside of the house was becoming more defined from his vantage point. At a little after six in the afternoon the hole in the roof was closed and the workmen started packing their equipment. There was still plenty of work ahead of them before the job would be complete, but at least there was a barrier between the upstairs ceilings and the elements.

Byron stood leaning against the tree trying to figure out how he was now going to get into the house when the object of all his planning walked into the kitchen with Rachel in tow. His sister-in-law was carrying a bundle against her shoulder and she was running her hand along its length in a methodical fashion. He focused so much of his attention on watching her and Desi that he forgot the cold and the smoky breath that was coming out of his mouth in shorter spurts.

Desi looked so different to him and to Mike, who wasn’t that far behind him. Her hair was lighter and shorter, her body looked fuller and she couldn’t seem to stop laughing at whatever the maid and Rachel were saying. Byron was mesmerized as his wife took the bundle from Rachel and unwrapped the blanket covering her son. From where he was standing it looked like a large baby with big hands that he was waving at his mother.

"I know what you want big guy, just hold on. Rachel would you please fix me a glass of water while I give Jack his dinner?" Rachel moved to get her sister some water unaware of being watched. With her back to the window Desi unbuttoned her blouse and lowered the flap on one side of her bra. Jack latched on with a small whimper and started feeding with his mother running a gentle finger along his head. "You look so much like Harry it’s amazing to me." Desi ran her finger through black hair that she was sure would start to curl eventually and then dropped her hand to pick up one of his smaller ones. "Do you think Harry’s hands looked like this when she was his age?"

Mona looked up from the pots she had going on the stove and answered Desi’s question. "I didn’t know Harry at this age, but to hear Maria tell it this little sucker is the spitting image of a certain doctor we all know and love. She told me once when I was screaming at the troublemaker for taking apart the vacuum cleaner, that Raul took one look at her hands when he first held her and declared they would work miracles. Damn if he wasn’t right." Mona tapped the spoon she had been stirring the pot with along its rim and turned the fire down. The fact Harry wasn’t home for all these feedings made her heart heavy sometimes. Her old friend would miss a couple of Jack’s firsts, but she was confident they wouldn’t be many.

"What happened to your vacuum cleaner Mona?" asked Rachel.

"She was seven at the time I think and after she apologized to me, she put it back together. There were six screws left over when she was done, but I swear the thing worked better without them. I kept them in a box that I still have in a drawer upstairs somewhere. Sort of a memento to show her whenever that little boy there gets into trouble one day." Mona pointed to Jack who was getting a little drowsy after his initial feeding frenzy. Desi ran her finger along his cheek to get his attention focused back on his meal.

"Not yet little man, you have to finish, if not you’ll be hungry again in an hour." Desi got him eating again and looked back at Mona with a crease in her brow. "If she was seven, why keep them all this time? There was no way you could predict the future."

"Desiree Basantes I don’t need a crystal ball to tell me the future. Harry was never going to end up alone without a family. It wasn’t in her nature."

"What’s Harry’s nature Mona?" Mona’s smile after her question made Desi tear up from the emotion of it. She knew that Maria had given birth to Harry, but Desi always figured that the one person that knew her partner the best, besides her, was the wise woman standing in her usual place cooking dinner. This is the one person in the world Harry had told all her secrets and desires to and knew them to be safe.

"That is a complicated and easy question to answer. As a doctor it is to heal what she can and make bearable what she can’t. That’s the hardest part for me to answer because I don’t always understand what’s she talking about when it comes to that. The easy part is the three of you and the rest of her family. Harry’s nature is to love those who are fortunate enough to share her life. You two are her family along with that baby and she will love you forever." Mona smiled at her again and went back to her pots.

"And she’ll be mine forever." Byron muttered to the wind outside as he watched Desi switch the baby to the other side after Rachel had burped him. He was close enough to hear the phone ring and watched as Rachel answered it. Whoever was calling had her laughing within moments after she picked up the receiver and when she handed the phone to Desi he knew who it was.

"When will you be home?"

"Give me an hour then I’ll be walking through the door. I’m just waiting for my patient to wake up then I can be on my way. What’s happening with the house?" Harry was working on a stack of patient files as she talked with Desi. Dianna’s surgery had lasted over seven hours and Harry’s eyes had gotten fatigued by the end. The delicate sutures she had put in had required the use of optical enhancements and looking into the eyepieces for that long always did that to her.

"It’s no longer raining in the attic and Stephen says it will take about two weeks before we are back to normal. That’s because once the roof and attic are done the ceilings in rooms over that part of the house will need replastering and painting. The good news is that since they held the water and didn’t leak, the floors don’t have to be redone."

"How did you do with all that hammering today?"

"I did fine, Jack on the other hand gotten thrown off his schedule a bit, but again Stephen says it won’t be that bad from here on out. I have a surprise for you when you get home." The break in the suction on her breast let her know that Jack was done and Desi handed him back to Rachel while she got her clothes back in order.

"What?"

"Harry if I tell you it won’t be a surprise. Call it an incentive for you to come home earlier. How did Dianna make out?"

"Poor woman, after getting an eyeful of what the damage was, no wonder she was in pain. There was so much scar tissue pressing on the nerve endings in her back, no amount of painkillers was ever going to do the trick. It was a bitch but I’ll be willing to bet she’ll be feeling much better when the swelling goes down in a couple of weeks."

"How did her brother take the news?"

"That’s the funniest part of all this." Harry leaned back in the chair in one of the dictation rooms forgetting about the files for the moment.

"What do you mean? He didn’t threaten you again, did he?" Desi was about to cross her arms over her chest when she remembered it wasn’t the most pleasant of feelings and chose to mimic Harry’s pose on the other end without knowing it.

"No, I have never been able to get in touch with him. I called him a couple of times before we started and just got a busy signal. Maybe when I get home I’ll try him again. It just seems funny to me since the guy is always so concerned about his sister and now that she needs him the most, the guy pulls a disappearing act on her. Think Roger and Oscar caught up with him?" A nurse from recovery tapped on the door before going in. Seeing that Harry was on the phone she waited to deliver her message.

"I’m sure they would have picked you up for aiding and abetting by now honey, so I’m sure that’s not it. Whatever kept him away must be important since he cares so much about Diana."

"True, well baby there is someone here that needs to talk to me so I’ll see you and Jack in a little while. Love you."

"Love you too honey, be careful."

Harry hung the phone and turned to the waiting nurse, "Dr. Basantes, I just wanted to tell you that Dianna is coming around."

"Thanks I’ll be right there. Could you call Dr. Nova and tell him to come and get these files for me. They are the ones they will need for tomorrow’s rounds so tell him not to dawdle." The nurse nodded her head along with a chuckle as Harry got up and left the room.

"Dianna how are you feeling?" Harry’s low voice made the brown eyes flutter open as Dianna tried to focus on her.

"Tyrell?" Her voice sounded like her mouth was stuffed with cotton and it felt like her tongue was glued to the roof of her mouth.

"I’ll try him again later and maybe I can sneak him in tomorrow to see you. You rest now and let the nurse know if you need anything. I’m only a phone call away so if you get scared or don’t understand something have one of them call me, ok?" Dianna listened to what Harry was saying, but was more focused on the heat of Harry’s hand on hers. It was as if the doctor’s hands were infused with a life all their own. She never noticed the absence of the hand since Dianna slipped back into a peaceful sleep before Harry got up to leave.

She dreamed of when she and Tyrell were children and they would play in the empty field near the apartment they grew up in. The two of them would crawl around and climb on all the deserted cars on the lot making up stories of faraway adventures they would go on when they grew up. Dianna watched Tyrell climb up first to check to see if it was safe before he extended his hand down to her. "Come on Di, our ship is waiting to sail." She grabbed his hand and moved her right foot to find a hold to make her climb easier.

The nurses at the station missed the movement under the blanket of the patient in bed eleven. In a deep sleep Dianna acted out her dream as much as she could as she saw Tyrell’s face from his perch above her. He was smiling and waiting.

Part 8

Tyrell had watched the man leaning against the oak tree from the top of the fence all day, waiting for him to make a move, only to have his vigil come to an end as soon as the workmen packed up for the day and the sun set. With darkness as his cover, Byron took his chance and started up the ladder that the workmen had left leaning against the house. What the big man couldn’t figure out was where the younger Simoneaux was. The old man was dead but he hadn’t heard of anything happening to Mike.

The reason Tyrell was sitting on the Basantes property fence was a call he had received as he was leaving the hospital after visiting his sister. Tyrell’s friends had succeeded where the police had failed after they had taken turns watching the house for unwanted visitors. Early that morning one of Tyrell’s old posse had watched as one man scaled the fence, followed by another a short time later. As soon as they were on the Basantes property he picked up the phone and called Tyrell. Being an escaped convict himself, Tyrell had wanted to wait until dark to see if he could to do anything about Byron and his brother. With so much activity going on around the house, no one had noticed him sitting atop the fence obscured by a tree, and for that Tyrell was grateful. He wanted help Harry but was determined to stay out of jail as long as he could.

When Byron reached the second floor and slid open a window, Tyrell jumped down from his lookout post and started walking leisurely toward the house. He stopped when he spotted someone moving ahead of him toward the same ladder that Byron had used, and it solved the mystery of where Mike was. Mike had not noticed the large man that had led them out of the swamp since he was dressed in black almost from head to toe.

"What’s that little asshole up to?" Tyrell verbalized the question out loud, but soft enough so that Mike didn’t hear him. Mike just stood close to the top rungs of the ladder not moving. Tyrell stood in the yard watching him, wondering why Mike wasn’t following his brother inside. What are you waiting for Mikey? Mike in a way answered Tyrell’s question when he finished the trip up. The convicted killer broke out into a quick run when Mike disappeared through the same window his brother had used several minutes before. Tyrell quickened his pace when he saw the three women in the house head out of the kitchen to the middle of the house like they were going upstairs. He couldn’t let them go up if the two lunatics were waiting for them.

Byron stood in the darkened bedroom he had entered listening for any activity or alarm around him. There were voices filtering through the door and they seemed to be getting louder making him wish he were invisible. To his relief they were all women and whoever they were, they were laughing at something one of them had said. With a soft click, he opened the large knife he had taken from the house they had slept in the night before and held it tightly in his hand. He held his breath not wanting anything to alert them that he was in the house, but the voices passed his door and continued on their way. Before he let out the long stream of air he had been holding, he could hear his heartbeat thumping in his ears. Byron wondered if it was just from excitement or from fear. It didn’t matter now, he was too close to getting back what was his.

Behind him, Mike also held his breath so that his brother wouldn’t see or hear him. Mike had been ready to leave the city and turn himself back into authorities, but changed his mind when he saw Byron climb over the fence wall. He knew that it wouldn’t help his cause but he wouldn’t let what happened to his mother; happen to Desi or to Rachel, who he knew was in the house. Mike was treading into the unknown now since he had figured the only way to survive this whole ordeal was to walk back through the gates he had escaped from, not into Harry and Desi’s home.

In an attempt to keep the element of surprise Byron sat on the bed and took his shoes off and placed them neatly at the foot of the bed beside him. Before he got up, he picked up the knife and ran the tip of his index finger along the blade to check its sharpness again. He hissed softly as the line of blood quickly appeared where the knife had touched, the pain only resolving him to what had to happen. What he had dreamed about since they had put him in that cell and told him he would never get out. The people that had put him there were just down the hall waiting for his retribution.

With a smile on his face, Byron opened the door softly and looked both ways down the hall before stepping out of the room he had been hiding in. Mike took that opportunity to finish climbing into the room his brother had just occupied, trying to stay quiet. Keeping his shoes on, Mike looked out the door to see which way his brother had headed. He could see Byron just standing outside the door at the end of the hall, swaying as if trying to make a decision. There were voices coming out of the room, two Mike recognized. With Tyrell now at the base of the ladder it was like a chess game played with only three pieces, each waiting for the other to make a move before they countered the play.

"When did Harry say she was heading home?" asked Rachel. The three of them had come up to help Desi put a new diaper on Jack and put him to bed. Rachel had decided to stay and have dinner with them since Serena was staying at work late and Butch was spending the night with her lover’s parents. She missed days spent like this with her sister. They had talked, given Desi a new haircut and held Jack watching him find new things in the world around him.

"In about thirty minutes. If she’s not here by then, I say Mona’s pot roast is fair game. She was waiting for her patient to wake…" Desi’s voice just died away and Mona watched as the color drained out of the young woman’s face. Rachel was pulling the soft blanket onto Jack’s little feet and missed the sight that was making her sister weak kneed with fear. Desi swayed when she saw him but found the strength to stay on her feet.

"She’s waiting to do what?" Rachel waited for her sister to finish, turning around to look at her when she wouldn’t answer. "Desi?" It was like time stood still as Rachel focused only on Desi’s face and Desi focused on the figure standing in the hall.

Mona turned to look at what had scared the talk right out of Desi and was confronted by the sight of a man with a large knife in his hand. He looked different than the last time she had seen him, but Mona recognized him right off. Byron Simoneaux had returned for round two, but Harry wasn’t home to fight it, and the man standing there didn’t look like he was willing to wait for her to get home to begin whatever he had in mind.

"What’s the matter sweetheart, not happy to see me? And after all the trouble I had to go through to come and see you." Byron lifted his arms out to his sides so Desi could get a better look at him. The one thing her eyes stayed focused on was not him though, but the blade that was now reflecting the overhead lights from the hall. "You disappoint me Desiree, but that’s no surprise since you were always good at doing that. I mean you don’t come to see me, you don’t write, hell you wont’ even call." Bryon started talking and couldn’t seem to stop. With each comment that came flying out of his mouth he took a step closer into the room and to the woman he had thought about for all those long months in Angola. Sometimes during the nights filled with screams and moans within the prison walls, if Byron concentrated he could still remember what her skin smelled like.

"If you know what’s good for you, you will turn around and walk out of here and leave us alone. Haven’t you caused this young woman enough pain for one lifetime?" Mona walked to stand in front of the catatonic Desi before the man got any closer to her.

Rachel stood in front of Jack’s bassinet trying desperately to think of something she could do to protect her sister and her nephew before Byron started slashing something with the knife he was holding. Leave it to Mona to step in and confront the bastard like he didn’t frighten her in the least.

Mona’s commanding voice made him stop walking, take his eyes off Desi and focus on the woman talking to him. "Did you hear me ask for you to open your mouth and say anything?"

"I don’t care what you want or who you want to talk, I just want you to turn around and get out. It would be the smart thing for you to do before Harry gets home. I’m just trying to keep you alive, not that it’s worth it, but it would be for the best." Mona didn’t move and thought she was getting to him. Maybe he would remember the beating he had gotten the last time he had stepped foot in the house.

Byron cocked his head first to one side and then to the other and Rachel felt herself shiver from the bones cracking in his neck. It was one of the first things he did before he would start hitting Desi; pop the vertebrae in his neck into place as if it somehow improved his swing. Only this time Byron varied from his normal routine. He started moving before he started talking and in a vicious arch swung the knife upward and buried it into Mona’s abdomen. The one thing that surprised him was she didn’t give him the satisfaction of screaming. The old woman just fell to the ground holding her midsection as blood poured out through her fingers. "If I need your opinion on what I should be doing, I’ll ask. Try and remember that next time, will you?"

He started laughing at how easy that had been and he couldn’t stop. The more Mona bled, the more Byron laughed until Desi just screamed as loud as she could.

"NO! Get away from her, it’s me you want Byron not her." He watched, tapping the end of the bloody knife against his chin, as the tears ran down from the green eyes. Desi’s scream had pulled his attention from Mona, but it had also woken Jack up and the crying made Bryon turn his focus further into the room. In the bed was the baby that rightfully should have been his. The one thing his marriage to Desi had not given him, a son.

"Been busy I see." Desi wanted to find a hole and crawl into it, Byron looked and sounded insane. This had been her worst nightmare since Serena had come to their house and told them that Bryon and his family had escaped. Desi had been confident that the police would have found them long before Jack was born. Whenever Desi had that dream it had always ended with Harry holding her closer and telling her that she would be all right. Harry I need you right now to tell me that Jack will ok, please get home soon honey before it’s too late.

"Byron please, take me and do whatever you want. You’re right, I’ve been a lousy wife to you but please leave the baby out of this. I promise to do everything you want, but I’m begging you to leave him out of this." Desi looked into Byron’s eyes trying to get through to him. Truthfully she had never cared for him. She had just tried to survive him, but now she wasn’t so sure she would come out of this with just bruises and broken bones to show for it. She had never seen him look so demented, so charged up to do harm. And there were so many targets in the room for him to focus that on.

"That’s rich Desiree. I’ve waited years to hear you beg me for anything, and all it took was you having that dyke’s baby to do the trick. It is hers, isn’t it?" Bryon was now running the bloody knife along his cheek in a soft line so as not to break the skin. The coppery smell just below his nose was making him want to cut someone else just to renew the pungency of it. Cutting the old woman open had felt like sticking a hot knife into a stick of butter it had been so easy. Now that he considered it, it was what he should have used on Desi instead of the baseball bat.

Please forgive me Harry for denying what is yours, but I am sure you will understand. "The baby is mine Byron, and he hasn’t done anything to hurt you so please just let Rachel take him downstairs so you and I can talk."

"No, I want to see him." Bryon put the knife down to his side again and walked to the bassinet. When Rachel wouldn’t move he closed his fist and slammed it into her face knocking her back onto the bed. Desi stood completely still, not wanting to alarm her ex-husband in any way as he reached into the bassinet and picked up Jack. Every fiber of her being wanted to hurt him for touching Jack, but Desi knew she could never overpower him.

Desi could only look on as Bryon held Jack in the air to look at him. The baby, who was red from crying had his eyes closed shut, and his little body was shivering from the screams he was letting out. The knife in Bryon’s hand was pressed up against Jack’s back and the tip was so close to the back of his head, it was making Desi crazy. She tried again to get Byron to put Jack down because if something happened to their defenseless child, Desi would never be able to face Harry again. "Please give him to me Byron, he’s very upset."

"I guess so you bitch, being born into an unnatural house like this, no wonder the little guy is crying. Look at him Desi, the little bastard looks just like that bitch you live with. And that’s what he is, isn’t he? A little bastard born to a woman that’s nothing but some sick fuck. I see being away from me for so long has made you go back to your lying, whoring ways, but that’s going to change. I won’t bring up my son with a woman like you, isn’t that right my boy?" Bryon talked to the baby like they were ready to attend some father and son events together.

"Please Byron just give him to me so he will stop crying. He doesn’t belong to you, put him down if you don’t want to hand him to me." Desi held her arms out ready to do anything the man wanted as long as he would put the little boy down. Jack’s screams were getting louder and Desi wondered if the knife at his back was cutting into him somehow. She had never heard him cry like this, not even when he was hungry or wet. It almost seemed like he had inherited Harry’s complete hate for Byron and was expressing it in the only way he knew how.

"And I said no, now make yourself useful and pack my boy a bag. The two of us are going on a little trip as soon as I deal with you." Byron put Jack down and turned to Desi to say something else to her. He didn’t get the chance as Mike ran into the room and tackled his brother to the ground breaking a small table in the room on the way down. The knife Byron had been holding went flying out of his hand toward the balcony doors. The open blade was followed by the two brothers who went flying through the doors leading out to the balcony as they continued their struggle. The cold air from outside rushed into the room but Desi could only watch the bizarre turn of events, her feet feeling like they were glued to the floor.

"Run Desi run." Both she and Rachel heard Mike’s voice before it was cut off by what seemed to be a blow to his chest. As much as they wanted to leave, they couldn’t just go and leave Mona behind, so Desi tried to take control of the situation.

"Rachel take Jackson and get the hell out of here. I won’t lose my son. Get out of the house and call the police and tell them to bring an ambulance. Go on, get out of here!" Desi screamed the last part to get her sister to move. The one thing she was grateful for besides the opportunity Mike had surprisingly given her to save her child, was the feeling that no matter what, this would all end tonight. And no matter the outcome, Jack would be safely away from Byron and his rage.

"Desi, I can’t just leave you here please don’t ask that of me." Rachel was crying now as much as her sister, blood from her split lip poured down her face and mixed with her tears. Mona had stopped moving and neither of them wanted to even look at her chest to see if she was still alive.

"Please Rach, just go. I won’t put Jack in the middle of all this, please don’t ask that of me. Take him so that I’ll know he’ll be safe." She tried to act brave and smiled for her sister. Rachel just nodded and picked the crying baby up as the fighting outside intensified. "Thank you Rach, I love you. Tell Harry…" Rachel started shaking her head and Desi stopped not wanting her to change her mind about taking Jack out of the house. If something happened, Desi knew Harry would know what she felt without having to be reminded by someone else.

"You stay safe and I’ll get help. Promise me." Rachel kissed her sister and waited the moment it would take for her to promise to live. It was one of their old customs when they shared a house with Byron. Desi would take the beatings, and as much as she craved the peace lasting darkness would bring her, she always promised Rachel she would fight back by living.

"I promise." Desi continued to smile as she pushed her sister out the door with Jack. The noise from the balcony stopped abruptly and Desi’s only hope was that Rachel had decided to run down the stairs instead of walk. Her thoughts brightened for a moment when she considered that the silence might be because Mike had killed or wounded his brother, but seeing Byron standing amidst the broken glass dashed that hope. There was one thing they had all missed in the noise that Mike and Byron had caused with their struggle, and it was about to turn the tide again.

Harry opened the door of her vehicle just in time to see a man land in her yard after flying off her veranda. She was about to start joking with Stephen for being so clumsy when she heard the crunch of bone when he landed. The long legged doctor jumped the hedge and ran to the injured man to attend to his wounds when she saw who it was.

Blanching with pain, Mike gasped, "Please hurry and get upstairs before he hurts anyone else. I’m sorry Dr. Basantes, I tried to stop him." Mike pointed to the upstairs room and tried not to move any more than necessary. There was something wrong with his legs and the pain in his hip area was about to make him pass out.

"Try not to move until I get back. Is your brother armed?" Harry wanted to know what situation she was going into before she went up the stairs. It wouldn’t do Desi and Jack any good if she got killed going through the door.

"Just a knife, please hurry he’s lost his mind and I know he just wants to kill her."

Harry didn’t wait for Mike to say another thing. She jumped over the bushes again and headed for the back door. Not bothering with the key she kicked the locked kitchen door in and started making her way to the stairs. In the kitchen she ran into Rachel running out with Jack in her arms.

"Get into my car and take off, the keys are in the ignition. Just ignore the moaning guy in the yard for now and get Jack out of here." Harry took a second to hold the hysterical woman before heading up to save her partner.

"He’s up there Harry. The son of a bitch got into the house. Please don’t let anything happen to her."

"Don’t worry about that runt, just get the baby out."

Byron moved back into the room stopping to pick up his knife on the way back in. The handle was picking up the light of the moon and it felt sticky in his hand. Desi was kneeling over the black woman on the floor when he stepped back into the room through the splintered door. His wife was pressing a towel, with what looked like a bear on it, to the wound he had inflicted with the blade in his hand.

"Miss me?" Byron smiled until he flinched from pain from the split lip Mike had given him before he had pushed him over the side of the railing. The smile disappeared when he realized the baby and Rachel were gone. "Where is he, bitch? I’m not play games here Desiree, where is he?" Not wanting to wait any more he moved quickly toward Desi intent on making her pay for all she had done to him and for all she had taken away.

He was a hand length away from grabbing Desi by her new short haircut when the deep voice stopped him like an invisible hand. There was no fucking way he was hearing that voice now that he was so close to his goal.

"You know Bryon, as I spent my time locked up in that small cage they put me in, you know what I did to pass the time?" Tyrell was standing in the doorway waiting for the weasel to make his move. He had made a promise to the doctor and he wasn’t about to go back on that.

"What boy, did you do to pass the time?" Desi could hear the frustration in Byron’s voice as he answered. Byron rolled his head and looked in Tyrell’s direction trying to hurry the answer along. He didn’t have time to waste playing stupid games with the idiot.

"We’ve had a previous discussion I believe about the use of the term ‘boy’ if I recall, but we’ll get back to that later." Desi watched and listened to the, what seemed like, polite conversation and hoped like hell the new player was here to help. Mona’s breathing was getting shallow and she couldn’t wait that much longer for help. "I read a lot. All kinds of books actually, which surprised my sister since I wasn’t much for books when I was in school, but in jail, I had all the time in the world to kill. I read in one of them books that a man like you needs something in place of his penis since you are what they called fucked up in the head. That big knife in your hand would be it, if I guess correctly." Tyrell nodded his head toward the object he had been referring to. He wanted to make Byron mad enough to go after him and away from the two women in the room.

"Just shut up Tyrell before I use this big knife to carve a piece out of you." Bryon pointed the tip of the knife toward the other man in the room falling for Tyrell’s tactics when he forgot about Desi and Mona with his arrival.

"Yeah, the bigger the knife means the smaller the dick. Shit man from the looks of it, you couldn’t screw a cat and satisfy it." As Tyrell held up his thumb and index finger close together to make his point, Desi recognized the laugh that came from behind him and wanted to faint from the shear relief of living to hear it again.

"You don’t know shit." Bryon continued to hold the knife pointed at Tyrell hoping to make the man back down, but his fellow jail mate looked like he was waiting for a bus he was so cool.

"I’m a doctor, and I would have to say that Tyrell’s diagnosis of your problem is right on the money. The medical opinion is free, now get the hell out of my house." Harry moved into the room and closer to Byron showing no fear. She was so mad that Desi would swear later that Harry had gotten a couple of inches bigger everywhere from her height to the size of her hands. Tyrell had moved out of Harry’s way and kneeled next to Desi to help her with Mona.

"Thank God you are here bitch. I’ve been dreaming of this moment since they put me in that hellhole." Byron took a deep breath and puffed out his chest. Last time was different, was the mantra running through his head. Every time he had run through this scenario in prison, he was the one that came out on top. Last time it was just a lucky break on her part because the house had been dark.

"Dreaming of what?" Harry moved closer causing Byron to take a step back toward the broken balcony doors.

"Of opening a can of whoop ass on you." Bryon tried to sound menacing as the woman moved closer into his personal space. He didn’t move thinking if he did it would be a sign of weakness on his part. Once she noticed the knife she would back down.

"Can of whoop ass? What are you, in the third grade? Who in the hell uses the term, ‘can of whoop ass’ any more?" Harry asked the questions in rapid succession using air quotation marks when she got to the last one. Desi laughed behind her thinking that only Harry would use dry humor at a time like this. It was funny in a way that Desi had never felt more terrified but safe all at the same time. Harry looked like a large animal of prey toying with its food before tearing into it. The temperature of the room had dropped at least fifteen degrees since the door had been shattered, but Desi noticed the beads of sweat that had broken out on Byron’s lip. They had only made an appearance when they were married when Byron had done something to anger his father.

"We are going to be all right Mona so don’t you dare die on me now old girl. Harry will see that we are ok." She whispered the words into Mona’s ear as she pressed the towel into the wound hoping the bleeding would stop. Tyrell moved after he had pulled the afghan on the sofa to cover Mona so that he would be a barrier between the two women on the floor and Byron. He would have offered to subdue Byron for Harry, but the look in the surgeon’s eyes when she walked into her bedroom told him it would have only resulted in both him and Byron getting the shit kicked out of them.

"Shut up now before I hurt you." Byron was losing control of the situation and tried the one thing he had left. Without warning he lunged at Harry’s chest with the knife willing it to hit it’s target. Harry grabbed his wrist as it flew past her and landed a swift kick to Byron’s chest causing a long exhale of air to come out. He looked up through watery eyes to see Harry bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Lucky shot."

"Sure it was. Let’s try it again and see how lucky I can get?" Harry taunted him into lunging for her again. As he swung the knife again, Harry grabbed his wrist and held it above his head as she grabbed the other hand and started snapping fingers one at a time. "This little piggy went someplace he didn’t belong." She listened for the snap and went on. "This little piggy liked to beat up on women that couldn’t fight back." Snap. "This little piggy should match the other two." Snap. "And this one is screaming at you, ‘you moron didn’t you remember the jaw incident?’" Snap.

He screamed as she broke each individual bone but refused to go down. Byron had to think of something to turn the tables on her. "Yeah but just remember you bitch, who got to taste that sweet thing over there first. Desi may not have loved me, but she was a wild woman for me in bed. She couldn’t wait for me to come home and stick it to her. She couldn’t get enough." Byron started to do some taunting of his own as he held his broken fingers under his armpit still holding the knife in the other hand. Harry moved so quickly that he didn’t see the blow coming until his head snapped back and he spit his two front teeth out on the carpet when it whipped back into place. Tyrell could tell she had pulled her punch at the last minute so as not to drive his nose into his brain. The doctor seemed like a very interesting person. This was not the compassionate woman that had held his sister’s hand a few days ago, this is who had he met that day at the free clinic.

"That should make you popular in the shower Byron." Harry took deep breaths to rein in her temper knowing if she didn’t, she would kill the pathetic man standing before her. She pointed at the missing teeth in case he had not understood her reference. "I mean, Tyrell over there says there was more than one big Bubba that was sweet on you at Angola. Now that I have you bleeding and in pain, let’s get something straight. You don’t talk to, talk about or utter Desi’s name again now or in your lifetime and I will let you leave this house tonight alive."

"If she’s half as good as putting people back together as she is at taking them apart, Harry must be one hell of a doctor." Tyrell held the makeshift bandage to Mona’s wound trying not to use too much pressure so as not to cause any more damage. Desi kept trying to split her attention to the fight behind her and Mona to make sure she was still breathing. She could tell Harry was trying to find her focus as the big hands opened and closed repeatedly. Desi had seen the action numerous times at the hospital when Harry was losing patience with her students. Maybe if she tried that breaking fingers trick, it would get them to study harder before rounds.

"She’s a better doctor since she gets more practice at it. Trying to break that many bones all the time would be murder on those beautiful talented hands." Tyrell nodded his head at Desi’s answer, taking a moment to look at the woman kneeling next to him. As much as he disliked Byron, the big man could understand how this woman could take up so much of the man’s thought process. Desi was one of the most beautiful women he had ever encountered.

"I hate you." Bryon ran at her again and Harry aimed her kick to the groin this time. Before he could recover from the blow, Harry grabbed the hand that was holding the knife and twisted his arm around and up until she heard the bone snap. The instant overwhelming pain caused Bryon to finally drop the knife in his hand and it landed with a muted thump on the carpet. Harry stepped around to the front and followed up with a right upper cut that dropped Bryon like the knife before him.

After he fell, Harry left him alone. She had decided on the way upstairs that she wouldn’t kill him no matter how much she wanted to. Her path and the oath that she had taken was to try and protect life not take it, and Byron Simoneaux wouldn’t deter her from that. Only after she had neutralized him did she turn to face Desi.

"Harry please, help her." Desi pointed to Mona and Harry quickly moved to try and stabilize their wounded friend.

"Desi go into the closet and get my bag." Desi got up to get what Harry had asked for as all three conscious people could hear the sirens getting closer.

The scream from the closet doorway caused both Harry and Tyrell to look up. The last memory Harry had was of Bryon standing over her with a wooden club over his head before she watched him swing it downward toward her head.

The crack caused by the table leg connecting with Harry’s head sounded fatal, and both Tyrell and Desi watched as Harry fell like a dead weight onto Mona. When the police ran into the room moments later, they found a crying Desi cradling Harry in her arms and Tyrell Lagrie pressing a baby wash cloth to another woman’s stomach.

A few feet from them laid Bryon Simoneaux, Jr. with a knife buried to the hilt into his midsection. The knife had been driven in with such force that it had pinned him to the floor. To the officer that arrived first, the man looked like a butterfly he had seen in an exhibit once. The shocker was that he was still breathing, but no one in the room was giving him any attention. They were actually acting like the man wasn’t even there.

"In here hurry." Desi could hear Rachel screaming at someone as numerous feet pounded down the hall in an apparent stampede. The blonde was still in shock from watching Harry go down like a bag of wet cement and in her panic hadn’t checked for a pulse so convinced that she wouldn’t find one.

Behind the running Rachel, two sets of paramedics came rushing in, not sure as to what they would find. Another group was loading the crying man with an apparent broken leg and maybe hip fracture down in the yard. Whatever had happened in the house, had apparently been some brawl because there seemed to be injured people everywhere. In addition to the medical help there were a squadron of police personnel combing the property for any other intruders. Among the ones that had secured the house were Roger and his partner Oscar.

Roger took in the scene in the bedroom the second he could make it out from the hall. It seemed so vastly different from the last time he had answered the call at the same house. He was in disbelief that Harry was one of the people the paramedics were checking out. They were having trouble prying her out of Desi’s grip to check the extent of her injuries and Roger stepped in to intervene.

"Come on honey, let her go and let these people do their jobs. She’s going to be fine, just let her go." Roger spoke in soft even tones trying to calm the hysterical woman down. The rumpled detective tracked Tyrell as he stepped into the bathroom to wash Mona’s blood off his hands. From the way the big man was acting Roger didn’t think they would have any trouble taking him back into custody.

The three paramedics working on Mona were busy hooking up I.V. and monitors to various parts of her body while one of them was on the phone with the emergency room doctor at Charity. As in all trauma cases, that would be the first stop until the patient was stabilized, then they would be moved to the hospital of their choice. Desi’s crying only got louder when suddenly one of them yelled ‘clear’ as the heart monitor showed ventricular fibrillation, the quiver of a heart gone away.

"No please God no. Please don’t take her." Desi buried her face in Roger’s chest as the medics on the floor ripped open the shirt in their way in a fight with time now. The body moved in an unnatural arch as the current ran through the chest, but after only one shock, Mona’s heart was beating as it should again.

"Rachel why don’t you take your sister downstairs until this is all over. While you are down there try and get in touch with Harry’s parents and Mona’s family if you have the numbers." Roger stood up and pulled Desi along with him. Desi was shaking her head violently from side to side and Roger knew it would be a struggle to get her out of the room.

"No, I won’t leave her, she needs me." Desi tried to get back to Harry’s side. It was scaring her that those blues eyes hadn’t opened yet. The medical orders being thrown out, Harry’s silence, the baby crying and Bryon’s now constant moaning were starting to drive Desi out of her mind.

Roger and Rachel both got concerned when Desi just stopped. As if someone had flipped a switch, she stopped struggling, stopped crying and stopped talking. There on the ground not that far from where Bryon laid bleeding was Harry looking up at her. The doctor looked a little disoriented, but managed a half smile to make Desi feel better.

"I promise to do whatever you want from now on, just don’t hit me so hard next time." Harry couldn’t get her voice to go over a whisper but Desi heard her just fine.

"I didn’t hit you, baby, Bryon did." Desi was down on her knees and holding Harry’s hand as soon as Roger let her go. Harry looked over and listened to the great debate the two medics were having as to how to unpin the man from the hardwood floor.

"If you have to pull that knife out, please do me a favor and twist a couple of time first," requested Harry before she closed her eyes again. "Oh, and I predict he has a broken arm, the possibility of broken ribs, some missing teeth and all the fingers on his left hand are broken." Desi laughed knowing from the list Harry had just rattled off, there was no permanent damage to her head.

"I’ll do it myself if necessary Harry. Now get out of here so I can sort all this out." Roger directed them out of the room with his thumb now that they had Harry loaded on a stretcher. From the sound of the sirens Mona was already on her way to the hospital and from the speed of the ambulance, the feisty woman was still with them.

"Go on Desi, I’ll be there in just a few with Jack and the rest of the family." Rachel was still clutching onto the baby who was fine but still letting the world around him know his displeasure.

"Call Serena before you head out Rachel, that way you’ll have someone to sit with until all this is finished," Desi added as she followed Harry’s stretcher out of the room.

The last thing all the women heard as they made their way out of the house was Roger giving the uniformed officers orders that would piece together what had happened in the house before they arrived. For the moment at least, Tyrell was the only witness that was in any condition to talk so they would start there.

"Ok, let’s take it from the top, what happened here and better yet, what are you doing here?"

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"I was using the bathroom if you really want to know. As for the rest, I didn’t care for the breakfast selection they brought in." Harry was standing at the small sink in the room brushing her teeth and trying to get her hair to do something besides stand on end.

"You are not supposed to be out of bed Dr. Basantes, and stop terrorizing the staff by throwing jello at them. I swear, doctors make absolutely the worst patients." Harry tried directing a scowl at Desi but her head hurt so bad that she could only manage a weak smile.

"I don’t like stainless steel bedpans, and it is unnatural to have jello for breakfast Mrs. Basantes so leave me alone." Harry shuffled back to the bed and tried to look contrite.

"I’ll have them put bacon in it next time. Now behave or I won’t let you visit with your favorite person." Desi removed the blanket that was covering Jack and brought him over to the bed.

The night had been a whirlwind nightmare for both of them as Mona’s surgery went on for hours to repair all the damage Byron’s stabbing had done. Harry refused to be taken from Charity until she knew Mona would be all right, so they had all sat together down in the waiting room. Sally humored the bunch that consisted of all the parents, Rachel and her group, and Harry and Desi who were lying together on the stretcher with Jack. Once all the arrests were made, Roger had promised them a report in the morning as to how things had gotten so far out of hand.

"Come here my boy." Harry held her hands out waiting for Desi to deposit Jack into them. The moment he heard Harry’s voice, Jack picked his head up off Desi’s shoulder and looked toward the bed. In it was the person both he and his mother had used as a mattress the night before. The E.R. nurse Sally had made the comment when he had come in with Rachel, screaming his head off, that Jack was a doctor in the making.

"How are you feeling?" Desi sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed Harry’s leg through the thin gown she was wearing. The effects of the night before hadn’t worn off yet and she couldn’t seem to stop touching Harry.

"I’m ok baby, stop worrying. The important thing here is that we’re all ok, just a little bump on the head, nothing we can’t handle." Desi was about to protest when Dr. Harold Hebert walked in and backed up what Harry was saying. The chief of neurology at the hospital had been looking at the scans of Harry’s head for the last hour.

"She’s right. It seems from looking at all the film that I have been right about this patient all along." Harold rocked on his heels and smiled at the young cocky surgeon. Harry wasn’t all that different from him when he was her age.

"What?" Desi tightened her hold on Harry’s leg expecting the worst.

"Thick skull wrapped around a pea brain." The last of the strawberry jello hit with dead on accuracy on the left lens of the older doctor’s glasses.

"Harry I can’t believe you just did that." Desi laughed at the way the man calmly took off his glasses and wiped them down with the handkerchief he had pulled out of his back pocket.

"Despite the display of childish behavior, I’m releasing you to the beautiful woman sitting on your bed. And just remember, when you least expect it, you will find some hideous flavored jello somewhere where you don’t want it." Harold turned and left before Harry could respond to his threat.

"Come on menace, let’s get you dressed and we’ll go check on Mona. She’s down in intensive care, but her doctor let me know that she can be moved by this afternoon. I just hope she can forgive me all this when she comes to." Desi took the baby back and handed Harry a bag Raul had packed from home. Harry’s parents had been so supportive the night before as they had waited with Mona’s family for word of her progress. There was always that fear that the couple would just try and convince their daughter that she might be better off alone than with the baggage Desi had brought with her into Harry’s life. It made her feel good that the couple had fussed over her and Jack before they got to Harry and her injuries.

"What’s the matter my love?" Harry saw the flash of insecurity that marred Desi’s face for an instant. "I promised you and Jack would be all right, and I was right."

"I know, it’s silly but I just think you would have been better off with someone else after everything that’s happened. Who else could say that their lover’s ex-husband has broken into their house - not once but twice - trying to kill them?" Desi felt the long body press up against her back and she and Jack leaned into it.

"You, young lady are who I want to be with, and if the bastard lives and wants to break in again, he will meet with more of what he got this time and the time before that. You do realize that if you hadn’t come back to me, that we wouldn’t have this little guy in our lives? Just like his mommy, Jack is perfect and a very welcomed addition into my life." Harry put her arms around both Desi and Jack and squeezed just a little. They were still pressed together when the door opened and someone stepped into the room.

"Should we come back later, like when you are wearing underwear?" Roger’s voice was filled with humor when he saw the short hospital gown Harry was wearing, showing off more than she would want considering she was facing away from the door.

"And you don’t knock, because why?" Harry pulled her gown closed as she asked the question.

"I have a big gold badge, that’s why. It’s one of the perks of the job."

"Give me a minute to get dressed and we’ll head out and have some coffee for our little talk." Harry left Desi with the two officers as she went into the bathroom to get ready.

Harry bought them all something to drink and walked them out to a well-kept garden area that was deserted and a surprise to all but Harry, considering where they were. The doctor laughed at their expression when they took in the winter grass, wooden benches and tulips that were plentiful in the gardens that were mulched and weed free.

"How did you find this place in all this madness?" Desi pulled the fleece hat Jack was wearing over his ears and made sure his bunting was zipped all the way to the top.

"In my first year of residency here, I was walking around trying to stay awake and I took a wrong turn in there somewhere. I found this place, and I found Charlie." Harry sat along side Desi and put her arm around her to keep the smaller woman warm.

"Charlie?" Desi looked up at Harry whose head was haloed by the sun.

"He was one of the ground’s keepers here at the hospital. He was an older gentleman who had lost his wife and spent most of his time out here working in the gardens planting the kinds of flowers that were his wife’s favorites. In my four years of training here at the hospital, Charlie and I celebrated his wife’s birthday, their anniversary and all the other important dates he kept track of. We talked and got to be friends over the years, and it made him happy when I would come out to sit with him and brought a sack of some kind of bulb or another with me. They bloom all year long now and I still think I’m the only one who sees them." The softness of Harry’s voice when she spoke of the man told Desi that her lover cared for the man a lot.

"Does Charlie still take care of the flowers love?" Desi welcomed the soft kiss that Harry pressed against her lips. The two detectives were as curious as Desi to hear the end of the doctor’s story but didn’t want to interrupt the sweet moment they were looking on.

"No, he died three years ago. That’s why you never heard me talk about him, and with my schedule I don’t get out here as much as I did before, but I try and come out and plant at least one bulb in memory of he and his wife’s anniversary. The state doesn’t know it but I have our yard people from the house come out here once a week to keep it looking like Charlie did. I’ll bring you and Jack out here in the spring to see the wildflowers that come up every year." Harry kissed Desi again then turned to Roger and Oscar for answers. "Well?"

"I’ll start with what’s definite. Tyrell Lagrie is in custody and has admitted to pinning Byron to your bedroom floor with the knife that we found sticking out of him. Byron is in the prisoners’ ward with broken bones and a stab wound to the abdomen, and will remained chained to his hospital bed until he can be arraigned on new charges. His younger brother Mike is keeping him company in that ward with a severe fracture in his hip and left leg, and he is awaiting the same fate." Roger was about to tell them about the request Mike had made once he had been stabilized, but Desi interrupted him.

"He wasn’t there to help Byron, Mike was there to help me and Rachel." Harry looked at her partner in shock and it almost came close to the shock on Desi’s face for having said it. From the instant she saw the two brothers together, Desi had thought all of the lives in the bedroom the night before would be lost until Mike tackled his brother to the ground. His warning to run was still ringing through her head.

"What do you mean baby?"

"Just that Harry, Mike came in and got into a fight with Byron and that allowed Rachel to get out with Jack. That’s how all the furniture and doors got damaged."

"Baby if you had the chance to run out, then why didn’t you?"

"I couldn’t run and leave Mona there alone. Mike fought him long enough for Rachel to get out with the baby and that’s what was the most important thing to me at the time. He’s just a baby honey, I couldn’t let Byron touch him."

"He won’t ever get that chance Desi, when the system is done with him he won’t ever get out." Roger looked directly at Desi when he said it then lifted his eyes to Harry for the next part. The tall doctor was the more explosive of the two. "Mike asked to see you Harry as soon as he was brought in to the hospital. Don’t kill me for delivering the message, but I thought that you might want to know. He didn’t tell me what it was about, all he said was he wanted to see you. I know this sounds crazy now, but what was Tyrell doing in your house?" Roger asked the question of both of them, and Desi was grateful when Harry answered for both of them.

"Tyrell’s sister is a patient of mine and is currently in this hospital. Why and how he got into our house last night, I don’t know."

"Did you have any contact with Tyrell before last night?" asked Oscar.

"I didn’t really have contact with him last night detective, I was unconscious at the time. But to answer your question, yes I did." Their attorney would want to kill her if anything came of this, but Harry wanted to be honest.

"And you didn’t think to tell us about that?" Oscar leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees.

"You didn’t really ask me, and the conversations I’ve had with the man were about his sister’s care, which is not the police’s business. Are you accusing me of something detective?"

"No doctor, we are just trying to piece together what happened. The Simoneaux angle in all this makes sense to me, but the big guy was a mystery. He has been a model of civility since we brought him in, but again, he asked to talk with you too." Oscar closed his notebook and put it back in his coat pocket, as far as he was concerned the case was closed and all the bad guys were accounted for.

"Well it looks like I’ll have a busy afternoon." Harry stood and shook hands with both police officers before they left she and Desi alone. When the door back into the hospital clicked closed Harry sat back down and took Jack from Desi. She carefully put the sleeping baby’s head on the shoulder opposite Desi and turned toward her partner. Harry ran her hands through Desi’s new haircut and pulled the sweet face toward hers. They didn’t share any more words as they reconnected with lips and touch trying to convince their hearts that they had come out of the war unscathed.

Desi couldn’t help but touch Harry wherever she could reach. The lips that were coaxing hers open were driving her crazy but at the moment she didn’t care. Harry was alive and she had beaten Byron again at the physical game he loved to play. Harry, the woman who loved her so much was not the weak woman the man Desi had been married to was used to. Harry Basantes was passionate and strong at whatever she tried, but the most important thing Desi loved about her was that the good doctor belonged to her. This gentle giant would make it her life’s mission to see that Desi was happy and wanted, and Desi poured her feelings of happiness and belonging into her kiss.

"Do you like it?" Desi asked when their lips parted.

"Your kisses. Yep, always have."

"No goober, my hair. It’s not too short, is it?" She ran a hand through the short locks Rachel had cut the day before. Desi had gone shorter when she and Harry had gotten back together, but now it was way short.

"I love everything about you sweetheart, but if you need a definite answer, I love it."

"I want to go home honey." Desi leaned into the warm body again and felt so relaxed she could take a nap.

"Your wish is my command love, let’s go." Harry kissed her one last time and held her hand out for Desi to take.

"Are you sure that Mona will be all right?"

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"She’ll be fine. It will give us an excuse to wait on her for change of pace."

"I should have moved faster to get into that room before he had the chance to do that to that poor woman."

"Don’t worry about that now, like I said, she’ll be fine." Harry tried to find a comfortable spot on the chair she was sitting in and decided there wasn’t one, so she tried to make the best of it.

"Thanks for agreeing to see me."

"That was easy Tyrell, you gave your word and you kept it. When you showed up last night, you guaranteed that my family was going to survive. I am certain that if I had not shown up last night, Desi and my son Jack would have still been safe from that son of a bitch." Harry drummed the fingers of one hand on the Formica topped table while the others held up the phone she was using to talk to Tyrell.

"I had your back doc, after all, like you said, I gave my word. Did you keep yours?" The prisoner on the other side of the Plexiglas window looked even more imposing with the orange jump suit he had on. His brown eyes, so much like his sister’s, looked at Harry as if begging for good news. To hear it meant the weeks he spent out of jail would be worth the years they would tack onto his sentence.

"I kept my end Tyrell and she’s going to be fine. There was a lot to fix and clean up in there, but when Dianna’s done with me, I promise it will be because she’s better." Harry smiled to show she was sincere, but there was something that was still bothering her. "What happens now?"

"Legal aid will send some young pup over here who will hopefully work out some deal that won’t leave me bleeding too much. I had to try to get out doc; I hope you can understand that? Trust me, Bryon and those others were not in my plan. Hell I didn’t have a plan, it was mostly the circumstances of the moment."

"Yeah I can understand that and I don’t blame you for Byron." Harry hesitated a moment then asked, "Are you a prideful man Tyrell?"

"What are you talking about Dr. Basantes?" Tyrell leaned forward toward the partition with a confused look.

"There’s somebody outside who I want you to meet with and I don’t want you to worry about his fees because Desi and I will take care of that. Now call me Harry and agree with me without having to send my partner down here to get you to agree." Harry smiled and put her hand up to the glass since she couldn’t physically shake his hand yet. Tyrell smiled back at her and put his much larger hand up against hers. "Damn Tyrell, you would have been an awesome surgeon with hands like that."

Harry motioned the guard on her side to let Jerry in to talk with Tyrell. When the attorney entered she gave up her chair and was about to give up the phone when she told him one more thing. "He’s no young pup, but he knows his way around the courthouse. This is Jerry Castle, and he’s here to help you Tyrell."

"Thanks doc." Tyrell smiled at Harry. "Give Dianna my love when you see her."

"Will do." With a last pat to Jerry’s shoulder and a smile at Tyrell, Harry left them to their business and worked her way out of the building on her way to make one more stop before she went to meet Desi.

"How did it go?" asked Desi. She was spending the day with Rachel until they decided what to do about the house. Harry had gotten hotel rooms for everyone else staying with them and had instructed Stephen and his crew to continue working on the roof repairs.

"All right I guess. I got to tell him thanks for keeping an eye on all of you until I was able to get up there, and I got him to talk to Jerry. Now I have just one more visit to make and I’ll be done for the day, so save me a spot on the bed so we can take a nap later."

"That spot is permanently reserved honey, don’t worry about that." Harry laughed before ending the call as she pulled into the parking lot at Charity hospital. She entered the building through the main entrance and walked all the way to the back of the building headed toward another separate building on the campus. Most of the general public in New Orleans never knew of its existence, and it was known by those who did as ‘Little Angola.’ The guards who were responsible for its security worked for the state prison and all the patients taking up beds were state inmates.

The guards had put Mike and Byron at opposite ends of the room and Harry could see that the medical personnel had Byron heavily sedated. His brother Mike was awake and watching the tall doctor make her way toward his bed. They had never officially met and had only seen each other on a handful of occasions, most of which were during the trial that had sentenced the brothers to Angola. It was that lack of knowledge of what kind of person Harry was that was giving Mike a hard time reading the expression on her face.

"You asked to see me?"

"Yes, thank you for coming. You don’t know me Dr. Basantes, not really, but I wanted to apologize to you for what happened. I was there last night to try and stop my brother from hurting anyone in your house, especially Desi and the baby. Something happened to my father and him in prison and they kinda lost their minds, it doesn’t make what happen right, but I just thought I would tell you." Mike wanted to shift in the bed but was in so much pain he just tried to ignore the lump he was lying on.

"Why would you want to help my partner and my son?"

"My father killed my mother and I didn’t do anything about it. That says something about the kind of man I am, don’t you think?"

"Does it really matter to you, how I feel about that?" Harry just stood looking down on the man who in her mind had helped Byron get away with terrorizing Desi for so long.

"In a way it does, because I tried to act differently now. I don’t want anything from you Dr. Basantes, I just wanted you to know that I was sorry before they send me back to prison for all of this." This time he couldn’t hide the pain in his face, but he still had another hour to go until they would give him more pain medication.

"Thank you for what you tried to do last night. We will never be friends Mr. Simoneaux, but I do appreciate that you put yourself in danger to keep my family safe. I figure your brother didn’t throw you off our balcony because you were helping him." The admission had not come easy because it killed her to be indebted to anyone in the Simoneaux family, but this guy seemed different from the others. Harry picked up the chart at the end of his bed and looked it over before saying anything else. Mike watched as her eyebrow arched dramatically when she read something in the file. "You haven’t gone into surgery yet?"

"No, they said I had to go through a regimen of antibiotics first before they would take me." He was surprised when she fished her phone out of her coat pocket and connected with someone in the hospital.

"Yes, for tomorrow’s schedule. No, don’t bump anyone just add one to the front end, thank you." Harry snapped the phone closed and wrote some orders in the file before she addressed the man again. "I’ll do the surgery tomorrow, then we’ll be even, you and I."

"I won’t have a limp because you do it, will I?" Mike tried to sound light never figuring the woman would be so generous. No wonder you never had a chance brother.

"I promise, but don’t tempt me." Harry laughed at his attempt at humor then shook hands with him. She dropped the file off with the duty nurse who looked at it and prepared a shot of painkiller which he injected into Mike’s I.V. over an hour early. Yep, not a chance in hell Bryon. It was the last thought he had before a morphine cloud took him away.

Harry took a detour upstairs before she headed to the car, but she figured Desi wouldn’t mind her being a little late. The charge nurse behind the counter gave her a little wave as she went into one of the cubicles filled with monitors and medical equipment.

"You old fool, you should have tried and stayed out of that lunatic’s way." Harry whispered the sentiment around the lump in her throat as tears ran down her face. With a shaky hand she picked up one of Mona’s and kissed it. "You get better and come back to me, do you hear me?"

"I hear you just fine bonehead, and don’t you worry, I am not going anywhere just yet." The voice was weak but it gave Harry hope. She laughed through her tears and pointed a finger at the old woman.

"You were awake the whole time, weren’t you? I think you just wanted to see if I would cry."

"I figured if I lived long enough, it would happen. You have given me enough grief over the years, I thought it was time for you to shed some tears." Mona blinked her eyes against the light in the room and tried to make out Harry’s face. "Don’t cry my precious, I really am going to be all right."

"Thank you Mona for being there for my girl. I’m just so sorry that you got hurt." Harry put her hand on Mona’s head and couldn’t stop the river of tears now flowing. Mona was in a sense her oldest friend. She was one person in her life who had always been on her side and had always been there to turn to, no matter what the problem was.

"Harry, Desi deserved no less from me. She’s my family just like she was one of my own. Now stop all that crying and give an old woman a kiss." Harry did just that then sat with her and did all the talking. Mona just closed her eyes and listened to all that had happened after she got hurt, and the richness of Harry’s voice lulled her to sleep. With another soft kiss to Mona’s forehead, Harry left her to rest. By tomorrow Mona would be resting comfortably in a room at Mercy.

The only other request she made before going to sleep was making Harry promise to sneak Jack and all her other grandkids in to see her. As Harry made her way back to the car she smiled thinking that the staff on whatever ward Mona ended up on wouldn’t know what hit them before it was time to discharge her.

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"Are you sure you don’t want to stay here and just take it easy?"

"Honey you were the one who beat the crap out of Byron not me. I want to go with you so stop trying to talk me out of it. Do you remember when we first heard that all those guys had escaped?" Desi lay on top of Harry and waited for her partner to answer the question.

"Yeah I remember."

"What did I tell you and your parents then?" Desi ran her index finger along the middle of Harry’s forehead to smooth out the crease her thinking of the answer was causing.

"That you wouldn’t let Byron run you out of your home."

"That’s right honey, so why do you suppose I would change my mind now. I can’t say that I won’t think about what happened every so often, but the memories will always end with you coming out the winner, so I think I can live with that. Besides, you gave me that house and I don’t want to give it back. I want to grow old there with you, I want to raise Jack and whatever other children we are blessed with and I want to get back to making pots in my studio. Please don’t make us give all that up now." Desi gave Harry her best puppy dog look and hoped for the best.

They had gotten up early so they would have the chance to talk before Harry headed to the hospital to begin a long day of surgeries. Harry had given Desi the option of selling the house and looking for a new place that didn’t hold so many bad memories, but Desi felt like if they did that, Byron ended up winning.

"How about we compromise and find a place until all the repairs are made? That way if you want to redo the place it will give you the opportunity to do it without too much hassle for Jack and us. Tony will love you if you say yes." Harry lifted her head off the pillow and kissed Desi to get her to agree. If she did it would make the surprise she had all the more special.

"The thing is, do you love me?"

"Always and forever Desiree, you know that."

"Even if Tony and I spend all your money?"

"Even then. Did you forget our little talk about money already?"

"Ok, will you love me if I spend all of our money?"

"I answered that already love, so does the lure of spending money mean your answer is yes?"

"I will be home anywhere Harry as long as you are right where you are now at the end of the day and in the morning, so the answer is yes to moving temporarily and to spending money." Desi laughed as Harry rolled her over and kissed her. When she opened her eyes there was a set of keys hanging from a key chain with a globe on it. "What’s this, are you giving me the world?"

"Only a small part of it, but if I could, it would be the world and all that goes with it. Tony will be by later so that you both can go and explore, but for now kiss me and let me go to work."

"Honey, why are there so many keys on this thing?" Desi spoke loud enough so that Harry would hear her in the bathroom but hopefully not everyone else in the house. She had been holding the Tiffany key chain while Harry had been in the shower and thought there was too many for one house.

"I don’t know baby, maybe it’s because you have a lot of doors to open." Harry came out and sat on the edge of the bed to put her shoes on. She was going in to work wearing jeans and a sweater figuring she would change into scrubs at Charity. When she was done she kissed both Desi and Jack before grabbing her own keys and leaving Desi to wonder what she meant.

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"She didn’t tell you where we had to go?" Tony sat in the kitchen at Serena and Rachel’s while Desi finished her breakfast. Desi had asked him where they were going and figured she had slept through part of her conversation with Harry that morning when he didn’t know where the keys fit either.

"I thought you knew where we were going. All Harry did this morning was give me these keys before she left."

"Is that all she gave you this morning?" Tony looked at her and touched the ring of keys Desi held up.

"What did I tell you about behaving or you won’t be spending any time with Jack?" Desi pointed her fork at Tony and tried not to laugh at his near constant innuendos.

"Come on, I just figured any woman who could father a child that looks just like her is insatiable. Are you going to call her and ask what lock these fit?" Tony touched the keys still in Desi’s hand in an effort to get her to pick up the phone faster. He couldn’t believe that she wasn’t as curious as he was as to what Harry had in mind.

"She’s working Tony, I don’t like to call during surgery unless it’s an emergency and I don’t think this qualifies."

"Come on you know she’s waiting for you to call." Before he could try any more tactics to get Desi to call, the doorbell rang. Tony got up to answer it since they were the only two left in the house besides the baby.

He opened the door to an attractive young woman in a business suit and a large organizer under one arm. She smiled at him showing off white perfect teeth and the hand she held out sported a perfect manicure. "Tony?"

"I’m sorry, do I know you?" Tony asked as he shook her hand.

"No not yet, but Harry told me where to find you. And if you are here hopefully Desi Basantes is with you. May I come in?"

"Sure, Ms…?"

"Please call me Georgia."

"Nice to meet you Georgia, come on back to the kitchen, I have a feeling that you hold the secret to the keys Harry handed Desi this morning." Tony led the way through the main hall back to the kitchen. When he arrived with their guest Desi had finished eating and was beginning to give Jack his breakfast. Actually it was his second meal of the day, but he had given her an extra hour of sleep after Harry had left for work so he was due.

"Ms. Basantes it’s nice to meet you, I’m Georgia Easel a friend of Harry’s." The young woman held out her hand and Desi looked at it like she was holding a rattlesnake in it.

"Mrs."

"Excuse me?" The young woman put her organizer down on the kitchen table and wondered where she took a wrong turn after stepping into the room.

"It’s Mrs. Basantes, not Ms."

"I’m sorry, it’s nice to meet you Mrs. Basantes, I’m Georgia Easel." Tony stepped in and picked up the book the woman had put down and escorted her into the living room.

"You don’t mind giving us a few minutes, do you Georgia? We’ll be in as soon as Jackson changes sides." Georgia shook her head and made herself comfortable on one of the wingback chairs in the room. She pulled a slender phone out of her date book still shaking her head at the woman in the kitchen strange behavior.

"What in the hell was that?" Tony asked when he crossed the threshold. He was talking through his teeth so Georgia wouldn’t hear him.

"Who is that woman?" Desi had taken one look at the attractive well-dressed woman that had walked into the kitchen and felt like a cow all of a sudden.

"We may never find out now darling, after the reception she got when she came in here. What’s the matter Desi?"

"Look at her Tony, she’s beautiful." Tony wanted to laugh but the trembling lip made him stop.

"Honey so are you. She said she’s a friend of Harry’s, not that she wanted to sleep with Harry. You need to get a grip on reality here." The phone rang and Tony moved to answer it.

"Hey Tony, is the love of my life around?"

"Hang on, I think you are just the person she needs to talk to." Tony handed Desi the phone and left the room to check on Georgia.

"Hi beautiful, did you get my surprise yet?"

"Should I apologize now or later?" Desi bit her bottom lip wondering how good a friend Harry and Georgia were, and how mad Harry was going to get when the woman told on her.

"For what baby?"

"I wasn’t on my best behavior when she came in, that’s all I’m willing to admit to right at the moment."

"Baby, the woman is a real estate agent. Georgia is the person that found your house and she’s there to help you find the locks those keys I gave you fit. Now stop biting your lip, finish feeding Jack and go get ready. You have a full morning ahead of you. I love you, but I got a man I got to see about some steel rods."

"I love you too honey, and I’m sorry."

"Come on Desi, you’ve been through an ordeal the last couple of weeks. It’s time you cut yourself some slack. Kiss Jack for me, I have got to go."

"Bye honey." Desi finished feeding Jack and was ready to face Georgia again an hour later. The woman accepted her apology with a genuine smile, but wouldn’t give either of them a hint as to where they were going.

They drove down St. Charles in the direction of Desi and Harry’s house, so both she and Tony figured they were going to survey the damage before they went anywhere else. When the house came into view they could see that Stephen and crew were still up on the roof working and there were a couple of police cars parked in the driveway, but they didn’t pull in. Georgia pulled into the drive next door.

The house was just one story and had an impressive yard. Desi could see the roof of her studio over the solid brick fence that surrounded their property from where she got out of the car. Tony was carrying Jack and Georgia pointed them toward the house.

"Desi you might want to use the gold key on that ring on the front door locks." Desi pulled the key ring out and unlocked the front door of the empty house, and their footsteps sounded loud on the hardwood floors when they all stepped in. "Welcome to your temporary home Desi. I have strict instructions to find something else if you don’t like it, but Harry thought you might want to be close by to supervise the renovations next door."

Desi didn’t say anything as she walked through the brightly lit house. The large windows throughout the back of the house overlooked the gardens in the back, which at the center had a beautiful large pond. The cold weather had killed most of the vegetation, but she and Tony could imagine what it would look like in the spring. "We can live here until the house is finished?"

"Do you like it?" Georgia opened the organizer to a specific page and waited for Desi’s answer.

"I love it. This will be perfect for us to live, and you’re right, I can just walk next door to work." As soon as Desi had given her answer Georgia called the homeowners and told them it was a done deal. "Harry bought this place? I thought this was a temporary arrangement?"

"You have to ask your partner that one. Until we meet up with her to finalize all the paperwork, can I ask how you managed to carbon copy Harry?" Desi laughed and followed the woman back to the car. Driving away from the uptown area, Georgia took them to Royal Street in the French Quarter. Desi had spent countless hours in the antique shops and art galleries with Harry on the weekends, but couldn’t figure out why they were there now.

Georgia pulled up to a reserved parking space in front of a empty building. The space looked like it hadn’t been utilized in a while, but the architecture of the old space was beautiful to both Desi and Tony. The front windows were painted to hide what was inside, but the one thing that caught both their attention was the sign hanging from the overhang in the front.

It wasn’t a permanent sign. Actually it was a piece of cardboard that someone had written on with a wide marker on and hung it up with string, but to Desi it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. ‘IT’S YOURS JUST LIKE ME’ was all it said, written in the big bold print Harry was known for since no one outside the hospital could read her handwriting. She signed it ‘love Harry’ and that’s what got Desi crying.

"She loves you so much Mrs. Basantes, I hope you like it. We looked at so many properties before she decided this might be the place you would be interested in, but I promised not to give you a hint as to why. Just try the silver square headed key and see if you can figure it out." Georgia took the baby from Tony and waved him to go with his friend with a nod of her head. "Come on beautiful boy, let’s go see your mama be happy."

The inside was all exposed brick walls, wide cypress plank wood floors and pillars every twenty feet to hold up the roof and loft offices. There was paper piled up everywhere and there must have been a foot of dust on everything in sight, but Desi didn’t see any of that because her eyes where glued to the back corner of the room.

"What was this before?" asked Desi.

"It’s the weirdest thing, it’s been a general store, a furniture store and an Oriental rug shop."

"What’s weird about that?" Tony asked as he was already running through decorating themes in his head.

"No one could explain that." Georgia pointed to where Desi was still staring. "No one claims to have put it up, but none of the tenants ever took it down." It was a swing, almost the twin to the one they had hung on the balcony at home and this one looked like the condition that one had been in when Harry had brought it home. After four weekends of scraping, stripping and refurbishing Harry had gotten it as close to its original state as it was going to get. She had first romanced Desi on the one they owned, locking away memories Desi loved to relive.

"Look Des, there’s something on it." Tony pointed to the swing at the back of the space after Georgia had shown him where the main power switch was.

Desi made sure that Jack was all right before she walked to the back of the gallery. On the seat of the swing was sitting a large checkbook with a letter on top. The envelope, that she knew with out looking had both their initials on the flap, just had the words ‘My Love’ written across the front, which Desi traced with her finger before she turned it over and opened it. She pulled out the letter, sat on the swing and set herself in motion to read it.

Desi,

I know it’s a little dirty and it needs a little work (that’s what the checkbook is for), but I saw this place and it was as close to perfect as I was going to find. The seat you are swinging on now was the clincher for me, sort of like fate or destiny.

People come to me and expect me to fix what ails them, and every so often I am able to pull a rabbit out of my hat of tricks, but there was only one cure for what ailed me for the longest time and that was you. You complete the person that I am, and no material thing I could ever buy you, could repay you for that. My wish is that you fix this place so that it becomes a reflection of who you are, a place that will give wings to the dreams you have inside. Whatever it looks like in the end, I’m sure that it will pale in comparison to the beauty you have both inside and out.

Have fun always, and always know that whatever you try in life, no matter how scary, look right behind you and there you will always find me. Thank you baby for what you have brought into my life, I love you with all that I am and that will be the one constant in my life.

The name of the place I will leave up to you, just as long as it’s not Tony’s Place so tell him to forget it. Now get busy, there are some people in the front who want to meet you. Oh, one more thing, happy birthday my love.

H.

Desi wiped her face but was still having trouble seeing past the tears in her eyes. With the letter clutched to her chest with one hand she accepted the tissue Stephen was holding out for her with the other. "Thanks."

"You’re welcome. Could you tell the good doctor that less dust next time would be better for my allergies?"

"Hey, aren’t you supposed to be fixing my roof?"

"I’ll be fixing your roof, remodeling your house, bringing this place back to life as well as a couple of other projects Harry has lined up for me. By the end she’ll accuse us of having an affair we’ll be spending so much time together."

"Not a chance buddy."

"Can’t blame a guy for trying." Stephen laughed as Desi folded her letter and tucked it into the book Harry had left for her. The two talked as they walked back to the front so that Desi could sign some papers Georgia had ready for her.

"Will the landlord mind if we make extensive renovations?" Desi asked Georgia as the other woman pointed out places for her to sign.

"I don’t know, will you?"

"Will I what?"

"Mind making extensive renovations?" Georgia smiled waiting for her statement to sink in.

"I’m the landlord?"

"Only technically if you rent to someone else, in our business you are called the owner. Well, you will be called the owner as soon as you crack open that checkbook and write me a check. I believe Harry filled it out for you, but it needs your signature to make it valid." Georgia pointed to the large binder under Desi’s arm. The bank called a couple of days later to verify the signature since Desi’s hand was shaking so badly, but Georgia handed her the title as soon as she had signed granting her ownership of the building and the swing.

They spent the rest of the morning going over just the basics of what had to be done on both places before June and Bobbie stopped by to pick up Jack for a four-hour baby-sitting job. Harry’s parents had wanted to take them all out to dinner as a celebration, but understood when Harry had told them her plans for the night.

Desi dropped her parents off at their hotel with Jack and all his stuff before heading to the hospital to pick up Harry. She slid over to the passenger side when she saw Harry coming out the emergency room entrance. Her partner had changed back into the jeans and sweater she had left with that morning, adding only one thing to her outfit. In one hand she carried a long stemmed pink rose, the shade that was Desi’s favorite.

Harry hadn’t gotten her door all the way closed when Desi launched herself across the seat and kissed her until Harry’s lungs were burning. "Gosh if this is how you react when I buy tons of real estate, we may have to go apartment hunting tomorrow."

"Doc have I ever told you, you are the most romantic person in the world?" Desi asked the question as she ran her index finger along Harry’s bottom lip. It wasn’t six weeks yet, but she didn’t care if she ruptured something, Harry was getting lucky tonight.

"I believe no, you have not told me that before, but hold that thought, you may change your mind." Desi frowned not wanting to do anything not fun before they had to go and pick up Jack.

Harry drove them to the new house they had purchased that morning and walked Desi to the front door. After Desi had unlocked it Harry swept her up into her arms and carried her across the threshold. She indicated for Desi to lock it from the inside before they ventured further into the house. In the master bedroom there was a mattress on the floor covered in pink rose petals, an iced bottle of apple cider next to it and dozens of burning candles sprinkled throughout the room.

"You expected me to change my mind?" asked Desi going back to their conversation in the car.

"I was shooting for universe, but if the world is as good as I’m going to get, I’ll have to settle." Harry let her down slowly until Desi was standing on her feet again. She pulled off the leather jacket Desi had on slowly and dropped it to the ground. Harry stood behind her and ran just her fingertips up Desi’s arms in a slow soft touch that left goose bumps in their path. "I want so badly to touch you."

"Yes." It was an answer as well as a plea from Desi. Harry moved her hands from her arms to her stomach, sliding them up just as slow until they cupped breasts that were full and heavy to the touch even though Desi had just fed Jack. When she gently pinched the nipples that had become erect, Desi fell back against her. "Please Harry, touch me."

It seemed like it had been years since they had been together but Harry wanted it to last so she undressed Desi with gentle unhurried movements. For every piece of clothing she would take off her partner, Harry would remove one of her own until she got to her pants. When Harry reached to undo her own belt, a naked Desi turned around and pushed her hands away. "No let me baby." The tone of her voice and the sureness of her hands told Harry what Desi wanted.

Desi followed the pants and underwear to the floor until they pooled at Harry’s feet. She didn’t want to wait any more so she pushed Harry back until she landed flat on her back on the mattress. The force of her landing made the rose petals fly up momentarily making Harry laugh as Desi unlaced her shoes. The laughter ended abruptly when Desi buried her head between Harry’s legs and sucked in a very alert part of Harry’s body without warning.

"Oh my god." You can lie to yourself and say you can do without the touch of the person you love when it isn’t possible for them to provide it, but it doesn’t mean you don’t miss it. In that first touch Harry knew how much she had craved it. With long steady strokes of her tongue, Desi was driving her crazy. When she added her fingers into the mix, Desi held on to one of Harry’s ankles for the ride of a lifetime. She could feel the orgasm start as the warm walls surrounding her fingers tightened their hold and Harry was beyond words. At the end Harry just grabbed a fistful of short blonde hair and held Desi in place.

As ripples of excitement were still coursing through her body Harry flipped Desi onto her back and pinned her to the bed. When she pressed her lips to Desi’s mouth she could taste herself there and it only drove her to want to do the same to her partner. "Please baby now." Desi wanted Harry to touch her but she felt so good stretched out over her like she was. She could feel the hours Harry had spent in the gym trying to pass weeks of time where she couldn’t be doing this in the muscles rippling through her back and butt. Desi kept her hands on Harry’s body as it moved further south on the mattress then let out a small moan when Harry had found her mark.

"I want you to go inside lover." Harry’s tongue felt great but it was time to feel all of what she wanted. Desi was climbing to the place Harry had just been, and the doctor only pushed her up higher when she took the hard nub and sucked it into her mouth as far as it would go before stopping.

"Are you sure?"

"Harry honey, this isn’t a really good time for me to stop and have a conversation with you. You’ll just have to trust me on this one, and do whatever I tell you to. Do that, and you won’t get hurt." Harry went back to where she was before she stopped slowly running her finger around the slick opening that was trying to do some sucking in of its own. "Please don’t tease me Harry, I’ve waited long enough."

Harry went slow, controlling the pace no matter how much Desi wanted to speed them up. Desi was still healing, so Harry kept her touch slow and gentle while her tongue and lips were anything but. It was the combination of the two that drove her to come with such force that it reduced her to tears. Harry always worried when that happened, but Desi assured her they were just an overload of emotions, good emotions.

Being careful, Harry crawled back up to Desi and gathered her up into a hug. "I love you baby."

"Even after the last couple of days we’ve been through, I am so happy. Having you love me does that for me, my goal is to love you a little more every day."

"I can’t ask for anything more than that."

"Nothing?"

"Just one thing." Harry picked up one hand and held a finger in the air.

"What?"

"I want you to name a bowl after me." Desi laughed so hard that it started her tears over again. It was one of the best things about being Harry’s lover. She could take you from mind numbing orgasms to laughing over stupid things in a matter of minutes. In all their time together, Desi had always looked forward to this part of their relationship. The special part that made them unique, that was theirs alone not even shared with friends. Here she got to know a Harry that no one else saw, it made Desi feel special in that, it was a part of her partner belonging only to her.

"Is that all you want?" Desi sat up and straddled Harry leaning back on her upraised legs trying to give her other ideas that did not involve bowls.

"I don’t know, something is starting to come to me." Harry ran her hands up Desi’s legs until they came to rest on her hips. Desi looked down into smoky blue eyes before putting her own hands under her breasts.

"They sure do miss you."

"Are you sure?"

"Harry, I know you’ve been dying to try, so go for it." Desi felt the abdominal muscles she was sitting on tighten as Harry folded her body into a sitting position to accept Desi’s invitation. "Well?" She asked after Harry had brought her nipples to rock hard attention.

"My boy’s got good taste. It reminds me of the sauce they pour over the white chocolate bread pudding at the Palace Café." Desi smiled at the analogy knowing that in a few years Harry would introduce Jack to plate licking after dessert just like she had with Serena’s son Butch.

"I’d like to think I have good taste as well honey, and I’m in the mood for something other than bread pudding."

"Really, do tell?" Harry gave the left nipple a soft bite before lying back down. Desi didn’t verbally answer as she positioned Harry’s hand under her. She got on her knees for a moment so when she slid down, Harry had filled her up.

"Move your thumb over a bit honey."

"With pleasure my love."

"You have no idea." Desi bit her bottom lip as Harry positioned her fingers just right making her want to move. Harry held her other hand up and Desi entwined their fingers, leaned forward and continued the slow torturous rocking of her hips. She wanted to enjoy the exquisite feeling while she could, even though in the end Desi knew she never could hold out.

The position allowed Desi the freedom to move at the pace she chose, but feeling Harry in her and under her always drove her to a frenzied pace at the end. The end that was coming way too soon, but still felt just as good.

"Harry do you have any clue how good you are at that?" Desi had been lowered slowly back onto Harry’s chest by big comforting hands, and it had taken her a while to get her breathing back to normal.

Harry kissed Desi’s damp forehead and pulled the blanket over both of them. The candles were putting out a good amount of heat but she didn’t want to take the chance Desi would get sick. "I’m glad you think so baby."

"What happens now honey?" Desi’s head was propped up on her laced fingers so she could look into Harry’s eyes while she talked to her.

"We move in here for as long as the house takes, you and Tony work on the gallery and we go back to that living happily ever after thing we had going."

"Are you happy honey?"

"Yes, I am. I was thinking about that as I was pounding on Byron." Desi laughed and arched her eyebrows up after what Harry had said. Thinking about happiness and breaking someone’s bones didn’t make sense to her.

"What were you thinking about during all that lover?"

"I’m confident that you don’t think I’m a violent person unless my family is in danger." Desi nodded her head in agreement so Harry would continue. "The thought of how wonderful you are to me and how happy you make me, made me want to hurt him for making you so miserable. It would have killed me if you had found what we share with someone else, but my head would have known you were happy."

"But not your heart." Desi tapped the chest below her.

"That’s right, not my heart. Byron, had he really loved you, would have let you go to find your happiness. That’s what I try to do and it makes me happy in return. I want a life with you where we are both free to grow and continue to do the things we love to do. That way, when we blend those together it will always provide a firm foundation to whatever life we build together."

Desi kissed Harry’s chest over her heart not needing to add anything else. It wouldn’t matter what happened with Byron, the house or anything else, she had Harry and that balanced the scales.

Part 9

The resident could feel it. If she kept looking at him, he was going to break out into a sweat. His contemporaries were praying silently that Bruce would come up with the answer to Harry’s question before the blue fierce stare was turned on them. They were standing around an unconscious Diana and while reviewing her file, Harry had asked some obscure question that had nothing to do with the patient’s case.

"Dr. Butcher, do you know the answer, or are you waiting for Ms. Lagrie to wake up and whisper it into your ear?" Harry started writing in the chart not looking up to see the first beads of moisture appear on Bruce’s lip.

"I don’t know the answer, Dr. Basantes, I’m sorry." The groan from the other five was audible in the quiet room.

"Care to try another one?" Harry read over her orders concerning Diana’s care before initialing the bottom of the page. When she looked up again she could almost sense that the others wanted to take a step away from Bruce so there would be no chance of them getting caught in the crossfire.

"Do I have a choice?"

"No, doctor, you don’t."

"Then please, ask away, doctor." The kid’s got moxy, I give him that, too bad he doesn’t read enough. Harry tried to tame down the smile that wanted to escape after the young man’s answer.

"Why does a person with the last name of Butcher, want to become an orthopedic surgeon?" If Harry hadn’t cocked her head to the side as a genuine sign she wanted to know, Bruce would have laughed.

"My father thought it would make me memorable."

"He’s right, so my one piece of advice to you doctor is that you always try and be prepared to answer questions. Juries in New Orleans love to bring in large settlements." It was Bruce’s turn to cock his head, only he did it as a sign he didn’t understand her comment. "With a name like Butcher, the plaintiff will be half way home before the trial begins." On a prescription pad Harry wrote the mane of the book and chapter where Bruce would find the answer to her question. Another resident brought his hand up trying to hide his smile over their exchange. "Since you find so much humor in this Dr. Shaw, perhaps you know the answer?"

"Ah, no, ma’am, I don’t." Residents on other rotations knew why the Basantes students never showed emotion unless they were out of the hospital. Harry reminded them of a large shark that stirred not with the scent of blood, but with the scent of fear. And the only reason to fear her was if you didn’t know the answer to her questions.

"What do you know, Dr. Shaw?"

"That our patients is awake," the resident left the statement hanging almost like a question so that Harry would turn around. He had never felt like kissing someone so much in his life, like he did Diana Lagrie at this very moment.

"Welcome back, Diana, try not to move around too much until you’ve had some more time to heal. How do you feel?" Harry leaned over the bed a little and took the woman’s hand to comfort her. The searching brown eyes scanned the room looking for the one person that had been on her mind since she had been wheeled into surgery.

"Thirsty." Her voice sounded raspy from under use.

"How about you guys go find Ms. Lagrie some juice?" Harry hoped her students got the message, leaving her alone with Diana. The last thing she wanted was Diana’s pain, and her personal life being new fodder for hospital gossip.

Dianna watched all the young people in white lab coats file out of the room before looking at Harry. "He’s back in, isn’t he?"

"Yes, but listen to what I have to say before you get upset. Tyrell traded his freedom to save my family, Diana, and if it takes me calling in every favor owed me, I will get him out. Your brother is an honorable man and there is nothing that I can do to repay him for what he’s done for me. Working to see that he gets justice is where I intend to start." Harry told Diana what had occurred in the three days she had been in a medicated sleep. The drug induced coma had been to keep Diana comfortable and still as her body started the process of trying to mend itself.

"I’ve been asleep for three days?"

"Yes, but you were that way on purpose, not because there was something wrong. Now that the surgery is over we begin the rebuilding phase, which should leave you stronger and pain free. Is there anything I can get you?" Harry squeezed Diana’s hand and smiled. The surgeon was going to stop by as much as possible to sit with Diana as she convalesced so she wouldn’t feel so alone.

"No, I’m ok."

"You certainly will be, I promise you."

Harry’s cell phone buzzed in her pocket as she stood at the nurse’s station writing orders. "Basantes."

"I’m not bothering you, am I?" Desi adjusted Jack to a more comfortable position as he ate breakfast, wishing she could drive to the hospital and see what was wrong with Harry. She could tell that there was something wrong just by the way Harry had answered the phone.

"Never."

"What’s wrong, honey?" Desi looked down at her miniature version of Harry as he paused a moment as if taking a break.

"Nothing a long vacation couldn’t cure, or a loaded shotgun if someone would be so kind as to draw targets on my residents for me." The nurse on the other side of the counter smiled at Harry’s comment. The one thing Harry’s students did leave her rotation knowing, was how to treat the nursing staff.

"If you want, come home and I’ll kiss it and make it better."

"Tempting as that offer is, I can’t. We have to finish rounds and then head into some afternoon surgeries. What do you have on tap for today?" The nurse took the few charts Harry handed over, sighing as the tall woman moved toward the elevators. I wonder what it would be like to spend the night with a woman like that? The nurse mulled over the question and turned her attention back to what she had been doing. I’m sure my husband wouldn’t mind.

"Stephen and crew should be at the house finishing up with the roof repairs, so I’ll check on that while Tony helps me with the movers who are due late this morning. Stephen said whenever we have time, he’d like to sit and discuss the changes to the house since he wants to start that before we tackle the studio." Jack looked annoyed when the soft finger running along his brow woke him up. "You can’t go to sleep in that position, son, trust me your mother has tried it on more than one occasion." The ‘pop’ breaking the suction let Harry know what Desi was talking about.

"You have to give him points for trying, baby. All I get, is my hair pulled."

"You’ll get your hair pulled for a whole lot more than that if you don’t behave. Your son on the other hand will get to go and take his morning siesta. As much of a hassle as moving for only a couple of months is going to be, I’m looking forward to it going back to just being us. I’m sure Rachel is getting tired of having us around all the time. Though we might have to take Butch home with us."

"If you want, we can stay in the house, sweetheart. You don’t need any more hassles than we’ve had lately. I can live with sawdust." The seven of them rode to the ground floor together, and the residents couldn’t help but listen in as Harry spoke in a soft compassionate voice. Dr. Butcher looked at the idly spinning fan in the ceiling of the elevator, slowed from years of dust accumulation, and wondered if he had blonde hair and green eyes if Harry would like him better. Ms. Clairol and colored contacts are sounding better and better.

"No, I’m just whining. I just feel bad this is costing so much, but I don’t want Jack around that all day. I miss you, so get back to work. The sooner you finish, the sooner I get you back." Desi was already thinking of getting reacquainted with Harry in the new master bedroom.

"Bye, love you." Slipping the phone back in her pocket, Harry led her ducklings toward the back of the hospital. Their next stop was in the prison building where Mike was being kept after his surgery.

The burly male nurse handed over Mike’s chart and gave the group a run down on the man’s vitals. "He’s been resting comfortably and started a semi-solid diet this morning. So far, no nausea and his fluid consumption and expulsion are good."

"Dr. Butcher, go check on our good work and let me know what you think." The younger doctor had assisted her and seemed to perk up at the opportunity to take over rounds for Harry. She watched them go, laughing at the fact Mike was about to get the most extensive examination of his life.

"Do you have any idea, how much I hate you?" The wound in his abdomen kept the volume of his voice low, but Harry still recognized it. She turned around and looked at him, this being the first time Harry could study him without there being an physical altercation involved. The cuff encircling his wrist would guarantee that.

"You’re wrong, I can imagine how much that would be. I have everything you think you want, and it’s just eating away at you isn’t it?" Harry walked over and sat in the chair near the bed. The others in the room were so focused on Mike; they were oblivious to the low conversation.

"What you stole from me, don’t you mean? Desi and that baby belong to me." Bryon’s eyes looked dull from the pain and their color reminded Harry of muddy water.

"Mr. Simoneaux, let me explain something to you so ever your simple little pea brain will understand. Desi isn’t a pack of pork chops you can buy. She is a smart woman with a life and a mind of her own that doesn’t belong to anyone, especially you. On top of that, our son has nothing to do with you. He is a Basantes, just like his mother." Harry folded her hands across her chest to quash the urge to hit this man more than she had the night she had found him in their bedroom.

"The little bitch can change her name and her looks, but she will always carry my scent on her. There ain’t nothing you can do about that, dyke. This is only a temporary set back." Byron lifted his hand and jingled the cuff to let Harry see what he meant. "I will be back to get what’s mine, and nothing will make me happier than to gut you like a fish."

"That’s rich, Simoneaux. The way I see it, you and the two missing links you call family would still be wandering around in the muck if it hadn’t been for Tyrell, so get used to those prison whites. If by some miracle you do get out, your fingers, broken arm, nutria itch and abdomen will be some of your fondest memories of this whole experience.

I didn’t kill you because you were standing in the room I share with my wife. You were in her house and I wasn’t going to make her move away from a place she loves because of your scent, as you so fondly call it. To me it’s more of a stench that Desi gladly washed off her the first chance she got. It’s time you wake up to your reality, Mr. Simoneaux. Maybe you will find it as amusing as the rest of us do." The residents and the nurse standing with them wanted to applaud what Harry had said. They all loved Desi and didn’t care for anyone talking about her that way.

"You don’t scare me, bitch." Byron leaned toward her as much as his confinement would allow. His time would come, he was sure of it, and the next time he would hurt this woman that Desi loved. He would take Harry away from his ex-wife just like she had taken his life away from him.

"I don’t mean to scare you, what I want to tell you is that if you ever speak of my wife in a disrespectful way again in my presence, I will forget my oath to take care of the sick and do no harm. What I will do is break you in half and deal with the consequences later. No one is going to miss your sorry carcass sir, just like no one but your brother is crying over the fact your father is dead."

What bothered him the most about Harry was the tone she spoke to him in. Byron had been trying to get a rise out of her since she had walked into the ward, but the cool façade stayed in place no matter what pictures of him and Desi he painted for her. What did she just say about daddy?

"He gets the last laugh because he still out there, nothing happened to him." He wanted to sound as sure as he could, but there was no doubt in her eyes. Harry wasn’t kidding with him telling him something just to hurt him. It was just the truth.

"No, Mr. Simoneaux, he attacked some police officers and they, unlike your mother, hit back. Only a 9mm weapon carries a bit more of a punch than your father did. I’m sorry for your loss, and I’m sorry you let him loose on innocent people. The best ending to this whole thing, will be for that couple to get back to as close to normal as they can." Harry got up and left, suddenly feeling the urge to go out and get some fresh air.

When Harry left her students filled the space she had occupied. They finished with Mike and walked over and surrounded his older brother’s bed. The guard on duty went back to the magazine he was reading figuring it was just time for Byron’s checkup. Trying to sound as intimidating as his boss, Bruce took the splintered fingers in his hand and introduced himself. "Good morning, Mr. Simoneaux, my name is Dr. Butcher. Why don’t you let me take a look at these for you." The slight squeeze got him the desired response. "Still sore, are they?"

"Oww, watch it stupid."

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"You hurt me and you will have Dr. Basantes to deal with."

"Sorry, ma’am, we didn’t notice the small bump on the walkway." The service Harry had hired to bring Mona home had been entertained by the older woman all the way to the new house. Harry had given her the choice of recovering in her new room or at Mercy hospital.

"What do you think, bonehead? I have had enough of this lying around here. If it ain’t going to kill me, I want to go home and help Desi get the house set up."

"Let’s get something straight before we leave this room, young lady. Either you relax at Mercy, or you do it at home. There will be no getting anything ready, so don’t even think to argue with me. You get a nurse and a nice view of the yard, and you have to do everything the nurse tells you. Promise me you’ll listen?" Harry stood by the bed with her arms crossed looking very much like the person the residents were used to dealing with.

"I’ve been alive.." Mona started before Desi slipped her hand over the woman’s mouth.

"She promises," Desi answered for Mona. The fact Mona was recovering rapidly was comforting to Desi, but she still had some weeks of rest to get back on her feet after the attack by Bryon and the surgery to fix it.

"One wrong move, Mona, and back to the hospital you go." Harry still hadn’t changed her posture, and still wasn’t smiling.

"I said, I promise."

"No, Desi said it, not you."

"The things we do for love."

"I’m sorry, ma’am, did you say something?" The paramedic followed Desi through the house to a bright room that had all Mona’s things in it. Mona’s daughter was busy putting things in drawers and out of boxes when they arrived.

"No I didn’t say anything, I’m just glad to be home." Mona looked around the neat room appreciating the fact that her daughter and Desi had taken the time to set it up first. "Where are my grand babies?"

"Momma, you better get in that bed and not say another word. The first move you make to pick up anybody smaller than you, Harry will have you back in the hospital so fast, you won’t know what hit you." Sherry, Mona’s daughter, said with her hands on her hips. She and her siblings weren’t thrilled that Mona was home so soon, but it was easier than listening to the older woman complain about her confinement.

"Uh huh, where’s Jack?" Mona asked looking at Desi.

"You are one stubborn old goat, woman. Get into bed and I’ll go see if he’s awake yet. Oh, and Harry has a surprise for you," said Desi. The laughter coming from both Desi and Sherry worried Mona, especially if Harry was involved.

Mona was expecting Desi and the baby, so a completely pink attired Tony was a definite surprise. He was carrying a tray with a light lunch on it for his patient, and Moan was trying to figure out what the tune he was whistling was. She noticed that even the rose bud in the small crystal vase on the tray matched his outfit.

"Fabulous news, honey. Harry said I could be your private nurse during the day while you are recovering, and I’m over here helping Desi. If there is anything you need, you just ask me."

"Oh my God, I know the day would come when Harry would take revenge on a poor old woman for all the things I’ve called her over the years. Desi, you have to call her and take up for me." Mona kidded with the returning young mother. Joking because she knew Tony really was a registered nurse more than capable of taking care of her.

"Nope, you get a private nurse, and two doctors who make house calls so sit back and get better. Now quit complaining and say hi to the most handsome boy in New Orleans." Desi had Jack dressed in his new set of scrubs his grandfather had bought him, since he had outgrown his first set.

Tony put his hands on his hips, and in the most indignant voice he could muster asked her, "I thought I was the most handsome boy in New Orleans?" They all laughed at Tony’s statement getting Jack to smile as well.

"No way, look at that smile," said Desi holding the baby up.

"She’s right, Tony, so suck it up." Bobbie walked in carrying Harry’s medical bag. The only way Harry had agreed to let Mona out so quickly after her surgery was because Bobbie had volunteered to do regular checkups during the day. Mona was a little out of her specialty, but Bobbie didn’t mind helping while Harry was at work. June and Maria spent the day baby-sitting while Desi worked on the various projects they had going on. Both sets of grandparents were staying on for a few more weeks spending their nights at the house next door in the bedrooms that weren’t undergoing renovations.

It was almost nine by the time Harry pulled up to their new temporary home, exhausted from the day at Charity. The conversation she had had earlier with Byron kept playing itself over in her mind, making her dark mood that much worse. It just irked her that she had been without Desi all those years because Clyde had found that asshole at the hospital more acceptable. "Clyde, I hope there is a seventh level of hell you bastard, and you are up to your tonsils in pig shit as you enjoy it."

Harry looked over the fence and saw that there was now scaffolding set up around their house that was going to be used by Stephan’s crew for repairs and the painting crew afterward. She smiled thinking of all the times she had kidded Desi about making her paint the house. The new white paint with black trim Desi and Tony had picked out was going to give the old place a new look, or so they promised. So far it was the only thing the two had agreed on. Harry was just glad she was brought in only when it seemed like the two were going to start singing rumble songs from "Westside Story" and the switch blades came out.

"Don’t tell me you hate it already?"

"Just as long as it’s not pink. What are you doing out here, it’s cold?" Harry opened her coat and pulled Desi close to her to keep her warm.

"I could ask the same thing, lover, what are you doing out here in the cold when there’s a warm, mostly unpacked house, waiting for you?"

"God you smell good."

"Don’t change the subject, what’s wrong?" Desi looked up at the tired face and the rumpled scrubs and didn’t push. "Never mind, don’t answer that. Come with me, Dr. Basantes."

Desi had a warm bath waiting for her along with a cold diet Coke, one of Harry’s favorite beverages. During the week the surgeon seldom drank because of those late night calls that took her out of bed and to the hospital. Harry sat back in the water as her partner fed her dinner. After she was finished her dinner and bath, Harry went to check on Mona.

"You are the first doctor that makes house calls in a nice robe."

"Don’t tell Desi, but I strip naked once I leave the house and do my rounds in just my lab coat." Harry teased Mona as she checked her incision and vitals. "You look better than I do, sweetheart."

"It’s a wonder more people don’t throw themselves in front of cars just to get a look at you like that," said Desi. Jack had his eyes open when she looked in his bassinet, so they had both gone in search of Harry.

"You weren’t supposed to hear that." Harry tapped Desi on the nose before taking Jack from her. "You, old woman, get some sleep and I’ll be in later to see if you need anything."

"Don’t wake me up to take my temperature, or any other silly nonsense," Mona warned. Harry waved Jack’s small hand at her and stepped out of the room.

"Can you take care of Jack while I get ready for bed?" Desi wrapped an arm around Harry’s waist and dropped her head on her chest. Despite all that had happened, it was nice to get a taste of what life was going to be like when it was just the four of them.

"Sure, did they bring the rocker over?" They had found it on one of their weekends in the French Quarter. The chair was big enough to accommodate Harry’s long legs and with a foot stool Desi loved it just as much. Before Jack’s arrival, Harry spent some afternoons rocking Desi to sleep for her nap.

"I wouldn’t do that to you, honey, it’s in the den."

Harry sat and looked at their son. His hair had started to curl at the ends, and his eyes had gotten a paler green than his mother’s. Jack was also starting to coo more, and discover more of the world around him. They both took turns reading to him, enjoying the way he seemed to be concentrating on the sound of their voices. Harry laughed as she studied the footed pajamas Desi had dressed him in. The light blue fleece had hula girls all over it and Harry wondered where her partner had found it. "We won’t get to torment you in front of your dates if you continue to wear cool stuff like this."

Jack looked at Harry and waved his hand in the air in front of her nose. "Ca."

"Yeah, buddy, cool. How about a story?" Harry pulled him closer so he could touch her face, enjoying their time together.

"Ca."

"I’ll take that as a yes. Once upon a time there was a beautiful girl." Harry took his hand and kissed the small fingers. "You know, buddy, I don’t really care who you fall in love with, as long as they are good to you, but let me tell you, watch out for those pretty girls with blonde hair and green eyes. I wasn’t much older than you are when I met mine and my life was forever changed."

"Ca."

"Tell me about it. I did all the things I thought were old fashioned, you know what I mean?"

"Ahi."

"Yeah, you got it. Stuff like, I carried her books home from school and got all tongue-tied when she batted those pretty eyes at me. Know what? All these years later, she still can do that to me. Don’t tell her, but there isn’t anything in this world, short of leaving the two of you, that I wouldn’t do for her. You’ll see, buddy, your mommy will make you so happy. She’ll do things and get you things to let you know how special you are. She gave me you, and you have been the best present I ever got. How’d you like that story?" The baby was sleeping and Harry almost dropped him because of the unexpected answer.

"I loved it, almost as much as I love you." Desi picked Jack up and laid him on his activity blanket by the fire. He was too young to enjoy it, but the thick colorful blanket had served as his bed that afternoon as the movers set up the bedroom. When Desi was sure he wasn’t going to cry, she moved back to Harry and sat on her lap. "Want to tell me a story?"

"What fairytale do you want to hear, little girl?" Harry pulled Desi closer and kissed her softly on the lips. Her bad mood that Byron had brought on that morning was starting to melt under Desi’s tender care.

"I live a fairytale, honey, you don’t have to spin any tales for me. What’s got you in such a bad mood tonight?" The cut on Harry’s brow had healed nicely and all that was left was a small bump and scar that went through the brow. Desi liked to run her fingers over it to remind her of the false alarm that with time had turned out to be Jack.

"During rounds today I took the brood over to the prison infirmary to check on Mike, and I had a talk with Byron." Harry held Desi in place when she tried to move off her lap. The one thing Harry hoped for was the resolution to all of it and soon. "I didn’t tell you that so you would blame yourself because I’m in a bad mood, I told you because I don’t want there to be secrets between us. Why do want to go?"

"It’s embarrassing that my past keeps haunting us like this. I can only imagine what he told you today. You forget that I am familiar with Byron’s tactics on how to worm into your brain to get a rise out of a person. Hell, he perfected his technique on me." Desi was almost angry with herself because of the tears running down her face. It was time to be stronger as proof she belonged in Harry’s life.

"Can I ask you something? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to." Putting two fingers under Desi’s chin, Harry gently lifted her head up so that she could look directly into Desi’s eyes.

"You know that you don’t have to preface your questions to me with that. There isn’t anything you can’t ask me, Harry."

"If you had had a choice way back when, would you have married Byron?"

"At the expense of breaking your heart you mean?"

"Forget about me for a minute. If it had been your choice, free and clear, would you have married him?"

"No, you know that. I thought you understood why I did what I did. I loved you more than anything when I was barely eighteen honey, and it wasn’t because you were my way out of that house. It’s just that I was stronger than Rachel was, and I couldn’t just leave her there. For the longest time I wanted you to just come driving up in that small car of yours and take me away from the nightmare that had become my life. Once daddy found out what my preferences were, that’s what my life became, a nightmare that you just don’t wake up from. If I had known about my mother and Bobbie it would have all made sense to me, but I didn’t, and you didn’t come back."

"But I did come back. You weren’t the only one that didn’t understand what happened baby. It’s important to me that you know I tried. The fact that I didn’t try hard enough is plainly evident now, but I did keep coming back until I knew you had gotten married. I figured I owed you the chance to be happy if that’s what you wanted." It was Desi’s turn to lift Harry’s face so she could look into the eyes that had haunted her dreams for years. She always wondered if she would have just jumped into Harry’s car if she had shown up after getting a taste of life with just her father and Rachel.

"He told me you did."

"What? Who told you I came back?" Harry couldn’t believe that it had been Byron, unless he had used it to torment Desi more than he already had.

"Daddy, he told me about that talk you two had on the swing outside the house. He told me that you were happy in school and had just come by to say hi. Later when he was working on getting me married off to Byron, he told me he had seen you at one of the restaurants where he tended bar. Clyde told me that you were with a girl and the two of you were making spectacles of yourselves in public. I guess he wanted to show me what he was saving me from. So if I had had a choice, no, honey, I would have stayed with you. Who knows, maybe we would have had a gaggle of kids by now and you would have other regrets." Desi felt the body under hers tense and stand up still holding her close. Harry walked them over to where Jack was sleeping and kneeled down putting Desi next to him.

"How could I ever regret this?" Harry lay down with them and put a protective arm over both of them. "I didn’t ask you that question to make you think I have regrets with how my life turned out, but to show you that sometimes when you are a loving person that cares more for other people, then people take advantage of that. They strip you of the power to change the things, or people in your life that are wrong. What I want more than anything for you and our boy Jackson, is that you always hold the power to mold your life into something that you find fulfilling and happy. To share your life with only those people that are there to make it better and enrich it more than you could alone."

"Did he upset you much?"

"Not really. I think that fact upset him more than anything. After our little talk, my goonies went in and roughed him up a little for hurting my feeling and for talking bad about my girl. You my, little pixie, are ruining my reputation around the hospital."

"How about if your little pixie puts you two to bed?" Desi rolled over so that she was lying on top of Harry giving her the perfect opening for a kiss.

"That’s the best offer I’ve had all day." Harry pulled her head up and kissed Desi again, feeling her partner’s rib cage expand when she took a deep breath. It was their first official night in their house and Harry wanted to make it special.

"If you want to counter offer, that would be ok too." Desi ran her tongue along Harry’s mouth as she made her suggestion.

"Really, so your offer isn’t written in stone?"

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"Taking into consideration what has happened, no I’m open to offers."

"Any new charges against my client are off the table to begin with. I think he has proven himself to be an honorable person."

"This is not saint Tyrell sitting next to you, Jerry, let’s be reasonable. The D.A. can live with ten, and I think it’s a good deal, considering there are two police officers still in the hospital recovering from injuries resulting from the escape." David Gauthier sat back in his chair and put his hands behind his head. One more year of dealing with these dirt bags and I’m out of here. It was beginning to be his mantra every time he sat down at a plea session. The District Attorney was planning on another run, but David was planning on retiring to his small bass boat in less than twelve months. There, the only decisions he would have to make would be which ones to throw back.

"Come on, Davey, you aren’t going to pin that one on Tyrell, are you? The Simoneauxs were responsible for their own actions out of jail, Tyrell took the chance for humanitarian reasons." Jerry leaned forward, putting his elbows on the table trying to make David concede to the extra charges. It was the only way to make the reduction of the first set of charges make any sense time wise for his client.

"I know you usually only deal with contract negotiations and civil matters, so I’ll take it easy on you. The actions of the one, impact the future of the whole list of defendants in this case. Another way to look at it is, the escape is the poisonous tree, and any fruit that sprung from that tree will be shared by all that are left alive." David leaned back further and put his feet on the table. He liked Jerry but the man was out of his element in this arena. The one thing that had kept the assistant awake for the whole proceeding was how a convicted killer, who had been incarcerated for years, could afford someone like Jerry Castle? He and his firm weren’t known for their pro bono work.

"Does that mean you will show leniency to Byron for breaking into the Basantes home, since it was my client that kept the family safe?" David’s feet dropped to the floor as Jerry’s right brow arched upward.

"Ah, no. Come on, Jerry, the D.A. could have asked for another twenty. If you look at it that way, ten doesn’t sound all that bad," said David spreading his hands out.

"We will concede to no extra time. Tyrell helped keep Desi and Harry safe from Byron. He kept Mona safe from any further injuries, and his arrival helped Desi’s sister escape with the Basantes baby." Jerry ticked off the good things Tyrell had done on his fingers. His counterpart looked fully engaged in the debate now that he realized Jerry would not be an easy rollover.

"Mr. Lagrie helped the group navigate through the swamp getting three other inmates killed, he provided transportation back to the city and he provided the three Simoneaux family members with clothes. Seems to me if he were only interested in saving his sister, then he would have left all the others behind. I’m convinced they would have made it nowhere near New Orleans if he hadn’t helped." David did some ticking of his own leaning across the table to match Jerry’s aggressive posture.

"I’m sure a jury will be sympathetic to the three drug dealers that perished in the swamps surrounding Angola. But that’s not what’s going to help my client out."

"Really? Do tell, is it going to be the testimony of his sister that you think is going to set Mr. Lagrie free? Please, it didn’t work the last time and it isn’t going to now," said David.

"How naïve do you think I am? Not Diana Lagrie, but Harry and Desi Basantes will testify on his behalf. Picture it," started Jerry putting his hands up as if framing a shot. "Dr. Basantes on the stand talking about walking into her house and Byron Simoneaux is in there threatening her partner with a big knife. The only thing keeping him from killing Desiree Basantes is my client. That’s not the best part though."

"What would that be, no let me guess, you have a videotape of the whole thing?" asked David.

"No, the best part is Desi sitting in the gallery holding their son Jackson."

"God it could be a movie of the week when you describe it like that. Five years, Mr. Lagrie, that’s my final offer." David pushed away from the table and stood up. The meeting had taken longer than he had expected and he would have to skip lunch to make it to court on time.

"We’ll take our chances in court thank you." Tyrell kept silent, like Jerry had instructed him to, though the ease in which the man was willing to take chances with his fate unnerved him a little. This was so far removed from his first experience in the criminal justice system when the court appointed defender assigned to his case had been almost afraid to question anything the prosecutor said. At least Harry is getting her money’s worth out of this guy if she’s paying by the word.

The door of the small room slammed shut as David made his way back to his office. Jerry patted Tyrell on the hand trying to reassure him he had things under control. The situation wasn’t funny but Tyrell had observed the whole meeting like he was watching a tennis match, looking from one man to the other.

"Tyrell, how do you feel about all this?"

"I guess I have to trust you to do right by me. One thing I got going for me, is that you’re a much better talker than the first time around."

"I’m glad you think so, and I’m glad you trust me. That’s important now because I want you to go back to your cell and not talk to anyone unless it’s Harry or me. Let the good doctor work her miracles on your behalf and you’ll be fine." Jerry snapped his briefcase closed and shook hands with Tyrell.

"Do you think, I can be saved?" Tyrell asked with a laugh.

"That’s not for me to say, but by keeping a baby and a small blonde woman from harm, you my friend have inherited a powerful guardian angel."

"She’s powerful all right. Harry snapped that boy’s fingers and his arm like they were match sticks, but even so, I think Byron got off light. Though it will not improve his looks any with those two missing front teeth. I don’t think the prison system does great dental."

"Is there anything I can get you?"

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"No, I’m fine thank you."

Yes, yes you are. "Please let me know if you do." The server walked off leaving Harry sipping a glass of water. She could see the blonde at the bar still staring at the seated woman in her station of tables. Not that she could blame her; the woman was incredibly good looking.

"She’s hot, isn’t she?"

"I hadn’t noticed." The blonde turned her attention to her drink sitting on the bar when the restaurant worker addressed her. She tried to hide the smile at having been caught looking, and the smirk on the waitress’s face told her how believable her answer had been.

"Would you like a table?"

"No thank you, I’m waiting for someone." The blonde looked toward table five again and sighed.

"Think she’s single?" The waitress thought she had found a comrade in the woman seated at the bar and kept on talking.

"I don’t know, is she waiting for someone?"

"I don’t think so, but she hasn’t ordered yet. Think I can get her to give me her phone number?" She whispered the question as she wiped down the bar. They were both looking at Harry now as she squeezed a piece of lemon into the glass of water sitting in front of her.

"Tell you what, let me try and if I strike out she’s fair game. Deal?" The blonde stuck her hand out and the waitress shook it to seal their bargain. Maybe the lunch shift won’t be so boring after all.

The waitress stayed near the bar as the woman she had been talking to slid off the barstool, picked up her stuff and headed toward the unsuspecting Harry’s table. There’s no way, the waitress thought as the woman neared the table. She pulled out her pen and a slip of paper getting ready for her turn knowing the other woman would be back in no time.

"Excuse me."

"Yes, is there something I can do for you?" asked Harry.

"Would you mind holding my stuff while I go to the bathroom?" When Harry looked skeptical, the blonde ignored it and just kept talking. "Come on, it will only take me a couple of minutes."

Harry looked toward the waitress before answering and shot a smile her way. "Ok, if you’ll only be a couple of minutes."

"Thanks." She handed Harry the baby and walked toward the restrooms. Along the way she winked at the waitress and never looked back, she didn’t need to, to know Harry was watching the sway of her hips. After all, how could the woman resist?

"That was incredibly trustworthy of her," commented the waitress as she poured more water into the glass Harry had been sipping from.

"Yeah, but he’s a cute little guy isn’t he?"

"Adorable." If all it takes is a kid to break the ice with someone like this, I got to get me one. She moved back to the bar to see how the blonde played it next.

"Wish me luck," was all the woman said as she walked back to retrieve her baby.

"Yeah, sure."

"Do you mind if I sit with you a minute?"

"Sure, but my wife should be here any minute, so you have to get up once she gets here." Harry never looked up from the little guy she had sitting on her placemat on the table.

"So, you’re married?"

"Yes, ma’am, I am. She’s a beautiful woman that I’ve known since grade school."

"Can’t be too devoted to you, if she keeps you waiting around in restaurants."

"Just because she can’t keep track of time, doesn’t mean she isn’t devoted. I don’t mind waiting, she’s worth it."

"What does she do, your wife I mean?"

"She’s an artist, or should I say, an incredibly talented artist."

"She must be very trusting, this artist of yours." The blonde leaned forward and put her elbows on the table. She smiled when Harry’s eyes strayed to her cleavage for just a split second before returning to the baby.

"Would you like to order now?" The waitress had her pad out ready to write something down. At the moment the order wasn’t as important as breaking up the chummy conversation going on before her chances were shot.

"No, but those people are," said Harry pointing to three tables over. "I’m sorry, why would you think my wife is trusting? I am by the way, but what about me screams that?"

"No ring on your finger. The fact you don’t wear one makes another interested party assume you aren’t attached." The blonde making air quotes for the word attached made Harry laugh.

"I think it would be presumptuous of me to go out and get myself a ring."

"She hasn’t given you one? If I were you, I’d rethink that whole devotion thing."

"Maybe you’re right. I did give her one after all, but then again, that’s a petty way to think. That whole tit for tat mindset." Harry’s eyes betrayed her again as the woman leaned forward.

"I’ll give you one."

"One what?" asked Harry.

"A ring."

"You will? Does that mean I get the kid too?"

"Absolutely, we come as a package deal."

"Ok, let’s see it." Harry smiled at her waitress, who was at the moment about to do a backbend trying to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"You want to see the ring now, before you give me an answer?"

"Hell yes. You want me to leave my wife, who I’m madly in love with, for you and this kid for a ring. I want to see it."

"Look in his front pants pocket." Harry shifted the baby to her lap and reached into the tiny khakis he had on. The small black velvet bag felt heavy in her hand. "Let me." Desi pulled it open and let the ring fall to her waiting palm. "Will you have us?" she asked holding up the gold band.

"Yes." The answer was simple, but it went beyond the question, it was an agreement to everything Desi had to offer. Before Desi slipped it onto Harry’s finger, she read the inscription.

"We love you." When Harry looked down, she saw the simple gold band was part of a set. She took the other one and slipped it onto Desi’s finger letting it come to rest next to the ring she had given her before. Neither of them heard the elderly woman at the table next to them sigh as they shared a kiss. The woman leaned over and pecked her husband on the cheek. It’s wonderful to see that there is still love left in the world.

"Happy birthday, honey."

"Thanks, could I interest you in going home with me instead of lunch?" Desi could feel Harry’s lips against her own as she asked the question. Jack had his hand wrapped in Harry’s hair and was pulling as hard as he could as if trying to hurry his parents into leaving the restaurant.

"Don’t you want to eat before you unwrap your other present?" teased Desi. The waitress couldn’t help one more interruption.

"I take it you two know each other?"

"No, we just met," answered Harry.

"Yeah right."

"I’m telling you, it’s true. I was sitting here all lonely, and this nice lady walked over here and asked me to marry her. She’s so cute, how could I resist? Right Miss…"

"Desi. Mrs. Desi Basantes." Desi stuck her hand out and shook Harry’s hand. "See why I wanted to go first, I had a good feeling about this."

"Harry." She shook Desi’s hand and held Jack closer and laughed at the confused look Desi was giving her. "My name, it’s Harry."

"Congratulations, would you like to order lunch to celebrate?"

"No thanks, we want to get a jump on the honeymoon, right, Barry?"

"Harry, and yes, I’m ready." Harry got up with Jack, shouldered his diaper bag and walked out leaving Desi to deal with the miffed waitress. Shaking her head, Desi reached for her wallet and pulled out a hundred dollar bill.

"Thanks for being so nice."

"Be happy," said the now happier worker.

"Thanks, I already am." Desi followed the path Harry and Jack had taken, smiling at the elderly couple now holding hands at the next table. "How long do I have you for?" Desi asked Harry when she stepped outside.

"Forever if you can stand me that long." Desi found it sweet that Harry kept looking at her finger. It wasn’t meant to be a leash, but it couldn’t hurt letting women like their waitress know Harry was indeed taken.

"I know that, goofus, you aren’t shaking us now. I meant for the rest of the day."

"Would it disappoint you to know Irma rescheduled the rest of my appointments for the day?"

"When was the last time you gave Irma a raise?" Desi stepped closer to Harry and slipped two fingers into the front of her pants.

"Am I going to get lucky when I get home?"

"You, lover, most certainly are." Harry nodded after Desi’s answer then unclipped her cell phone pushing one of the memory keys then handed it to Desi.

"Dr. Basantes’s office."

"Irma, hi, it’s Desi."

"Hey girl, sorry the big guy left for lunch already, try her on the cell."

"The big guy is standing right in front of me, and she tells me you gave her the rest of the day off. Tell me that’s true?"

"It’s true, it’s her birthday after all."

"Yes it is, but we wanted to give you a gift." Desi paused and raised her brow to see if it was all right to continue. Harry nodded her head and waved her hand, curious to see how generous Desi was willing to be.

"Thanks, but it’s really not necessary."

"You take such good care of her, I insist. Take the rest of the day off, but before you leave, go into your personnel file and give yourself a twenty percent raise." Desi laughed then handed the phone to Harry.

"Of course I approve, you heard the boss, take yourself out to lunch will all your new found wealth."

"Too much?" Desi asked when Harry clipped her phone back.

"Nah, she makes more than I do now, but I have a wife that takes good care of me so I’m not complaining."

"Good thing, are you ready?" asked Desi.

"For so many things."

"Then let the fun begin then."

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"Would you like a tour?"

"It’s not like I haven’t done this before, only last time it was under much cleaner conditions."

"Try and look past that and do the best you can. Once you become familiar with the layout, you’ll come to love it here." The older nurse walked around the ward with their new night shift employee. The young dour looking woman had come from Mercy, and that was all she was willing to say on the subject. When Catherine, the nursing supervisor, had called Mercy to check her references, she had been told Mitzy had been fired, but not for lack of ability.

Catherine had taken a liking to the girl after she found out she had been let go because of her involvement with one of the staff doctors. Pompous asses, they screw around and it’s always the low man on the totem pole that gets cut. Mitzy’s supervisor wouldn’t tell her who the doctor was but that it was the only reason for her being let go.

"Is there any place around here to eat that’s any good?" asked Mitzy. The fact Charity was willing to hire her had been fortunate since she didn’t want to leave the city. She had sat in her apartment for a couple of days cursing the day she had laid eyes on Harry Basantes, not having the energy to do much else. Mitzy was sure the doctor knew nothing of the hospital hiring her, though working nights on one of the wards would make it unlikely that she would run into Harry often.

"It’s best to go with someone, dear. You don’t want to be walking the campus alone at night. If you want, once your shift is over, call security and they will walk you to your car."

"Thanks, Catherine, I appreciate your giving me this chance. If you don’t mind, I’ll start checking patients and getting familiar with their med schedules." Catherine smiled at her enthusiasm and nodded her agreement.

"Great, I’ll be in my office if you need anything."

"Thanks, I’ll let you know ." Mitzy stuck her hands in her pockets and watched her boss walk toward the elevators. She picked up her charts and headed for the first of five rooms she was responsible for, already anxious for the sun to rise signaling the end of her shift.

Unlike Mercy, Charity had at least three people per room with only a thin curtain as privacy between the beds. Mitzy moved from bed to bed doing vital checks and administering medications. Once she finished her first circuit she sat behind the nurses’ station and skimmed through the other two nurses’ charts while they were in with their patients.

"Who’s this special person?" Mitzy whispered the question to no one in particular after seeing the lone chart for the room at the end of the hall. "I thought there were no private rooms in this place?"

"There isn’t, this is just a special case and we aren’t busting at the seams as usual. Dr. Basantes asked if we could keep her comfortable if it was possible, and she’s such a sweetie, how could we say no?"

"The patient?" Mitzy asked the other nurse who seemed too happy for her taste, considering what time it was.

"No silly, Dr. Basantes. Do you know her? Isn’t she the greatest?"

"I know her, and no, I think she’s way overrated. Who does she have stashed in there alone?" Mitzy took a deep breath to calm down before she scared her coworker into not saying anything else.

"Diana Lagrie, she had surgery about a week ago to fix some damage from an old injury." Celia looked at the numerous expressions that crossed the new woman’s face and they all looked like some varying degree of hate.

"That isn’t the escaped convict’s sister, is it?"

"Does it matter? Ms. Lagrie is really nice and has had a hard time. My job is to make sure her nights are restful and pain free."

"She’s lucky to have you. Well round two has begun." Mitzy headed back toward her own set of rooms with a sudden urge to meet Diana Lagrie. As angry as she still was with Harry, Diana might be a way to get back into the doctor’s good graces. I just know if you give me a chance, I can make you happy Harry.

"Hurry back." Not! Celia watched Mitzy walk away and shuttered. The woman was throwing off some weird vibes and Celia wanted nothing to do with her.

Mitzy looked down at her first patient seeing tears in the woman’s eyes. The chart informed her the woman had undergone a hysterectomy that morning. "Are you in pain?"

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"Oh yeah, give a minute."

"You want me to rub it?"

"That’s what got me in this position in the first place, but what the hell, go for it." Harry had been enjoying Desi’s roaming hands when her partner hit a sensitive spot by surprise causing a cramp in the muscles in one side of Harry’s butt.

"I zigged when I should have zagged huh?" Desi asked as she massaged Harry’s backside trying to get the muscles to relax.

"It’s only the one side that hurts, baby."

"I’m taking precautionary measures here so relax. Don’t worry, I’m married to a doctor, I know what I’m doing." Desi’s massage was becoming more of a caress as the sight of Harry’s naked butt was starting to do things to her own center.

Harry rolled over to her back and pulled Desi up so that the smaller woman could sit on her abdomen. The black silk teddy Desi had given her for her birthday was draped over a lamp along with a pair of matching silk boxers.

When they had gotten home, June had taken Jack to the other end of the house and Tony had made no comment when Desi had gone into the bedroom alone. Harry had checked on Mona thinking Desi had changed her mind on the way they were going to spend their afternoon. She thought that until Tony handed her a box with instructions to change before going to look for Desi.

In the guestroom where Tony walked her to, Harry found her robe on the bed and a hanger for what she had on. "Just leave your stuff on the bed and I’ll take care of it later," Tony had instructed.

"I find it a tad disconcerting that everyone in the house knows what my girl has planned." Harry opened the box finding only a pair of boxers, so she sat on the bed and took her shoes off.

"She loves you and she wants to make you happy. If it works out that she gets to be happy at the same time, more power to her. Have fun and happy birthday." Tony wiggled his fingers at Harry and closed the door.

Harry knocked softly on their bedroom door and waited for an invitation to enter. When she did, Desi was sitting on the bed wearing her present for Harry, and was inordinately pleased when she saw Harry smacking her lips together like she was trying to return moisture to her mouth. "Happy birthday, lover."

It had been three hours since she had unwrapped her ‘gift’ and the sight of Desi sitting on top of her was making Harry forget about her cramp. "I don’t think I can again, honey." Desi tried to protest but the big soft hands running along her legs were making her body have different thoughts.

"I just want to touch you, baby." Harry’s hands stayed away from all the tender spots, concentrating only on Desi’s legs and abdomen. When Harry bent her knees, Desi leaned back and slumped against them enjoying the gently touch.

Harry smiled seeing her partner’s posture. When Desi leaned back it had tipped her center up a little and Harry could see it glistening with the candlelight in the room. Desi moaned when Harry ran her hands up past just the sides of her breasts to the top of her arms before starting their decent.

They had stopped playing for a while to pump Desi’s breasts, but Harry could see a little moisture just at the tips of her nipples. That combined with the fact they were hard again drove Harry’s hands for another run.

"I hope you know how beautiful I find you. How absolutely perfect you are to me." Harry spoke softly and her hands never stopped moving. Desi moaned as the hands went down her arms then detoured back up through the valley of her breasts but didn’t touch them.

"Harry, I need you to touch me honey."

"I am touching you, sweetheart." Harry’s hands dropped back to the legs straddling her and she pushed up off the bed a bit to reach all the way to Desi’s feet.

"No, I want you to touch me here." Desi put her own hands under her breasts and lifted them to entice Harry into action. Any soreness from making love all afternoon was fading fast.

"Happy birthday to me," was all Harry could mutter as she watched Desi’s nipples get harder.

"Come on, they are all for you." Desi leaned forward trying to find some relief for the throbbing between her legs against Harry’s abs. Her hand continued to hold the weight of her breasts, but her fingers had migrated to her nipples. Without warning Harry sat up enough to take one into her mouth making Desi’s hips rock forward. "Oh yea, just like that."

With her lips wrapped around Desi’s breast, Harry squeezed her hand between them and snaked it down to the wet spot along her midsection. When her fingers found the slick hard little nub, Desi let go of her breasts and grabbed onto Harry’s hair.

The suction at her chest and the stroking down below was too much for Desi. She pulled hard on the hair her fingers were tangled in wanting to feel the touch of Harry’s lips on hers. When Harry got the message and sucked Desi’s tongue into her mouth, the smaller woman could feel it between her legs. Desi pressed herself closer to Harry when she felt the beginning of her orgasm. When she went over the edge of the cliff Harry had elevated her to, Harry swallowed the screams in a kiss.

Desi couldn’t move and was grateful that Harry was content to just hold her close as she eased them back to the bed. With a grunt Harry pulled her hand out of its warm haven getting Desi to finally look up when she laughed.

"What’s so funny?"

"I was just wondering what medical explanation I could put on my disability papers when you finally manage to break my fingers and I can’t work for awhile." Harry ran her fingers down Desi’s back pulling her partner closer.

"If that happens, I’ll support you until you are ready for duty." Desi kissed along Harry’s neck stopping to suck in a bit of skin when the mood hit. The strong body she was laying on was shaking with laughter.

"Don’t you mean, ready for work?"

"No, I’m talking about your marital duties, doc, and let me tell you, I can be a hard taskmaster. I expect the best so I have to keep you in tiptop shape." Desi slid down to new territory as they continued their talk.

"Don’t I know it." Harry jumped when Desi bit down on one of her nipples before doing the same to the other one.

"Careful, that’s how you got a cramp last time," Desi warned before going back and biting it again.

"That’s not what you bit last time that gave me a cramp."

"You’re right, honey. Are you well enough to continue?" Desi slid further down the long body, the friction her body was causing was turning Harry on even more.

"I’m burning for you, baby, wanna blow me out?"

"That was some kind of corny, honey, but there will blowing involved don’t you worry," was the last thing Desi said before she settled between Harry’s legs. She looked up and saw that Harry had one hand tangled in the sheet and her other arm was thrown over her eyes.

Desi never could figure out what about tasting Harry like this she liked the best. Was it the sight of the long legs bent a little at the knees? Was it the sight of all that wet skin that attested to how attractive Harry found her? Or was it the reassuring weight of Harry’s hand that had moved to the back of her head urging her on? Maybe it’s just a combination of all of the above.

She knew that Harry disciplined herself to keep her legs open and not crush Desi between them. The surgeon was always gentle with her and as urgent as they got for each other, Harry never hurried Desi and let her initiate what she wanted to do. The thought that their bedroom had become a place she cherished coming to do this with Harry, crossed Desi’s mind as she started sucking on the one spot Harry needed her most. Having Harry as a partner made Desi want to try harder to please, to make Harry feel all the things she brought out in her when she touched her. Desi cleared her mind and concentrated on making love to Harry. With the first swipe of her tongue, Harry’s hips came off the bed and the hand in her hair tightened. After all they had just finished doing, Desi was disappointed that this wasn’t going to take long.

When Harry relaxed above her and pulled gently on her hair, Desi climbed back to the head of the bed and kissed her. "I’m so glad you like doing this." Desi kissed Harry again waiting for the blue eyes to open.

"If I had known at eighteen, what I know now, I would have run off with you one night and never let you out of my sight. Don’t get me wrong, our relationship is so much more than just sex, but it’s wonderful to share this with you. Am I not doing anything that you want me to?" Harry’s voice sounded soft and deep against her ear. Desi smiled hoping that their son would learn from Harry how to be romantic and say the right things to make his partner feel as good as she did.

"You cover all the bases, honey, don’t worry about that." Harry could feel Desi’s smile against her neck making her smile as well. She loved making Desi happy in all aspects of their relationship.

"What are you smiling about?"

"I was just thinking that one day your son will find someone that hopefully will make him feel as wonderful as you do me, and I hope before that happens, you will have a long talk with him on how to accomplish that." Desi snuggled under Harry’s chin and almost cooed when the long arms wrapped around her.

"You think my father gave me instructions for this?"

"You mean to tell me you are just naturally gifted in this arena?" Desi pointed to the bed.

"I would like to think there is some natural talent yes, but Papi did pull the short straw on having the talk with me. I’ll have to tell him that you are pleased with his guidance."

"Don’t you dare, I would never be able to face him." The knock on the door stopped Desi from saying anything else as she desperately tried to remember if Harry had locked the door when she came in.

"Yes?" asked Harry.

"Harry, are you decent?" Maria stood on the other side of the door relieved that there was only a soft conversation going on inside.

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Harry asked a laughing Desi before turning her attention back to her mother. "Is there a reason, I should be?"

"Yes, your birthday dinner will be ready in twenty minutes and we would like for you to actually show up to share it with us, even if it the last thing you want to do right now."

"I’ll tell you what, if I can find the energy to get out of these handcuffs Desi has me locked in, I’ll be right out." Maria laughed at the outraged huff coming from inside the room followed by a howl of pain coming from Harry.

"We’ll be right out, Mami, and please ignore Harry, she’s insane."

"Ok, dear, but if you need an extra set of keys, I have one in my suitcase." Maria walked back toward the kitchen listening to the roar of Harry’s laughter coming from behind the locked bedroom door.

"She didn’t just say," said Desi in disbelief.

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"I do believe that’s what she said."

"There’s nothing wrong with my hearing, it was more of a rhetorical statement on my part."

"You can take it anyway you like, but just get going. You will find the supplies you need in the closet by the bathroom. Have fun." Celia was enjoying not being the new kid any more, which entitled you to all the grunt work that needed to be done. She had been stuck working the weekend shift with Mitzy and was about to stab the woman with the first sharp object she could find over her attitude.

"Are you sure you don’t want to go? I could cover your patients, after all we’ve been stuck up here for three days." Mitzy tried for the third time since their supervisor had asked her to go to Building 100, to talk Celia into going. If she could convince the younger nurse into going, it would give her the opportunity to go in and see Diana.

"No thanks, I’m expecting a phone call. This will give you the chance to learn the layout of the hospital, and as you said give you the chance to get some fresh air. Call if you get lost." Celia picked up her charts and headed for Diana’s room. Her patient had been depressed for the past week waiting to hear Tyrell’s fate.

Mitzy gathered the supplies she would need to draw blood on the ten patients that needed a work up. Some of the doctors liked to schedule things for the labs when they were the least busy. Building 100 was the place Charity had set up for their HIV positive patients. It was not designed to treat them as outcasts, but as an easier way to sterilize and control their environment cutting down on infections and such. The plain looking building was nestled between the back of the main hospital structure and the Veterans Hospital across the street.

The halls and the elevators were deserted as Mitzy made her way down to the ground floor. She stopped a janitor to ask directions and the man told her about a short cut through the medical school. Mitzy followed the walkway until she came to the building the guy had described turning to go in.

"I thought Celia told me this had more than one floor," muttered Mitzy looking at the small structure. The door opened easily to a stark room with beds lined along two walls. There weren’t that many patients and at the back of the room sat a sleeping security guard. There was no one behind the nurses’ station so Mitzy moved to the first patient and pulled his chart down from the holder on the wall. She was going to check for his name on the list she had when the clank of the handcuff made her take a step back from the bed.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" the man spoke in a low menacing voice and Mitzy had a hard time understanding him because his two front to teeth were missing.

"I’m sorry Mr.," she looked down to the chart in her hand, "Mr. Simoneaux. I took a wrong turn somewhere, I’m sorry to have disturbed you." His name sounded so familiar, it was like she should know who he was.

"It’s all right, gives me something new to look at besides that ugly mother sleeping back there."

"Try and go back to sleep." Mitzy put the chart back and started out of the room. With her hand on the knob it came to her who this guy was. Byron Simoneaux was once married to none other than Harry’s partner, Desi. She had read it in the paper, how he had broken into their house and tried to kill everyone inside.

"Something you forgot?"

"I don’t mean to pry, but weren’t you married to Desi Basantes?" Mitzy put her tray down and pulled up a chair.

"Don’t call her that, her name is Simoneaux. What she is now isn’t natural, so if you are one of those fag lovers, get the fuck out of here now." Byron was angry, but kept his voice down so he wouldn’t wake the guard in the back.

"I’m no fan of her relationship, so don’t worry about that. What I am is curious about why she hooked up with Harry?" Mitzy answered truthfully, she was no fan of Desi in Harry’s life and this Neanderthal could hold the answer to that problem.

"Cause that big evil bitch seduced her into a life she didn’t want. Desi and me, we were in love and happy before her accident. Then she came into the picture and took Desi away from me." If she hadn’t known a little of the story, Mitzy could swear he sounded sincere and believed what he was saying.

"Do you still love her? If you don’t mind my asking that is."

"I just want the chance to just talk to her, that’s why I broke out of jail. The wanting to see her and tell her how much I missed her drove me to it." Bryon looked through the railing of the bed at her and tried to look contrite.

"That’s so sweet."

"Yeah, I just wanted to make her happy and share children with her."

"How long will you be here, Mr. Simoneaux?"

"Please call me Byron and, I don’t know. Will you come back and see me again?" Byron didn’t want the woman to go, seeing her as his last lifeline to the outside world especially if she knew Desi.

"Sure, I’ll be back. I’m off tomorrow night so I’ll see you in a couple of days." Mitzy picked up her supplies and made her way to the door. On her day off she would have to think about how best to proceed. The memory of Desi’s leg was still fresh enough for Mitzy to realize what Byron was capable of so she would have to be careful.

Byron watched her go, proud that he hadn’t pushed too hard. Maybe all wasn’t lost for him. Given another chance he knew he would make it since all he had to worry about was himself. She’ll be back, and when she does, I’ll have a plan. He closed his eyes and tried to forget about the pain in his arm and fingers, concentrating instead on the picture of Desi in his head.

Mitzy returned to her regular ward two hours later to find an even perkier Celia. "What did I miss, the happy wagon?"

"Dr. Basantes jus came by to see Ms. Lagrie, sorry you missed her."

"What was Harry doing here at three in the morning?" Mitzy couldn’t believe she had missed the one person that had been on her mind since her little talk with Byron.

"She was called in for an emergency surgery so she came up before heading home. That was nice of her since it’s Monday morning. Whatever she told Ms. Lagrie sure lifted her spirits. Dr. Basantes can do that just by walking in the room though." Celia seemed to be gushing by the end of her explanation amusing Mitzy to no end. The young nurse had a serious case of hero worship going, and Mitzy was sure Harry was doing nothing to quash that in any way.

"I’m sure you, and her partner think she can walk on water."

"You know Desi? I think she’s great, we met a while back. She’s very lucky." Celia rested her chin in her hands and tried to figure out why Mitzy hated Dr. Basantes so much.

"You know Desi?"

"Yeah, we met during my clinicals when she was here visiting Dr. Basantes. They stopped by my apartment during finals and brought me dinner and some cookies Desi had baked. With my parents gone, it made me feel special that they went out of their way like that."

"They are just the golden couple, they are."

"I’m going to get a soda, you want anything?"

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"Could you check on the baby?"

"Why, is he walking the floor?" Harry dropped to the bed instead of heading to the kitchen to get her drink. Her laugh bubbled out when Desi pinched her before kissing her hello. "I just checked on him, he’s fine. He’s sleeping just like his momma should be, why are you awake?"

"The bed got cold when you left." Desi put her head in Harry’s lap and pulled the drawstring to the scrub pants apart with her teeth.

"That call did come at bad time huh?"

"Not for me, but for you, not so good," said Desi. She kissed the cloth-covered abs and snuggled closer to Harry.

"Come on, hot stuff, I’ll let you off easy tonight and let you go back to sleep. You can do that now that your human electric blanket is home." When Harry stood up her pants fell down to her ankles making it easy to step out of them. She joined Desi when the rest was stripped off and no sooner than she lay down, Jack woke up. "I’m glad I’m too tired to be horny."

"You want to share a drink with him, or you want to sleep?" asked Desi as she moved toward the bassinet. Their bruiser was yelling with no tears in his eyes.

"You think he’ll be willing to share?" Harry asked wiggling her eyebrows.

"I was thinking breast milk for him, and a diet Coke for you." Desi pointed at Harry and winked. "And you, mister, I’m beginning to thing you have learned to scream just so someone will come and pick you up."

"Then his master plan is working." Harry left the room in search of something to drink before Desi could reply, or pinch her somewhere else now that she had more territory exposed.

When Harry returned with two glasses of mild and the brownies Desi had baked early, she found Desi and Jack on the bed. "You do realize once Mona’s back on her feet you are going to have to put something on when you leave the bedroom, don’t you?"

"You really can’t call it home if you can’t walk around naked, can you?"

"Get over here, smart ass, and burp this little guy." Desi held Jack up waiting for Harry to put their snack down.

"Oh, buddy, I think your mother planned that one." Harry turned around so that Desi could see the after effects of Jack’s burp down Harry’s back. "The silver lining here is that I haven’t put on my pajamas yet. If you need us, we’ll be in the bathroom."

Once Harry and Jack were cleaned up and dressed they returned to the bedroom where there was only one brownie left on the plate. "Sorry, breastfeeding is hard work."

"Uh huh," said Harry as she put Jack down. Either the bassinet was getting smaller or the baby was out growing it fast. "We are going to have to start putting him in the baby bed soon." The pout on Desi’s face told her how well received that plan was going to go.

"He likes it in here, honey."

"I like him close too, but you don’t want him to roll out of here do you?" Harry covered Jack up before climbing into her won bed. "He’ll just be next door baby, he’ll be fine. We can try starting tomorrow and see how he does since I have the next three days off."

"You do?" Desi had moved close to Harry once the tall body had relaxed against the headboard.

"You told me you wanted to talk house renovations and that would be hard to do from work, so I took some time off. Hell I never took days off before I met you, I think I’m entitled. How about tomorrow we leave the grandmothers over here with Jack and Mona, and you and I go pick paint colors for next door?" Harry offered Desi her last bite of brownie and a smile.

"You realize that Tony comes as part of the package tomorrow, right?"

"I have done battle with the decorator from hell before, don’t worry about me." Harry turned the lamp on the nightstand off and scooted down on the bed to get more comfortable. The late night call into surgery was beginning to announce itself again now that Desi was pressed up against her. Outside they could hear the wind blowing some of the low tree limbs against the house as the temperature dropped blow twenty right before dawn.

"Can I ask you why Tony is a decorator, if he is a licensed registered nurse?"

"He worked at the hospital for a couple of years and he was excellent with the patients, but there were some who weren’t so great back. Sometimes his enthusiasm was taken as something else and every time someone looked at him with disgust it killed his spirit a little more." Harry pulled Desi closer when she felt the blonde head on her should shake.

"That’s awful, he is so sweet."

"Yes he is. After it was apparent he wasn’t happy anymore, I asked him to spruce up the old house for me. He agreed as a favor to me and took a couple of weeks off to do it right, as he put it. A month and a couple of fistfights with Mona later, he completely transformed the place and himself. The spark was back and so was the drive to do a good job. He still misses his first profession I suspect, but he seems to like what he’s doing now too. Having you back to spend his time with has something to do with that as well."

"I’m sure it could have been anyone, honey."

"Don’t short change yourself, my love. Tony loves you, and now that you have given him a nephew to adore as well, you’ve been elevated to goddess stature I’m sure." Harry drifted off to sleep when there were no more questions, but Desi stayed awake for a while to watch her two loves sleep. She wanted to enjoy the last night with Jack in his bassinet before the process of his growing up took him away.

"Maybe before too long we can have another one that wants to camp out in there for a couple of months. What do you think, Jack?" Desi spoke softly so she wouldn’t wake either one of her brunettes and smiled when Jack grunted in his sleep. "So much like your mom, little man. If you can sew by the time you’re four, I know what your partner will lose some nights to."

The next morning they walked next door to check the house progress being made on the house, trailed by June and Maria. The two grandmothers complained that it was too cold to have Jack outside for the whole short trek. Tony was waiting in the kitchen with coffee, Stephen and a couple of workers from the crew.

The moved from room to room outlining what needed to be done and repaired, Harry just nodding her head as Desi and Tony did all the talking. At one point Desi looked over and found a smiling Maria holding Jack.

"I’m so glad he makes you so happy, Mami."

"That’s not what I’m smiling at, dear, though Jack does make me happy."

"What’s got you so happy then?" asked Desi.

Maria pointed to Harry, who had her head stuck up in the entrance of the attic checking over the repairs. "She is my daughter but she is so much like her father. Without you, the house would have a new roof, all white walls, a refrigerator, a television and a bed."

"Ah she’s not that bad. She can dress herself after all; it is more than I can ask for. Though she did tell me that it is a shame that they don’t make Granimals for adults." Desi and Maria laughed together, getting Harry to look down from the attic to see what they were up to. She climbed down the steps and kissed both her wife and her mother before heading down the main stairs to the ground floor.

"You two stay here and let me give Stephen some directions on some stuff I want done outside."

"Are we doing anything to the outside, honey?" Desi tried to remember if they had talked about having anything done to the outside of the house except the roof repairs and painting the exterior.

"It’s a surprise, you have to trust me." Harry took the steps two at a time getting a reprimand from Desi for doing so before she hit the middle of her trip down. "She’s turning into such a mother."

"I heard that, doc."

Harry and Stephen moved to the brick wall that surrounded the property and talked about what had to be done as the walked to the back studio. As the work crew started arriving neither of them saw the old Honda Accord that drove slowly past the front gates. The driver pulled off and parked so that they could get a better look at what was happening inside. Leaning just outside the gate, it gave the perfect view to see Desi come to the side door and call out for Harry.

They were talking to softly to hear, but words weren’t necessary when Desi came out and wrapped a scarf around Harry’s neck. When it was secure, the smaller woman used it to pull Harry down into a long kiss. Seeing that, the watcher’s mind was set on the next course of action.

"Enjoy it, Desiree, because it won’t last. Harry doesn’t belong to you."

Part 10

"I thought today was your day off?"

"You wanted me to come see you, so here I am. I thought we could talk and see how we could help each other both get what we both want."

"There’s no way for me to get what I want. After I leave here, I’ll be lucky to see the sun again." Byron looked at the woman sitting next to his bed. She was dressed causally but had her I.D. hanging from her neck with the name turned toward her chest. It just occurred to him that she knew who he was, but he had no idea who she was, and what she wanted.

"If you could get out, what would you want most to do?" Mitzy had offered to relieve the nurse on duty for an hour to give her the opportunity to talk to Byron. Waiting until the next night when she was working was too long away, so she had gotten dressed and driven to the hospital.

The chance she was taking could alter her future in a way that made her afraid, but the payoff was worth the gamble. She figured the problem with Desi was that the blonde was not smart enough to control Byron. He was big, but with the right attitude he could be managed. With the right plan, they would both get what they wanted.

Mitzy looked over his chart to check the progress of his healing as she waited for him to answer. Byron was looking at her with a great deal of suspicion, and she could just imagine he was thinking she was a plant from the police or something else just as heinous. The knife wound he had gotten the night he had broken into the Basantes household, had surprisingly gone clean through to the other side without hitting any major artery or organ. The only things that were going to be a problem were the broken bones.

"There is no sense in me wishing for things I don’t have a chance at getting," answered Byron after what seemed to be an eternity. This talk was not going like he had planned the night before. He wanted to use Mitzy to get some information on Desi, and the baby he had tried to steal.

"If there is one thing I have come to realize in this life, Mr. Simoneaux, is that nothing is ever impossible if you want it bad enough. What do you want bad enough to take a chance?"

"I asked you to call me Byron, so please do, and before we go any further, what’s your name?"

"My name isn’t necessary to answer my question, Bryon. Either answer it, or I will be on my way." The voice Mitzy used held a hint of authority that made Byron pause before he answered.

"I want to see my wife more than anything. There are some things we left unsaid and I think a long talk is way over due. Is that a good enough answer for you?" Mitzy smiled at the way he had bent to her wishes. If Byron continued with this attitude, everything she had thought about was possible.

"Yes, it is. I think there is a way that we can help each other so everyone is happy. You said yourself you and Desi were happy before Harry came along and ruined it for you. If you love her as much as you say, then I’m sure that she is just waiting for you to come back." The more she talked the more Byron smiled. His plan was to lay back and see what this woman had in mind. It didn’t really matter to him whatever her motives were as long as she got him out.

"I’m sure of it, but my problem is that I’m stuck in here." Byron used his one good arm as much as he could to point out his surroundings. The one thing he made sure not to do was to make any of his movements be viewed as aggressive.

"I think if you and I put our heads together, we can come up with a solution to that problem." Mitzy smiled at him and continued on with her newfound assertiveness. "Guard, I need you to release this patient for a moment."

"I’m sorry, ma’am, but that’s not possible." The guard had been watching his ward and the nurse talking for quite some time. He was about to question what they were consulting about for so long when he saw Mitzy look in Byron’s chart. That, combined with the fact that the other nurse had left to go on break, made him decide that she was legitimate and left them alone.

"I’m not taking him anywhere, sir, I just need to check the progress of his injuries so that we can make a determination on whether he is ready to be sent back to Angola." The way she explained it sounded so reasonable, the guard came over and unlocked the cuff around Byron’s wrist.

When he was free of his leash, Byron sat up slowly. When he was sitting upright, a tremendous wave of dizziness almost sent him back on his back. He was sure if he threw up, his stitches would be in danger of tearing loose. The guard looked on as Mitzy came up to Byron’s side and helped him off the bed to his feet, watching Byron’s face for any sign that the prisoner was getting ready to try something.

The pain was the first thing he was aware of. His gut felt like someone was sticking a hot poker into it, but thinking of Harry made him swallow any complaint that was threatening to come out of his mouth. Byron wanted Mitzy to believe he was ready for anything she had in mind. Taking a few tentative steps on his own, Byron walked to the end of the bed and back showing his benefactor what he was capable of even with the injuries. His smile with the missing teeth almost made her shiver at the sight.

"Is that what you were looking for, ma’am?" The guard was happy to see that Byron was getting better. Sitting in the drab room all day was not the best duty he could have pulled, but he was stuck until Byron was ready to go.

"Yes, thank you for helping out. Please lie down for me, Mr. Simoneaux, that’s all the exertion you are ready for today. We’ll have to consult with the doctor, but I’m thinking another week and a half and you will be ready to travel." For the guard’s benefit, Mitzy looked in the chart again as he walked back to his chair.

"Now that you can see I’m mobile, what is it you had in mind?"

"Just get some rest and leave the thinking to me." Byron’s face turned dark for a split second at her answer, but he covered it before Mitzy looked up from the papers in her hand. "I’ll be back soon."

"I’ll be waiting."

"It’s not like you have any choice."

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"Is that a threat?"

"Yes, lover, it is, either feed me now or there will be hell to pay." Desi leaned against Harry in the kitchen ready to leave for lunch. She had just finished feeding Jack and was anxious to spend some time out with just Harry. Tony was going to stay and work with the painters while they were gone, and now Harry was playing hard to get.

"Are you sure we don’t have to go back to the house and get some more money," said Harry pulling some folded bills out of her pocket. They had been discussing changes to the house until after one in the afternoon. "Come on, shortie, I’m taking you some place new."

"Mom, would you and Mami take Jack back up to the house for us?" The question made the two women spring into action and start layering clothes back on Jack.

Desi smiled when she stepped outside and saw her car parked behind Stephen’s truck. Harry threw her the keys and folded her body into the passenger seat ready to give directions to where they were going. "You don’t want to drive?"

"No, precious, you handle this car better than I do. Make a u-turn when you get the chance and head downtown." She sat back after that and enjoyed the ride until it was time to tell Desi where to go next. Beside her, Desi put the car into gear and looked back at the house before turning onto St. Charles. At the door she could see Tony waving to her before retreating into the warmth of the kitchen.

It was too cold to put the top down but the day was perfect in every other way. The sky was a brilliant blue, minus the clouds that had plagued them for over a month. The turnaround in the weather had brought out a multitude of people to the park as Desi could see as they drove by it. Thinking about pushing Jack around the track in a couple of months brought a smile to her face since it was one of the things she had looked forward to the most since getting pregnant. Desi could remember the days that Harry had pushed her around the track at a jog when she was still confined to a wheelchair after Byron had broken her leg. On those days she would look up at Harry as they made their way around the customary three times and see the look on her chauffeur’s face when someone with a baby went by. It had been that look of longing that had given Desi the courage to ask Harry for what she too truly wanted.

"What are you smiling at?" Harry asked her when she noticed the happiness reflected in Desi’s face as she maneuvered the car down the avenue. She put her hand on the smaller woman’s thigh, feeling the muscles flex when Desi shifted the car.

"I was thinking of us strolling around here with Jack when the weather cooperates, and I even got my wish." Desi patted the hand on her thigh lovingly when the eyebrow went up with her statement.

"What was that?" The two of them were so involved in their conversation that neither of them noticed the car following behind them. It wasn’t unusual for someone to stay with you for blocks on the avenue since it didn’t become four lanes until you were closer to the downtown area.

"I got a little you that will leave no doubt in anyone’s mind as to who his parents are. Now I have to get you one of those jogging strollers."

"Where exactly will you be, when I’m running around with our runt?" Harry pointed down one of the side streets when they stopped at a red light.

"I thought I would get one big enough that I could sit and hold him, that way you could push us both around." Desi took the turn and wondered if Harry had forgotten where the restaurant they were going to was. The old grand buildings of St. Charles gave way to abandoned ones that had burnt out cars resting like relics of war in front of them. Not that she was attached to material possessions, but leaving her car in this neighborhood was going to be a gamble at the most. "Are you sure we’re going the right way?"

"Yes, don’t change the subject. I’m pushing you and the bruiser during my runs? Take a left up here and pull into that parking lot." Harry pointed to the building on the corner. It was the only one that looked like it had some life left in it, and when Desi pulled into the lot, she noticed they probably were driving the cheapest car there.

"You need the exercise, honey, so don’t complain. At least you will have us to talk to while you run around like a hamster on one of those wheels. Why haven’t you brought me here before?" When they stepped in, a big enthusiastic man came from behind the high counter and hugged Harry hello. After greeting her he gave her a lecture about her long absence and the fact she hadn’t introduced Desi.

"Give me a minute, Anthony, we just walked in when you accosted me. Desi meet Anthony, the owner of this fine establishment, Anthony my wife Desi." Harry stepped out of the way as he took Desi’s hands into his own looking at her from head to toe.

"I can see how this little slip of a girl bagged and tagged you, doc. You are beautiful," said Anthony pulling her into a hug. "Stand here and let someone get you a beer while I clean a table for you. We are going to celebrate the death of one of the longest bachelorhoods in the city."

Desi stepped next to Harry as the man behind the counter shucking oysters stopped for a moment, wiped his hands and handed them both a Dixie beer. She was amused that he didn’t open them and just smiled at Harry when she rested the top of one of the bottles at the edge of the counter and slammed her hand down on it popping the top off. When it came off cleanly, he winked at Harry and went back to his oysters without ever saying a word.

Harry put her arm around Desi, as the blonde took in the sparse interior of the restaurant anxious to see how her face would change when she took her first bite of anything on Uglesich’s limited menu. "The restaurant was first opened by Anthony’s parents when the neighborhood was in a little better shape. He kept it open after they retired and the local thugs just knew to leave him alone. They only open for lunch now, and made an exception only during carnival and Jazzfest when the locals that have moved away come in and have some seafood."

Harry pointed to the board on the wall that had the menu written on it knowing there were none on the tables. Every original dish was named for one of Anthony’s children or his wife, and the three or four new ones were in honor of his grandchildren. Desi smiled at the place they were standing in sure that if it hadn’t been for Harry, the only way she would have found the place was to stop and ask directions because she was lost. There were only twelve tables in the place, and along the walls Anthony had wooden cases of beer and Barq’s root beer instead of the usual clever decorations other eateries had.

It was nice to get away for a couple of hours, and by the time they were finished they were the only ones left in the place. Desi had been entertained by stories of a younger Harry and Kenneth who had found the place when they were in medical school. The fear that Byron and his family had created since their escape was gone, and Desi’s laughter was unforced for the first time in weeks. She had the life she had wanted for so long and it was nice to go about the business of living it.

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

After all she deserved it. She had worked hard and Harry had promised it to her from their first date. The one thing that had put a crimp in those plans had been that intruder that should have been ancient history. Once that obstacle was back where it belonged, then she and Harry could be happy.

Mitzy had watched them from the car the day before. That under classed hick driving that expensive car and hanging all over Harry as they came out of the restaurant almost made her smash her car into the small woman. Everything bad that had happened to her, had happened after the arrival of Desi, and it was pasted time she went back to the moron she had married.

Once that happened, Mitzy figured her life would go back to normal. She would get her job back, she could start dating Harry again and with any luck, it would be her redoing the big house on the avenue. "All I have to do now is plan this so that Byron gets his wish, and he and his little woman go back to whatever trailer park they crawled out of." Mitzy went over the plan again as she neared the hospital parking lot.

On the ward, Celia was sitting in her usual spot reading over any new orders that had been left for their patients. Mitzy said a quick hello before sitting and doing the same. Most of her patients were let go on the Monday she had been off, so Mitzy had to see who had taken their places. Before she had come up, she had stopped off in Catherine’s office and volunteered for any blood collection that had to be done in the outer wards, telling her how much she had enjoyed the last time she had done it. When Mitzy got up to start her rounds she kept feeling the front pocket of her skirt for the one purchase she had made after leaving her vigil of Harry and Desi the prior day.

At four in the morning Catherine made her call, thrilled that Mitzy was working out so well and was so willing to take on extra tasks. Her assignment was to draw blood from the next in line at the same Building 100 that she had gone to previously, and this time Mitzy didn’t have to stop and ask for directions, she went straight to the spot she was becoming familiar with.

"Perfect." Mitzy watched as the nurse assigned to the unit stepped out and met another man waiting for him by the door. They each had a paper bag in their hands and the man waiting held up a lighter for the cigarette hanging from the nurse’s lips.

Mitzy opened the door as quietly as she could and was feeling invincible when she saw the same guard from the night before sleeping in the chair at the back of the room. Whoever the other patient was, he was kept well sedated since she hadn’t seen him awake on the other occasions she had come into the prisoner’s ward.

"Don’t make any noise," she whispered to Byron. He had opened his eyes to find Mitzy looking down on him and trying to fit a key into the cuff at his wrist. When she twisted the key the cuff slid open making him feel as liberated as he did the night he stepped into that swamp.

He sat up and fought the feeling of dizziness that seemed to accompany the action before stepping to the ground. With an arm around Mitzy’s shoulder, they walked out of the room and headed to the street behind the hospital where Mitzy had left her car.

"Get into the trunk and I’ll drive you over to the house. Just hide out like you did last time, only this time I suggest you concentrate on only grabbing Desi. Leave Harry and her baby to me to deal with, am I making myself clear?" Mitzy helped him down the walkway praying that they didn’t run into anyone.

"I appreciate all that you are doing for me," Byron reached down to the chest and pulled the I.D. tags closer to his face so he could read them in the dark. "Mitzy Stein. So I hope you don’t take this the wrong way," he moved his arm back to her throat and tightened his grip. "I don’t know why you have taken me for some sort of trained monkey, but you are going to listen to me or we are going to part company. Of course you will be dead, but that doesn’t matter to me. Where’s your car?"

"Let me go."

The quick action of Byron letting her go came as such a surprise that it made Mitzy lose her balance for a split second, but she smiled at the way he had listened to her. It’s what made the slap come as such a surprise to her. The slap that was so hard, it did make her lose her footing dropping her to Byron’s feet.

"You don’t seem to be very bright, so let me explain this to you." Byron picked her up off the ground by her hair ignoring the pain it was causing in his broken arm and in his gut. "I’m giving the orders here, not you, so I ask again. Where is you car?"

"It’s over there," said Mitzy pointing to her vehicle. He smiled when he heard the quiver in her voice that told him she was crying. The pieces were starting to fit into place and it made him happy to be back in control.

"Good, Mitzy, you are doing good. I don’t want to hurt you so you might want to listen to what I’m saying and I won’t have to hit you again. You ready to listen now?"

"Yes."

"Again, good. The first thing we have to do is go to your place and get me something besides this rag to wear." They stopped at the passenger side of the car and Byron took the keys away from her to unlock the door. Before he got in he looked into the medical tray that Mitzy was carrying and pulled out a few items before tossing the whole thing into a trashcan by the car. "Get in and slide over to the driver’s side. Before you think of doing anything stupid let me tell you about a movie I once saw. This guy takes a syringe," Byron used his good arm and his teeth to tear open the package he had fished out of Mitzy’s tray. "Then he pulled back just like this, and injected air into the big vein in this other guy’s neck. I’m no doctor, but let me tell you, it fucked that guy up so bad he died."

Mitzy stopped moving when Byron pulled back the plunger and put the needle end to her neck. She had released a madman who had no intention of honoring their agreement. "Please don’t hurt me."

"I don’t want to, so don’t make me. That was Desi’s problem all along, driving me to do things I didn’t want but had to do, just to keep her in line. How about a nice drive honey? Let’s go to your place and hang out for a while."

"I can’t do that, I have to get back to work." The hit this time wasn’t a slap but a closed fisted punch that rattled her teeth.

"The words ‘can’t’ and ‘don’t’ have disappeared from your vocabulary, understood?" Mitzy nodded as she wiped the blood off her chin. Now it made perfect sense why he had been cuffed to the bed.

The two drove through mostly deserted streets, each with a very different goal in mind now. No one in Mitzy’s apartment building saw them coming in, the fact starting her tears again because in her mind it was the last chance she had coming out of this alive. When the door closed Byron threw her on the sofa and sat in the chair opposite her.

"Here is our problem, Mitzy, I need some clothes but I don’t trust you to go out alone. Call me crazy but I’m thinking you won’t be so willing to come back, so here’s what we are going to do." Byron gave her directions and sizes on what he needed and how they were going to get them. After they had left the hospital she noticed that he seemed to grow stronger by the hour, going without painkillers or sleep.

"Thank you, Julie, my brother is staying with me and they lost his luggage. He got sick and I didn’t want to leave him alone." Mitzy’s friend stood at the door with a couple of bags believing the story she was being told since Mitzy looked so ragged.

"Sure anytime, let me know if you need anything else."

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"Thanks, Mom, I think that I can take it from here. Harry is playing with the workmen today so I thought I would get some work done. There’s that big gallery that needs to be filled and Tony is after me to get going."

"Don’t tire yourself out, sweetie. You sure I can’t watch Jack for you?" June walked with Desi to the studio at the back of the property. She hadn’t seen it yet and Desi had offered to give her a tour while Bobbie sat with Mona.

"If you can pry him off of Harry, then he’s all yours. I’m glad you and Bobbie are enjoying him as much as Raul and Maria seem to be. The fact he will have so many people around him that love him, makes me happy. Have you two given any more thought to moving here again? I know that Bobbie’s family is in New York, but that seems so far away for us to build on what we have already." Desi took her mother’s hand as they walked through the garden in front of the studio. There was nothing growing now, but the gardeners came anyway to rake and clean out all the leaves and dead growth on the shrubs.

"We haven’t made any decisions yet, but anything is possible. I want to know my girls again and I think Bobbie does to. It has never mattered to her that neither you nor Rachel are her blood, she has loved you just like I have." The first thing she noticed about the room was the painting that hung at its center. Desi had never told her the story of the rocker, but it seemed to play an important part in their relationship. "Is that the old house?"

"No, can you believe the woman that used to live here just painted it from her imagination. Harry liked it so much she kept it, only it stayed out here instead of in the main house." Desi ran her finger along the cypress frame thinking of how Harry must have felt when she had seen it for the first time here in this room.

"Why.."

"Why, out here?" Desi finished for her mother getting her to nod. "Because she told me it would have killed her to see this everyday when she walked in from work. The old swing upstairs on the deck is the one from the old house. Harry bought it as a birthday present for me last year. It was the first place that she worked up the courage to kiss me and tell me she loved me, so it holds special memories for us."

"Your father was such a jerk honey, to let that girl get away from you. Not that I’m any better, I should have come back sooner, damn the consequences. I try to reconcile it now and I just can’t. A mother should never leave her children no matter what." June sat on the edge of Harry’s desk and put her hands over her face to hide her tears.

"I don’t sit and try to analyze that too much, mom, especially now that I have Jack, I just figure that you did the best you could at the time. The time for bitterness is passed, not that I ever had any for you."

"How could you not."

"Because I thought you were dead, and how could that be your fault. If you had stayed there was a chance that you would have never been happy after Bobbie left. In my case, Harry was always there even when we were apart. There isn’t one beating that I regret now that I’m here, and know that she waited for me because she couldn’t forget what we had together." Desi pulled her mother’s hands away from her face and kissed her on the cheek.

"That must have been some kiss you gave her." June smiled through her tears and gave thanks again that despite her, her children had turned out to be caring adults.

"There might have been some heavy petting involved too." Harry stood at the door with Jack asleep in the carrier on her chest.

"You remind me of a certain doctor I once knew a long time ago." June put her finger to her lips as if trying to remember the name.

"Tall?" Desi asked.

"Definitely tall," answered June.

"Good looking?"

"Yes, very."

"What happened to her?" asked Harry.

"I married her and she still makes me laugh just as much thirty years later. While there was a large part of my heart missing because I left my girls behind, the part that I had to live with, was very well taken care of. You remind me of a younger version of her. Always quick to point out the better part of life no matter how serious the circumstances. My daughter is lucky to have that, and you are lucky to have found someone who can appreciate how precious that is."

"Thanks." Harry leaned over her son and kissed her mother-in-law on the opposite cheek Desi had just graced with one. She then turned to Desi, "Are you going to be all right for a while baby?"

"What are you up to, doc?" Desi leaned in for her own kiss, which Harry gave willingly.

"Nothing, I just need to borrow the baby for a minute. I promise to return him in the same condition he is in now." June laughed when Harry gave her one more kiss and walked out without further explanation.

"And you’re saying, they never change?" Desi asked her mother.

"No, dear, they don’t, and that is the proverbial double edged sword of falling in love with them."

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"They are a lot alike aren’t they?"

"It’s scary, but it’s nice to know how one of them will turn out any way."

"Yeah, our life together has been quite the experience."

"So have you given my offer any more consideration?"

"You want me to make a decision like that without consulting with June first?" Bobbie sat back in the chair across from Harry’s. They were having a beer together in the new house Harry and Desi had gotten, talking over what Harry had proposed to her the day they had signed the papers on it.

"Okay, let me put it this way, if it was just your decision, what would it be?" Harry kissed the small head under her lips again drawing Bobbie’s attention to her grandson.

"You are shameless, you know that right?"

"So my wife tells me. Come on, you know you want to."

"You’re right, I do want to. It seems like the perfect solution and if you promise to protect me from the wrath of June, my answer is yes."

"You won’t regret this, I promise."

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"I’m already regretting it."

"What’s you’re stake in all of this? You know what I want, but I’m not getting what your interests are here. Wait a minute, you want the doctor, don’t you?" Byron got dressed in front of Mitzy, getting a kick when he took the hospital gown off and she saw he was naked.

"I just wanted to help you, and this is how you repay me."

"Don’t think so, baby, you are one of those queers aren’t you?"

"The term is lesbian, and that is none of your business. Finish getting dressed and get out of my house." He moved quickly for a man with only one mobile arm and a stab wound in his gut giving Mitzy a matching cut on the other side of her lip.

"I’m getting tired of telling you this, Mitzy," he said her name in almost a singy songy voice that she found annoying. "I am the one giving the orders here, not you, now get over here and help me with this stuff." He handed Mitzy the underwear he had found in the bag and looked at her like he dared her not to comply.

"You can forget it, I’m not touching you." Mitzy threw the underwear back in his face before considering the full extent of the consequences.

Byron took a deep breath and moved his head from side to side cracking the bones along his neck before grabbing Mitzy by the hair again. "I said put the fucking underwear on me before I show you what you are missing by being a fucking pervert." She dropped to her knees before him when he pushed her down and laughed when she turned her head from the sudden erection he had. Putting on the underwear had suddenly become not such a problem for her.

Once the jeans where in place and she had cut the shirt to fit around his cast, Byron asked her for some tape. Not wanting any repeat of the dressing incident, Mitzy opened one of the kitchen cabinets and took out a roll of silver duck tape. Her captor waved her to a chair in the living room and she sat without saying a word.

When she came to from the vicious blow to her face, Mitzy found her hands and feet taped to the chair with another piece of tape stuck over her mouth. Lifting her head she could see Byron taking a nap on her sofa looking like a friend that had stopped by to crash for the night. Mitzy put her head down thinking how she could get out of this mess she had created for herself when the phone rang making her jump from surprise.

"Mitzy, this is Catherine from the hospital. There was a detective here this morning looking for you. He had some questions about one of the prisoners down in the Angola building that has escaped. I’m sure you don’t know anything about that, but I would appreciate you calling me and telling me what happened to you last night. Dr. Albertson was quite upset that the tests on the list of patients he left weren’t performed. If I don’t hear from you, I will see you tonight." The machine shut off after Catherine hung up the phone and Mitzy could hear it rewinding.

Why in the world would the police know to question me? I didn’t leave anything behind that would have identified me, and I’ll just explain my absence on the fact I got sick and had to go. Mitzy was so busy trying to think of anything she had done wrong that would point to her having set Byron free that she didn’t notice his eyes opening.

"Mitzy’s been a bad girl. Not even twenty-four hours after going astray and the police want to question you already?" His question was meant to mock her since she couldn’t answer him from the tape over her mouth. "What’s going on behind those hazel eyes Mitzy girl, trying to figure out why the cops are on to you, or are you trying to think of ways to kill me?" He got off the sofa and bent down so their faces were inches apart before he took the end of the tape and pulled hard.

The pain was excruciating when the skin on the cuts on her lips pulled apart with the departing tape, but she tried not to scream. Part of it was not to give him the satisfaction of showing pain, and the other was not to cause any more pain if she made too much noise. "There is no way the police are going to figure out I helped you. It’s your word against mine, and look at me. Who’s going to believe you?"

"Clever, clever girl, you got me. You know what the problem with you women is?" He paced before her not really wanting an answer from her. "Your problem is, you look at a guy like me and think you are smarter than me because all I do is fix cars for a living. All this modern crap about going out and working, achieving independence and finding yourselves, that’s what it is — a load of crap. Desi knew where to find herself, in the bedroom or in my kitchen. It’s not that complicated really, but a woman like you who thinks she has bigger balls than I do you are no different. You are as fucking stupid as the rest of them. Where is that special little key you brought with you genius?"

It was like a cold front that had started in her head and settled in the pit of her stomach. The realization that she didn’t need to reach into her pocket to confirm was true. She had put the key down on the table next to Byron’s bed to help him sit up and hadn’t put it back into her pocket. Would the man at the army supply store that had sold it to her remember her?

"Come on, partner, we are going for a little drive." Mitzy looked outside and saw that the sun had gone down again. If they were going to Harry’s and she found out Mitzy had helped Bryon escape, the doctor would never give her another opportunity to have a life with her. "Oh, and look at what I found while you were taking your little nap in the chair." Mitzy looked at the object in horror, things had suddenly taken a turn for the worse if that was possible.

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"Where did you get that?"

"A little bird gave it to me. I was thinking of framing it and putting it in my office. What do you think?" Harry asked as she held up an old photo of a naked Desi sitting in a tub of water.

"I’m thinking that if you want a close up view of that same butt, you are going to hand that over to me right now." Holding Jack to her breast with one hand, Desi snapped her fingers with the other hand to get the incriminating evidence from Harry.

"You are no fun."

"I was just going to put it next to the one of you running naked through the front yard in our photo album that your mother gave me. Stop pouting and hand it over, doc, it’s for your own good."

"How do you figure?"

"The sooner you give it up, the sooner you can come over here and hold the two of us," offered Desi. Harry handed the photograph over and moved behind Desi on the bed and took her into her arms. They didn’t hear the door open because of the kiss they were sharing and both of them jumped a little at the voice.

"Isn’t this a cozy family picture?

"What are you doing here?" asked Harry moving to cover Desi’s chest.

"I was checking on my patient oh rude one, and I thought I would see if the princess needed anything before I went home. Can I kiss the little guy good night?"

"Tony, a word of advice my friend, never separate a Basantes from a nipple under any circumstance. If you do, you do it at your own risk. Oof." Harry looked down at the woman who had just given her an elbow to the midsection.

"Are you sure she isn’t a man?"

"I’m sure, pumpkin, though her fascination with football leaves room for doubt." Desi laughed at the sour looks Tony and Harry were exchanging, ending with Harry sticking her tongue out at him. "Good night, Uncle Tony, come and kiss your favorite Basantes good bye."

Tony drove to the gate and stopped to check for oncoming traffic. He punched in his home number to see if Kenneth had made it home yet when he saw the car coming down the street, slow down and pull up in front of the Basantes home that was being renovated.

His own voce in his ear made him tear his attention away from the street for a moment. "Damn, I wonder if he’s screening calls or if he’s still at the hospital?" Tony talked to the steering wheel while he waited for the message to finish playing.

"Hey are you home?" He tapped his finger on the back of the phone waiting for Kenneth to pick up. The beep sounded in his ear signaling the end of his time to leave any further message. Tony turned his head back to traffic remembering the car that was still parked on the street.

The people were still sitting inside just looking at the brick fence seemingly not talking. There was just something about them that made Tony drive around the block to get a better look. St. Charles was one of the most visited streets in the city because of the grand homes, the park and Tulane University, but there were no attractions near Harry and Desi’s home. It was one of the larger homes granted, but the twelve-foot solid brick fence was a good privacy barrier from the outside world.

"Who are you?" The rest of the question died in Tony’s throat when he looked at the woman’s face. She looked so familiar to him, but her name eluded his memory.

Mitzy watched the car that pulled out of the neighbor’s gate turn around and come back. When the man slowed and looked at her, she recognized him and for a brief happy moment she thought he was going to stop. Instead he kept driving and turned a few blocks down.

"Hi, sweetie, could you put Harry on the phone for me? No, I promise it’s not to tease her anymore, I just forgot to tell her something." Tony had pulled into his own driveway ready for a bath, but the memory of that woman’s bruised face kept coming back to haunt him. So instead of giving in to his lazier side, he turned around again and headed back to the house.

"Hey, Tony, what can I do for you?"

"Are you on the mobile phone?"

"A strange question, but yes I am. What’s up?" Harry moved out of the bedroom not liking the tone of Tony’s voice.

"I was leaving and I saw this car pull over and park in front of the house next door. Wait let me finish," Tony interjected knowing Harry was about to say something flip. "The woman driving had some humdinger bruises on her face and she looked vaguely familiar to me."

"Bruises like she had been in an accident?"

"Bruises like she met up with the wrong end of a fist, if I had to guess from looking at her split lip anyway. I’m on my way back there now to sit with Desi and the baby if you want to go and check it out." Harry saw the beam of his headlights as she moved further away from the bedroom. There was something wrong she just knew it.

"Your parents aren’t home are they?" The thought had just occurred to Tony as he put his car in park and pulled the door open.

"Shit, come on." Harry walked back to the bedroom followed by Tony. The argument was inevitable, but Harry wasn’t going to back down. "Baby, Tony is going to stay with you for a little bit while I go next door to check on a few things."

"Why, what’s wrong?"

"Nothing’s wrong, he just saw some people parked out front that didn’t look like they belonged there and I’m going to see what’s what. You two stay here and I’ll call you as soon as I figure out who they are." Harry kissed Desi’s cheek before sitting to put her shoes on.

"I’m coming with you." Desi moved as well, intent on getting dressed to join her partner on her little walk.

"No, you’re not, and don’t look at me like that, this isn’t up for debate. I’ll have my phone so I’ll call if I need any help." Harry left after she tried to kiss Desi again, but the small woman had turned her face in anger.

"Sweetie, don’t get mad at her, she’s just looking out for you and the baby." Tony patted Desi’s shoulder trying to ease some of the tension in her body. Does stress curdle breast milk? Tony pondered the question wondering too if Desi was going to talk at all.

"I do not appreciate being treated like a child, not even by Harry. What good is all this talk about me becoming my own person, if when it counts I have to roll over and go along with what she says?"

"Desiree, I want you to stop now and consider what you are saying, and who you are saying it about. Because if you repeat that in front of her, you will never be able to take those words back no matter how many times you apologize.

People like Harry are a rare breed. They charge through life cutting away the obstacles for the rest of us to follow, but she does it to make your path easier, not because she chooses it for you. If you want to go in another direction then pick up your cane knife and have at it, and after an hour you will realize how nice her way is."

"I didn’t mean it as an insult."

"I know that, sweetheart, but think of how she’ll take it if you express it when you’re angry. Kenneth is the same way, so I understand what you mean, but his motives and hers are the same. They love us, so they leave us out of the struggle. It doesn’t mean that we still don’t have to walk our own path, because believe me they won’t carry us. The other part of this truth, I think, is that she gets afraid sometimes."

"Afraid of what?" Desi started to feel better, but the worry eating at her gut wasn’t abating.

"That she will lose you again, only now with Jack, it’s double jeopardy."

"That will never happen and you know it," said Desi.

"But does she?" The phone rang cutting through the silence Tony’s question had created and they both jumped at the sound.

"Desi?" The male voice asked her name as soon as she picked up the phone. Desi felt so sick she slumped into Tony when she figured out who it was. The only question was, what did he want?

"Yes?"

"Desi, is Harry at home with you?"

"No, why?" Tony was about to take the phone away from Desi if she got any paler.

"I don’t want to alarm you, but we think someone at the hospital helped Byron escape." Roger leaned out the car window a little and attached the flashing blue light to the roof of the sedan he was driving.

"I don’t understand what you just said. He tried to escape?"

"I’m sorry, Desi, he did escape. We are just trying to run down his accomplice. The shits heading the investigation waited ‘til’ an hour ago to inform my partner and me because of our connection to the case. There’s nothing to lead us to believe that he will be stupid enough to go back there Desi, and he’s hurt."

"That’s the problem with the police, Roger, they seem to overestimate Byron’s stupidity leaving him a step a head of you." The dial tone in his ear made him step harder on the gas.

"Where are you going, and what’s going on?" Desi’s demeanor and her tears were scaring Tony and he was at a loss hearing her short answered side of the phone conversation.

"Stay here with Jack, I have to go." Tony picked up the sleeping baby carefully not wanting to wake him. Making a quick decision he headed to Mona’s room.

"Don’t ask me any questions, but just try and not move around a whole lot and he should continue sleeping. Call Kenneth and tell him to come over here as soon as he can." Tony laid Jack by Mona’s side and piled pillows around him so he couldn’t fall off the bed. The front door of the house closing made him move faster, if he lost Desi, Harry was sure to kill him.

"Who do we have here?" asked Mona quietly as she put her hand on Jack’s back.

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"Where did they go?" The quiet of the street didn’t answer her question so Harry walked to the corner to see if she saw anyone walking to one of the other houses. When Harry was walking back to the gate she heard someone stumble on the other side of her fence.

She had walked next door wanting it to look like to the people in the car Tony had seen that she was just out for some exercise. It wasn’t hard to find since it was the only car parked on her block, the only problem was it was empty. The walk to the corner was equal parts to satisfy her curiosity and to walk off her hurt feelings when Desi had spurned her affections. It was the first time it had ever happened since they had gotten back together. Maybe she had overreacted and should have let Desi come with her. That thought disappeared when she heard the slight moan coming from whoever had fallen.

Harry moved to a spot along the fence where she could get a foothold up to the top not wanting to take the time to walk all the way back to the gate. From her perch she looked over their yard spotting the two intruders in the part of the garden she and Desi had shared their picnic all those months ago. It was dark enough that she couldn’t see their faces but from the outline it was a man and a woman.

"You fall again and you ain’t gettin’ up without the help of a big black bag covering you up." Byron pulled Mitzy to her feet for the fourth time since they had stepped into the yard. It was when he turned to pull her up that Harry’s blood ran cold. The cast he was wearing left little doubt to who he was without having to see his face.

"Papi, I am not going to repeat this so listen to me very carefully. Take Mami and Desi’s parents into one of the bedrooms and lock the door. Once you are all safe call the police and tell them that Byron Simoneaux is out in the yard of the house." Harry whispered into the phone while watching Byron walk along the garden like he was lord of the manor.

"Where are you, Harry, the police have been calling here trying to get in touch with you?"

"I’m on the top of the fence outside watching him move around. He doesn’t seem to be moving toward the house and he has a woman with him. Try and get in touch with Roger and tell him not to shoot me by accident when he gets here." She stopped talking when Byron and his lady friend reached a small teak table and chairs Desi had put out in the yard before the end of the summer.

"You can come down anytime you chose, but try and not take too long. I have pressing engagements I have to get to." Byron issued the invitation after looking in the direction Harry was sitting on the wall.

"Color me, surprised." Harry dropped down into her yard like a big cat falling from a high branch after a nap. "I didn’t think I made that much noise climbing my fence?"

"You didn’t, I saw your shadow in the yard and sat here to count my blessings. Seems God loves me after all like the song says. Come on, Harry, is it?"

"You can call me Dr. Basantes."

"I’ll call you whatever makes me happy, so sit down. I have someone here that is dying to see you. It was the least I could do after she helped me get out of the piss hole you left me in to recover." Mitzy became more afraid of Harry than Byron when the doctor looked at her from where she had dropped from the wall. The blue eyes had acclimated to the dark so there was no mistaking Mitzy, even with the cuts and bruises.

"Why are you here again, Bryon? Desi and the baby are gone. You have your freedom and someone to share it with I see, why not go forth and enjoy it?" Harry sat in the chair opposite him and put her hands on the smooth wooden top.

"I don’t mind going back to jail, even if the only way I will ever leave there after this little outing is in a pine box. Hell I parked right in front, no hiding this time around." For the first time Harry had known this man, he was dead calm. Almost like the eye of a hurricane since you knew the fury wasn’t too far below the surface.

"I told you, Desi and the baby are gone. Feel free to check the house if you like." Harry waved her hand to the structure behind them in invitation.

"No, I think this will do just fine. I didn’t come for Desi or your little bastard kid, I came to talk to you."

"You are wasting your time if you think that I will be baited into another conversation about Desi with you, it isn’t going to happen. If that’s what you came for, then you will leave to go back to jail disappointed." Byron looked at her hands spread out on the table; they looked like surgeon’s hands. The skin looked smooth and the nails were clipped neat and short. The silent question of whether Desi liked the way they felt on her naked skin made him close his eyes for a moment. All of a sudden Byron felt tired.

"There will be no fight this time, no argument about who she belongs to, just a solution to my problem. Don’t worry it is easy and it will be fast."

"What problem do you have, Byron?"

"You. You are my problem. You were there when I got married. You were there when I tried to make love to my wife. You were always there in her mind. She never forgot you, that should make you happy."

"Will it make it easier for you, if I told you I never forgot her?"

"Not really. What is it about you that women love so much? This one helped me thinking I would come over here and kill my wife so that you would be easy pickings for her." Bryon nodded his head toward Mitzy who sat quietly next to him. There were tears rolling down her cheeks because she knew what he had in mind to do, and it was making her sick. "You have her creaming in her pants."

"You are such a poet, I can’t believe you ever had problems attracting women." Harry was waiting for the punch line, any movement from him that would tell her what he was up to.

"I asked you a question, answer it."

"I love women, Byron, and all of the ones I’ve known can tell you that they never feared me. I never raised my hand to one, and I left them to be who they wanted to be. But for all the ones that have shared pieces of my life, they were only stand ins for the one I wanted. Desi is the one that has my heart and it doesn’t matter if she is in or out of my life, for her to always own it. I love her no matter what, even when she doesn’t listen to me." Byron never saw the slight flicker of her attention to the trees behind him. If he hadn’t been sitting there, the first thing Harry would have done was fuss because Desi wasn’t wearing a coat.

"Women like Desi don’t know what they want. They go through life hurting other people because they don’t know how to love. That’s how she treated me and now it’s time to punish her." There would be no more waiting for him to make his move it was done with stunning conviction. The gun looked so black against his pale skin.

Check mate. For the first time in her life, Harry felt true fear, and for the first time in his life Byron had played it right. In her seated position Harry would never reach his hand in time to change the bullet’s path from her head. "Any last words?" Byron asked her as he pulled back on the hammer.

"There is nothing to say that my wife doesn’t already know. I love her and our son, and I’m sorry I failed you. Don’t forget that you will never be alone, but think of our little boy now. He needs one of us." Her eyes never left Byron’s face, but she was addressing the woman behind him, the woman that was now crying and being held back by Tony.

"Touching, if Desi ever contacts me I’ll make sure she knows."

The shot was so loud that Mitzy covered her ears, and the blood was everywhere. From her position, Desi closed her eyes and fell back into Tony and just sat stunned. The first thought that crossed her mind when she heard the gun go off was not to what Harry had just said to her, but to her turning away from Harry’s kiss not an hour before. Desi closed her eyes not to stop the tears that had started, but to wipe out what she had just seen.

Harry was gone and she had just watched it happen. How could she face Jack when he asked about the woman that he looked so much like?

"Desi, honey, look at me." Tony’s voice sounded so far away, and she didn’t want to open her eyes again to see what Byron had done. "Please, Desi, you’re scaring me."

"I can’t."

"You can’t what, baby?" It was her imagination Desi was sure of it. The feel of Tony’s body felt so different, it felt so much like Harry’s. She wanted to never wake up from this if it was just a dream, if it was the only way she could have Harry back.

"I can’t look at her like that, I don’t want to remember her like that."

"I’m right here, baby, open your eyes for me." Desi obeyed the gently command, finding her vision blurry from all the tears. The tears turned into sobs when she felt the lips touch against hers, and this time she didn’t turn away.

"But I saw him shoot," said Desi a little confused as to what had happened.

"His shot went a little off target when someone else’s bullet tore into him first, his just grazed my neck a nick." Desi ran her fingers over the small cut on Harry’s neck trying to wipe away the blood she found. "Did you two come packing heat or something?"

"That would have been me," said Oscar, Roger’s partner. He still had his weapon and his eyes drawn on the slumped body about twenty feet away from them waiting to see if there would be any further movement.

"Thanks, Oscar, I owe you one." Harry let go of Desi and moved to Byron. Nothing would have made her happier than to find him dead, but the years of training kicked in.

The bullet had entered through the shoulder of his broken arm, and Byron was alive but not conscious. Beside him Mitzy appeared to be in shock as to what had happened. Harry and Kenneth laid the injured man on the ground after Roger had removed and bagged the gun still clutched in his hand. When the ambulance arrived Harry started to take Desi up to the house to wait for the police. She wanted an explanation as to why Byron and Mitzy were sitting in their yard with a loaded weapon.

"Harry." Mitzy’s voice wasn’t very strong but it stopped the surgeon cold.

"Is there something you want?"

"I didn’t mean any harm. I just thought he sounded so sincere when he said he wanted to talk to his wife again before he turned himself in." Roger and Oscan both listened to what the woman was saying, trying to figure out how she fit in with Byron.

"You saw me when I arrived at the hospital with an almost shattered leg, and you can stand there and say, you meant no harm? You lying, bitch! Just for the record Mitzy, I am not married to Byron any more." Desi stopped talking and picked up Harry’s hand. "I am married, only it’s to her. Deal with it."

"Harry?" Mitzy’s second call went unanswered as Harry led Desi away to the house followed by Kenneth and Tony. The two men that remained by her side were interested in speaking with her.

By the end of the night both Byron and Mitzy were in custody facing a long list of charges, and the young Basantes couple walked back to their new house confident that they were now safe from Byron. Jack was still asleep next to Mona, and the woman didn’t ask what had happened after seeing the haunted look on Desi’s face.

"Baby, this is not your fault, stop beating yourself up over tonight. We are both here, Jack’s safe and Byron is gone." Harry moved behind Desi and put her hands on her shoulders. After feeding Jack, Desi had walked to the large bank of widows that overlooked the yard and seemed lost in her own nightmare.

"It wasn’t that long ago that we thought Byron was gone for good and look what happened." Desi turned around in Harry’s embrace and put her fingers over the bandage Kenneth had put on her partner’s neck before he and Tony had left.

"The fact Byron escaped twice - yes I’m not forgetting that - is in my opinion an anomaly. An anomaly that is certain to never occur again, but if you let yourself get bogged down in possibilities, you can miss out on so much living." Harry kissed her and walked over to the bassinet where Jack was sleeping. They had decided to put off his move for another couple of days.

It’s so hard to do that," said Desi as she pulled Jack’s blanket up to cover him better.

"Baby, William James once said ‘Life is worth living…since it is what we make it.’ This is the life we are making." Harry waved her hand around her ending up with it resting on the bassinet. "A life that has so many things to look forward to. Think of us raising children, going to your openings and just waking up together until the chapter of this life comes to an end years from now."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

"Then come on, doc, let’s start on a new page of our story." Desi led Harry toward the bed, unbuttoning her shirt as they walked. It felt good to come out the winner in these situations. Desi thanked whatever deity listening for the path Byron’s bullet had taken. As he sat in jail, he could use its trajectory as the definition of all his actions against her and Harry. Close enough to do a little harm, but not close enough to cause pain. Not anymore.

Part 11

Four months later Harry and Desi found themselves back in court to witness Byron’s sentencing. They had only attended the new trial on the days they both had to testify. To Harry, it was a moot point considering the amount of time he had gotten the first time around.

The main thing that made them feel better through the process was a call they had gotten from Garret Miller, the warden at Angola. He gave them assurances that his staff would do whatever was possible to not have a repeat of what had happened.

"Please rise." Desi looked at the man she had been married to as he struggled to get out of his chair. The arm that was now out of the cast, hung useless at his side. Oscar’s bullet had caused such extensive damage that he would probably never regain function of it again. That coupled with his reintroduction to the prison system gave him an almost ashen appearance.

"Mr. Simoneaux, I honestly did not expect to see you in my courtroom so soon. I guess you answered the question of how you would handle parole if you had gotten it, quite succinctly." Judge Carleton Reaper leaned back in his black leather chair and looked at Byron. The defendant had done them all a favor and plead guilty half way through the proceedings, understanding that there was no way in avoiding the inevitable. "Having plead guilty to the litany of charges I sentence you to thirty five years. My suggestion is that you find a way to become a more productive member of the human race with this extra time, sir."

With a wrap of the gavel it was over and Byron was led away. Before he disappeared through the door he turned and looked at the woman standing next to Harry. She was so different from the mouse he had married. Desi looked him straight on and arched her brow with a defiance that told him he would never touch her again, even if there were no bars separating them.

"Want to take a ride with me?" Harry held out her hand in invitation to Desi. Desi and Tony had been working hard on both the house and the studio to get them ready, it was time to take a day off.

"I’ll follow you anywhere, honey, you know that." Desi did just that, never looking back toward Byron. The only thing making her sad at the moment was the fact her mother and Bobbie had gone home along with Harry’s parents six weeks prior. They called often enough, but it wasn’t the same.

There was a van parked outside the courthouse waiting for them, which Desi thought was rather odd, but kept her opinion silent. After a short drive they stopped in one of the city’s housing developments. In front of one of the buildings sat a woman in a wheelchair looking as confused as Desi.

"Desi, I want you to meet Diana Lagrie. Diana, this is my partner Desi." Harry waited for the two to shake hands before releasing the brake on Diana’s chair. At least the van made more sense to Desi now.

"I’m glad to meet you at last, Diana. I feel I already know you after hearing about you from Harry. How do you feel?" Desi asked as she walked beside Diana as they made their way to the van.

"I feel wonderful, and I have Dr. Harry to thank for it. Look what I can do now." Diana moved her feet a little to show Harry her progress. "You live with a saint, I hope you realize that?" Diana asked Desi.

"She is the best thing going, I have to agree. Now I just want to know where we are going?"

"I thought we would take Diana out for a drive, get her out of the house for a little while." The face Desi was giving her told Harry her explanation was not believable.

The driver followed almost the same route to where they had started; only now he parked at the back of the courthouse. Diana’s face lit up thinking Harry had brought her to visit Tyrell who was still being housed in the New Orleans jail until his case was concluded.

Harry wheeled Diana out of the van but didn’t move her any closer to the gate. "Aren’t we going in, honey?" When the door clanked, signaling someone had unlocked it, it slid open answering Desi’s question.

Tyrell walked out wearing a new outfit Harry had provided, and came to kneel by his sister. Big hands wiped away his sister’s tears ignoring his own as the two enjoyed their reunion. Desi leaned against Harry and smiled as the siblings pulled each other into a fierce embrace.

"Did you have anything to do with this, doc?" Desi looked up to Harry and leaned in for a kiss.

"You can thank the talents of our fabulous attorney for the happy reunion you see before you. We owe him dinner for this one."

Tyrell stood up and faced the person he considered to be his benefactor. Harry didn’t let go of Desi, both waiting to hear what was on his mind.

"I don’t have words to express how grateful I am to you. The fact you were willing to look passed my mistakes, the old ones and the not so old ones, is a blessing for us." Tyrell held up his and his sister’s hand to show who he meant when he said us. Because of Harry he would be able to take care of her now. "I will work for the rest of my life to repay all that you have done for us."

"You don’t owe me anything, just take care of your family and that will be thanks enough for the both of us. You two get going, and don’t be late on Monday." Tyrell smiled at her last statement and moved closer to the two women. He hugged Harry first then looked shyly toward Desi. She didn’t hesitate in holding her arms out.

"Thank you for showing up when you did that night. Mona and I really appreciate it," said Desi as she hugged Tyrell closer. Looking back at Harry she asked, "What happens on Monday?"

"Tyrell starts his new job at the hospital as a transporter in the surgery suites at Charity," answered Harry.

"The orthopedic suites, I assume?" Desi shook her head at Harry. When her partner was grateful it could be a life changing experience for someone.

"You assume correctly, pumpkin, now let’s move out. You two be good, and congratulations, Tyrell, enjoy you hard earned freedom."

Harry and Desi watched the van pull away with two laughing people inside before they walked back to their car. Desi looked back at the prison and sighed. There was someone else in there who could use their help, but maybe this wasn’t the time to bring it up.

"Jerry said he would take him on as a client, but he wasn’t making any promises. He has his part in that night to thank for me thinking he deserves a break. Does that answer your question?" Harry squeezed the small hand in hers getting Desi to look at her.

"I didn’t ask you anything."

"But you were thinking it."

"Mike’s arrival did give Rachel the opportunity to get Jack out of there," Desi pointed out.

"That’s why we are going to help him, my love. He is the one redeeming factor of the Simoneaux family." Harry looked her watch gauging if they had enough time for lunch before Desi had to feed Jack again. The baby had started on formula and cereal as well since Desi was going to start weaning him at six months.

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

"The movers are on their way. You want to walk next door to give directions on that end, while I hang back here and supervise?" Tony was pushing Desi out the front door to get her to the finished house next door. It had taken over six months but everyone was pleased with the results.

"Did Harry say when the realtor was coming?"

"Tomorrow when the house is empty." Tony pointed to the door as he tapped his foot.

"I’m going, call Mona and let her know I’m on my way. That will give her a chance to stop whatever activity she is doing to spoiling my son rotten."

Desi and Tony had split their time between the house and the studio helping Stephen transform both. In another couple of weeks they would be open for business and Desi was looking forward to it. Not only would the grand opening be a chance for people to see her new pieces, but also her parents were coming down for a two-week visit. The fact the house was finished meant they would have plenty of room if Maria and Raul could make it up from Florida.

"Hey, handsome." Desi stooped and tickled Jack who was sitting at Mona’s feet in the new kitchen. His doting nanny had completely recovered and spent her days chasing the now very mobile Jack around both houses.

"You did tell the fruitcake to behave himself around all those big burly moving men, right?"

"I figured I would let him have a little fun after all the hours he put in here." Desi winked getting Mona to laugh. Their lives had gotten back to such a normal routine that Desi had all but forgotten the events of both Byron’s escapes. Any sign that Byron had invaded their home had been removed helping her erase the man from her thoughts. "Did Harry call?"

"You just missed her, but she wished us luck and said she would be home by six, or until we are finished."

Before lunch Tony locked the door of the empty house and headed next door to help Desi. When he stepped through the gates next door, he could see the movers unloading the first couple of pieces. The truck parked a couple of blocks away waited until Tony was out of sight before moving closer.

"Done?" Harry walked through the door at six, finding three tired adults and one energetic baby.

"Yes, even you underwear is in the right place." Mona stuck her tongue out at Harry as picked Jack up.

"Let me take a shower, then I’ll take you all out to dinner." Harry handed Jack to Mona and made her way upstairs. When they got back she had a surprise for Desi that would make her forget how tired she was.

When they come home from their celebratory dinner, Harry turned to Mona as the got out of the car. "Go on in, Mona, I want to take my girl out for a walk." Mona waved at them as she entered the house. Jack was happy beating on Harry’s head but Desi looked dead on her feet.

"Can’t we go tomorrow? Come on, Harry, the yard hasn’t changed all that much since we’ve been next door."

"I want to show you something that has changed since we’ve been next door." Harry pulled the whining woman toward her studio at the back of the property. Instead of continuing their walk toward the dark building, Harry head toward a tarp hanging over the brick fence. "Go on, pull it down."

Desi did as Harry asked. She had walked by it for days just thinking Stephen’s guys had forgotten it. When it was lying at her feet it revealed a gate that had been cut into the solid structure connecting their yard with the one to the house they had moved out of that morning.

"I don’t get it? Why would you want to give whoever buys the house, access to our yard? Desi looked back still holding a corner of the tarp in her hand.

"Let’s try it out, I’m thinking you might find it will come in handy."

The house was ablaze with lights making Desi frown thinking that Tony had left them all on when he had locked up earlier. Harry handed Desi her key so she could open the back door stepping back with Jack. To her surprise Desi found furniture in the house, furniture she didn’t recognize.

"Harry, you goober, let’s get out of here before we get shot." Desi backed up into the tall body behind her.

"Nah, the new owners invited us over for coffee." Harry pointed toward the den as she tried to get her hair out of Jack’s strong little hands.

Desi couldn’t help the tears that started when she saw them. June and Bobbie looked just as tired as she did from all the unpacking they had been doing all afternoon. The back rooms were still full of boxes but Bobbie had taken a break to get a tour of Charity from Harry and Kenneth.

"I hope those tears mean you are happy to see us?" June had gotten the surprise of her life when Bobbie had informed her that they were moving to New Orleans because of a deal she had struck with their daughter-in-law. Harry had offered Bobbie the house months before knowing that both Rachel and Desi wanted their parents closer than New York.

"Oh my God, I can’t believe you are here. Does this mean you are here to stay?" Desi ran to both of them and hugged them as hard as she could.

"I hope so, because I’m too old to move again," said Bobbie. Harry watched her new co-worker walk towards her thinking she was going to greet her too, when Bobbie just removed Jack from her arms. "Hey there, my boy, you are getting so big."

"Hi, Harry, ignore the rude one there." June did offer Harry a hug and a kiss hello.

"That’s ok, she did kiss me earlier when I took her for a tour of her new digs at the hospital. Kenneth is thrilled Bobbie is joining his team soon. They are always over booked at those clinics, so I’m sure they will appreciate the help."

With their son safely in the arms of his grandmothers, Desi walked over to a smug looking Harry. No words were necessary between them, Harry had made all her dreams come true and she deserved a reward for that. June and Bobbie picked up the bag Harry had brought over earlier with Jack’s things in it and left their two daughters alone. They doubted they even remembered the three of them were also in the house when Desi pulled Harry’s head down for a kiss.

"I love you, Harry, with all that I am and all that I ever hope to be."

"I love you too, baby, and I look forward to the journey."

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

The house was full of activity, as people got ready to drive to the studio that Desi and Tony were opening that night. They had worked hard, but it had paid off as the old building looked like the show place they hoped it would be for a long time to come.

The floors had been sanded and refurbished, along with the plumbing and wiring. New modern light fixtures accentuated all of the art now housed on the shelves and display cases, but they mixed in well with the exposed brick walls and other features of the old space they had kept. The only thing it needed now were people to respond to the invitations they had sent out.

Desi stepped out of the shower and wondered where Harry had disappeared. It had been great having coffee with her mother every morning before she got to work. When she could, Rachel would join them, and in just two short weeks they had gotten to know their mother better. Both coming to appreciate the choices the woman had made and why she had made them. Bobbie’s plans of only working part time had evaporated after a week when she saw the need for more doctors in the pediatric clinics Kenneth was responsible for. June laughed when she told her girls that it had made her partner feel like a young intern again, working along side and training the future doctors in the city.

After slipping on her black mini dress, Desi followed Harry’s voice out to the veranda. She stopped just inside the doors listening to the story she was telling Jack. The subject matter made the gift she had for Harry even more meaningful.

"Months ago on a night just like this one your mother had her first showing. Before we left I gave her a ring that was a symbol of all that she meant to me. You see, Jack, for years I had lost her to life’s little melodrama, but I waited and she came back to me like a gift from the heavens.

When I saw her again after all that time, it was like she had never gone away. She was beautiful and loving just like I had remembered her. And you know what?"

Jack looked up at his mother and grinned. "Doccy."

"That’s me, buddy, Doccy. Back to my story, after all that time she still loved me. Now that you are here, it makes this little kingdom of ours just perfect." Harry kissed Jack on the top of his head and pushed the swing gently into motion.

"Is this a private party, or can I come and join the two of you?" Desi stepped out and got a wolf whistle out of Harry and two little hands waving her forward.

"Mama."

"See, what did I tell you, beautiful," said Harry. She patted the seat next to here looking at the box in Desi’s hands. "What you got there, pretty lady?"

"I seem to remember when I asked you for help in opening a studio, that you all you asked in return was for me to name a bowl after you. After weeks of trying to come up with an original design and having them all collapse on me, I decided on a different approach." Desi held the box running her finger along the ribbon holding it closed, but didn’t make a move to hand it to Harry.

"You didn’t have to go to all that trouble, my love."

"Yes I did. You are my world, Harry, you and Jack. I will never feel lacking again, when I do, I try to see myself through your eyes and it makes me feel like I can conquer the world. There is so much I love to wake up to now, because the first thing I see every morning is you." Desi leaned over and kissed Harry then Jack when the baby let out another cry for his mama.

Desi handed Harry the box in exchange for Jack. She watched as the long fingers untied the ribbon and lifted the top. Inside rested a square ceramic bowl with a top. Similar to the one that Harry kept in her office, the top had a handprint pressed into the clay. Desi’s first creation as a child had been a gift for Harry, this time the small handprint belonged to Jack. Under the hand Desi had carved out ‘To Our Doccy.’ The small potter had found it amusing that the baby had picked up on one of her pet names for Harry and expanded on it. He had heard his mama call his favorite playmate doc on more than one occasion, and he had simply adopted it as his name for Harry.

"Thank you, sweetheart, it’s beautiful." Harry held the blue glazed piece up to the light smiling at the fact she could now keep a little of Jack’s baby years forever.

"It’s a special bowl, just for you." Harry looked at her wondering what Desi meant. "Take the lid off."

When Harry did she laughed at Desi’s sentimentality. Inside was the home pregnancy stick she had given Harry as an anniversary present when they found out about Jack.

"Thanks, I don’t know that I needed a special bowl for this, but I love it just the same. You see this, Jack, this is how I first found out about you." Harry held the white plastic piece just out of his reach and smiled.

"Actually this is the pregnancy stick I gave you for that, honey." Desi pulled another one identical to the one in Harry’s hand out of the bottom of the box. This one had Jack’s name and birth date written on it.

"You didn’t tell me you took two of these. You wanted to be sure?"

"No, just the one for Jack." Desi waited for her meaning to sink in. It was the reason that she had taken Jack out of Harry’s arms.

"But, why are there two of them then?" Harry’s brows came together not getting the meaning of the thing in her hand.

"This one is for Jack, honey," Desi held up the one in her hand. "And that one was the one I used this morning after you left to run errands."

"We…."

"Yes we are." The rest of the adults in the house stopped what they were doing when they heard the loud yell come from the last bedroom down the hall. Even Bobbie and June stopped as they walked through the gate from next door.

A short time later, Harry herded her family toward the waiting cars outside. In the kitchen she stopped and listened to the anchorman read the teaser for the ten o’clock news. "Coming up at ten. Can flossing save you from impotency? Stay tuned and find out."

"That’s news I can live with." She walked out and helped Desi into the front seat, leaning in to kiss her before heading to the driver’s side.

"Hey, you have the rest of your lives for that, let’s getting going." Bobbie voice did not break them apart getting June to laugh and lean in for her own kiss from her family doctor.

"Truer words were never spoken, grandma," Harry answered Bobbie then turned back to Desi. "I love you."

"Thank you, it is the reason I believe in forever."

The End.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

Part 9

Part 10

Part 11