Part 3
Cassy laid back in bed and watched the hospital's 24 hour channel. She
didn't feel like changing the channel so she stared at two doctors
discussing the hazards of eating too much salt. She closed her eyes
and again wondered where Tom was.
Cassy opened her eyes when she heard knocking. She adjusted her bed to a
sitting position.
The door opened and Tom's head peeked around the door. "Oh good, you're
awake." He came in and closed the door behind him.
Seeing him made her smile. "It's about time you got here. What could
be more important than visiting me?"
He matched her smile. "Buying you presents." He sat a tote bag on
the bed.
"You're forgiven. What did you bring me?" She reached for the bag,
but he moved it away.
"Not so fast. They are from me so I get the pleasure of giving them to
you."
She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "All right. Go ahead. I'm
waiting."
He laughed. "You make this so easy." He reached inside and pulled out a
teddy bear."
She grabbed it and hugged it. "He's beautiful. What else did you bring?"
He reached into the bag and pulled out four mystery books. She took them
and read over their titles. "I haven't read these. This is great. What
else?"
"I bet you were a delight on your birthday, weren't you?"
"Never mind that. What else is in the bag?"
He put the bag on the floor and sat down in the chair beside her. "Cassy,
we need to talk."
Cassy's smile evaporated when she saw Tom's serious expression. "Oh?
What about?"
He took her hand. "Something happened yesterday...to me. When I thought
that you might die, it did something to me. It made me realize some
things."
Cassy was nervous. She had never seen him act like this before. "What
things?"
He positioned himself so they were eye to eye. "Cassy, I love you. And
in case you're not comprehending the vastness of what I am saying, let me
say it another way, I am in love with you."
Cassy was stunned. She blinked once.
"Say something will you?" The confidence he felt this morning was slowly
disappearing.
"Tom, I know that the past couple of days must have been rough on you. I
know that if it were you instead of me lying in this hospital bed, I'd be
feeling all sorts of things."
Tom stood up. "This is not about what happened yesterday. Okay, maybe it
has a little to do with what happened."
"See?"
He sat on the bed and leaned in so that they were nose to nose. "Me
loving you didn't start yesterday. It started one night years ago during a
stake out."
Cassy moved back in the bed and away from Tom. "This is crazy. You are
talking crazy."
"Crazy? It's not crazy. It's fate."
"Fate?"
"Yes, fate. Do you think it was just an accident that we conceived a
child on the very night we were both feeling like losers in love?"
"I was not a loser in love. And besides we were wasted that night. It
was not fate."
He got up from the bed and walked to the window. "I tried to find you in
every woman I saw. Some came close, but no dice. It's you I want. In
my bed, in my life, as my wife."
Cassy was startled. "Wife?"
Tom turned away from the window and sat back down on the bed. "Yes, wife.
I want us to get married again. To be together, to raise our baby as a
family. I love you Cass and I want us to be a family."
Cassy's hands began to shake. "I don't know what to say."
Tom took her hands. "Just say yes. Say you love me as much as I love you
and you accept my marriage proposal."
Cassy opened her mouth but the sound of Tom's beeper silenced her.
Tom looked at his pager. "It's Harry. I've got to go see him, but I will be
back soon. And in case you need any more convincing, how about this?"
He leaned over and kissed her. Hard. She felt her toes curl and her head
spin.
"Later," he grinned as he left the room.
Cassy touched her lips with her finger and smiled.
"Can I come in?" Harry stood in the door later that morning.
Cassy smiled. "Of course. What did you bring me?"
Harry stepped into the room. "Bring you?"
"Well, yes. Isn't it customary when you visit some in the hospital to
bring them a gift?"
He sat in the chair. "Considering your recent actions, or should I say
lack of recent actions, you should be offering me gifts. Does full
disclosure mean anything to you?"
Cassy closed her eyes. "You know about the baby."
"Yes, Tom told me. What I'm wondering is, why didn't you tell me? I
expect full disclosure from my detectives. You know my feelings on this. My
god, Cassy, I sent a pregnant woman out into the fields. How could the two
of you not tell me this?"
Cassy felt bad, really bad. "I'm sorry Harry. Don't blame Tom, it was all
my doing. He wanted to tell you, but I wanted to wait. He wanted to
tell everyone. We had many arguments over this."
"Why did you feel you couldn't tell me?"
"It wasn't like that. I knew the minute I told you, you'd pull me off field
duty and stick me behind a desk."
"Of course I would have. Cassy, honey, you were pregnant. Didn't you
think that meant more than being forced to sit behind a desk?"
Harry's knife hit its mark. "I know all this. There is nothing you
could say to me that Tom hasn't said over and over. I love my job
and I just wasn't ready to leave it yet."
"How long were you planning on hiding this?"
"Actually, you're right on schedule."
Harry was confused. "Excuse me?"
"Tom and I made a deal. Once we solved this case, I would come forth with
full disclosure. I never intended to get shot and have you find out that
way."
"No one intends to get shot. The fact remains that you should have come
forward immediately. That's why I feel so strongly about full disclosure.
I need to know everything in order to keep my officers safe."
Cassy couldn't look at him. "So, what's my punishment?"
Harry sighed. "Don't do that."
"Do what?"
"Act like I'm the principal and you're the student who just got caught
cheating. I'm serious about this."
She raised her head and faced him. "I know you are. I really am sorry,
Harry. I guess I got so involved that I forgot to look at the big picture."
Harry took her hand. "I care about you, Cassy. I don't want anything to
happen to you. With that said, you are officially off the field assignments
for the duration of your pregnancy until you start your maternity leave.
The specifics we will discuss later."
"Sounds fair."
"I'm not going to suggest any disciplinary action for you. I think you
have been through enough. But I hope you have learned your lesson."
Cassy smiled with relief. The alternatives would have been much worse.
"Yes, and thank you."
"You know this means Tom will be getting a new partner."
A knot formed in her stomach. "A new partner?"
"Yes, a new partner. Tom can't go it alone and you won't be able to do
field work for at least six months to a year. I have to find someone for him."
Cassy frowned. "I know. I just hate to think of him with someone else."
Harry laughed. "Just because two people are partners doesn't mean they're
going to fall in love and get married."
Cassy shot him a look.
"Oops. Sorry about that. I forgot. I don't think you have to worry about
Tom, though. If you could have seen how terrified he was yesterday. Let's
just say I think there is only one partner for him, during and away from
work."
The conversation was making Cassy uncomfortable. "Have you given Alexandra
Prescott a full report yet?"
Harry looked at his watch. "No, I have to do that now. I'm expected in
her office in twenty minutes. Did Tom tell you we got a full confession out
of Ashley Reed?"
"Ashley Reed? I remember Dr. Reed confessing all."
"He did but with Ashley's testimony, they offered her a lesser sentence
for her involvement in the baby scam. However Mrs. Reed is looking at a
long stand in prison for shooting an officer. It looks like the Reed's are
getting their just reward. Also, Mitch Garnett called to thank the two of you
for a job well done."
Cassy smiled. "That's nice."
Harry stood up. "I'd better be going now. I'll come back later."
"Next time bring a present."
Harry looked at her.
"Or just a card."
He stared.
"Or a piece of paper with 'Hi' on it."
He stared.
"You know what, just forget it. I have enough gifts."
Harry closed the door behind him.
To Part 4