This is the sequel to "A Heart's Reflection", which starts about a year from where that one left off.  I love feedback, so please don't be shy.:)  Thank you, Tracy, my awesome beta-reader.

Disclaimer:  I don’t own any of the EE characters (although I once had an orange tabby cat that disappeared---hmmmm!<g>), and I’m not profiting from this story.  No copyright infringement is intended.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Reason My Heart Beats
Installment 1
by Shana

Chapter one

You're my peace of mind in this crazy world
You're everything I've tried to find, your love is a pearl
You're my Mona Lisa, you're my rainbow skies,
And my only prayer is that you realize
You'll always be beautiful in my eyes.
~~~~~~~~~~~Joshua Kadison

Early December, one year later..........

Gary wearily climbed the stairs, anxious to see his beautiful wife of
one year.  He'd expected to get home earlier, but the paper had delayed
him.  There was only a faint glow of light emanating from the loft.  He
opened the door and was instantly transported to another world.  Aimee
had gone all out decorating for Christmas.  The tree, which he'd helped
her with the night before, was all lit with tiny white lights.  There
was garland entwining the support beams of the room and also gracing the
counter/table.  White lights were everywhere, and there were fragrant
candles on the night stand beside the bed, and on the table.  The effect
of all the soft white lights was breathtaking.  He felt a twinge of
guilt when he saw the plates of food wrapped in cellophane on the
table.  She'd waited to eat dinner with him.  She was so sweet.

He spotted her on the other side of the Christmas tree, asleep beneath
it.  He smiled.  He should've known that's where she'd be.  She looked
so beautiful---a living metaphor, his gift beneath the tree.  He knelt
down beside her with thoughts of kissing her awake, when he noticed the
small gift wrapped box clasped in her hands.  The note on the top of the
box read, "To my wonderful husband, not to be opened until.......now!"
His curiosity piqued, he took it gently from her hands and lifted off
the lid.  Inside was a little card and a pair of white baby shoes.  He
opened the card and read:

"Tiny little shoes, for tiny little feet
Meant for a baby that soon we will meet.
As for the laces, will they be pink or blue?
We'll find out in May, when this baby is due."

Gary swallowed hard, overcome by emotion.  He'd always dreamed of being
a father some day, but now that his dream was going to become reality,
he felt frightened and happy all at once.  Most of all he felt as if he
never loved Aimee more than he did at that moment.  He leaned down and
kissed her awake.  She sat up and rubbed her eyes sleepily, then she saw
the opened box and came fully alert.

"Hi............ Daddy!"  She whispered the term hesitantly, gauging his
reaction.  He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly.

"I can't believe it.  Is it true?"  He choked the words out through the
lump of raw emotion stuck in his throat.

"Yes, it's true!  Are you happy?"  She pulled back a little and looked
into his eyes.  Her fingers played with the front of his shirt.

"I've never been happier", he whispered.  "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine.  I went to the doctor today.  He said everything looks
good and we should expect our little bundle of joy in late May.  I'm so
happy, Gary.  I can just see our little boy already."  She smiled and
brushed his hair off his forehead.  "He'll look just like you and all
the little girls will be beating down our door.  You can take him
camping and teach him to play baseball and hockey."

He smiled and his eyes took on a faraway look.  "A boy huh?  That'd be
nice.  But a little girl with her mom's green eyes and heart stopping
smile would be nice too.  Of course, if she looked like you, I'd have to
beat the boys off with a stick.  What do you think of the name Zeke?"

She laughed, not taking him seriously at first.  When she saw he was
serious, she did some quick thinking.  "Zeke huh?  That's sweet that
you'd want to name the baby after Crumb.  I didn't realize you two were
that close."

Gary looked at her in confusion for a second.  "Crumb?  Huh?  Oh yeah, I
forgot his middle name is Zeke.  Well, it doesn't have to be Zeke.  We
could think of something else."

Aimee breathed a sigh of relief and laughed again.  "Yeah, I'm sure we
can think of something else."

He whispered against her hair. "I love you so much!"

"Will you still love me when I'm fat?", she asked, half jokingly.

He looked into her eyes.  "You'll always be beautiful to me, don't you
ever forget that."

She whispered, "I love you" and kissed him, pulling him back down with
her.

Some time later they sat together at the table eating their re-heated
dinner.  Gary told her about the saves he'd had to deal with and Aimee
told him about the phone call she'd received from her childhood friend,
Abby, who was planning to move to Chicago.

After they ate, they snuggled up together on the couch and talked some
more about their coming baby until Aimee fell asleep again.  Gary held
her close while she slept and tried to remember how he'd gotten through
each day before she came into his life.  Occasionally, thoughts of
Marcia came back to him.  He couldn't help but note the differences
between them.  Aimee was everything Marcia was not.  She did everything
she could to make his life easier and happier, never putting demands on
him.  Marcia had never seemed happy with him, always pushing him to
climb the corporate ladder.  She always craved the finer things in life,
while Gary's tastes had been simple.  It took him years to realize that
she resented his lack of ambition.  She'd foolishly assumed that she
could change him, and he'd foolishly assumed that she wanted children
and a simple home.  Now he would share those thing with Aimee.  Now he
knew what real love felt like.  He drifted off to sleep thinking he held
the most precious gift he'd ever been given in his arms.
 

Chapter two

Bottle of red, bottle of white
It all depends upon your appetite
I'll meet you anytime you want
In our Italian restaurant
~~~~~~~~Billy Joel

Aimee was busy with paperwork in the office when Crumb brought the mail
in.  He set it down on the desk and studied her for a moment.  He'd
taken on a fatherly role in her life almost from the moment they met and
he was concerned that she looked a little pale.

"You alright, kiddo?"

Aimee smiled up at him.  She'd gotten a little nauseous when she'd
smelled George's famous burgers on the grill.  She hadn't actually
gotten sick yet, but certain smells were definitely affecting her.  She
and Gary had agreed not to tell anyone about the baby just yet.

"I'm fine.  Thanks for asking."  She stood and kissed him on the cheek.

"Ok, if you're sure!"  Crumb seemed satisfied with her nod.  He patted
her hand and left the office.

She began thumbing through the mail, stopping at one particular envelope
addressed to her personally in her maiden name.  There was no return
address and the post mark was from California.  'That's strange, I don't
even know anyone in California.'  She was just about to open it when the
phone rang.

She dropped the letter and picked up the phone. "McGinty's, may I help
you?"

"I hope so, I'm looking for the most beautiful woman in the world.  Her
name is Aimee Hobson."

Aimee smiled as she recognized the voice of her husband on the other
end of the line.  She still got goosebumps at the sound of his voice.
"I'm Aimee Hobson, but I should let you know, I'm a married woman."

"Really!  Well your husband is one lucky man."

"Thank you.  I'm pretty darn lucky myself.  He's wonderful and extremely
handsome."  She continued smiling as she heard Gary laugh.

"Well, you wouldn't consider having lunch with me, would you?  I know
this great pizza place.  I have some fond memories from there."

"I'd love to have lunch with you.  I just have to wait for Marissa to
get back, which should be soon.  Want me to meet you there?"

They agreed to meet in an hour at the place where he'd first kissed
her.  She laughed at the memory of her stupid remarks after their first
kiss.  Thankfully, Gary had laughed too.

Aimee had just picked up the mail again, when Marissa came into the
office, her cane beating out a familiar rhythm on the floor.

"Aimee?"

"Hi Marissa!  How was your lunch with Emmett?"

Marissa sighed happily.  "Good, it was very good.  I'll just be so glad
when he's finally done with school and then we can get married."

"Well, he only has one semester left, right?"  Aimee was happy that
Marissa had Emmett in her life.  They'd been dating for over a year and
seemed very much in love.  After a few minutes of chatting, Aimee left
to meet Gary.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gary was waiting outside the restaurant when Aimee's cab pulled up.  He
opened the door for her and pulled her close for a quick kiss.

"Hi beautiful!"  He whispered his greeting in her ear, sending shivers
of delight down her spine.

"Hi, I'm so glad you called.  We haven't eaten here in a while.  What
made you think of it?"  She took his hand as they entered the
restaurant.

"Well, it's our special place isn't it?  What better place to celebrate
the baby coming."  They were seated right away at the same table where
they sat after the ball a year ago.  Gary had arranged for the table
ahead of time.

As they ate, they spoke some more of their hopes and dreams for the
baby, and even of their fears.  Aimee sat facing the door, so she was
the first to notice an attractive woman with short dark hair and a
prominent beauty mark headed in their direction.  She stopped at their
table and Gary looked up.

"Gary?"  The woman was the first to speak.

"Marcia!"  Gary could hardly believe that his ex-wife had shown up at
the place that was so special to he and Aimee.  He had a strange hope
that he'd wake up to find it was only a bad dream.
 

Chapter three

You will never leave me stranded
Fending for myself
When the enemy advances
You are there to help
Standing in the gap for me
Whenever I grow weak
You are my deliverer
The refuge that I seek
~~~~~~Jaci Velasquez

After Gary got over his initial shock at seeing Marcia, who claimed she
was there to meet a client, he reluctantly introduced her to Aimee.  He
was a little worried about Aimee, as she had gone pale.  He reached
across the table and took her hand.

"Well, I didn't know you'd gotten re-married.  Congratulations."  Marcia
said the right words, but the tone of her voice sent a different
message.  She was eyeing Aimee as if she were an illiterate hillbilly.
"It's so nice to meet you Annie."

"It's Aimee."  Gary's tone of voice was as cold as Marcia's.  He wasn't
about to let Marcia's condescending attitude intimidate Aimee.  If he'd
known the direction of Aimee's thoughts, he wouldn't have been worried.

The cloud of Marcia's perfume was making Aimee nauseous.  She was doing
her best to keep her lunch down, but all she could think was, 'It's
always Marcia, Marcia, Marcia.'  Finally she burst out laughing at the
thought.  At the same time, she could feel her stomach churning.  She
stood to run into the ladies room, but it was too late.  She threw up
all over Marcia's expensive leather pumps.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gary brought a cool cloth and laid it across Aimee's forehead.  He sat
down beside her on the bed and brushed her hair off of her flushed
face.  She took his hand in hers, hoping to erase the worry from his
face.

"Gary, I'm fine.  Really!  My stomach has settled down now."

"You sure you're okay?"

"Well, I'm a little embarrased at having thrown up in the middle of a
restaurant."  She started laughing again.  "Is it still our special
place?"

Gary laughed with her.  "Well, they may not let us back in."  He grew
serious again.  "I think you should take it easy for a while.  I can ask
Marissa to put an ad in the paper for a new manager."

She sat up quickly, with a pleading look in her eyes.  "No, Gary.
Please don't do that.  It's not necessary.  I'm fine!  What am I going
to do all day if I'm not working?"

"I'm worried about you.  I don't want you to overdo it."  He picked up
the cloth from where it had fallen when she sat up and placed it on the
night stand.

"I won't overdo it, I promise.  But I don't want to stop working."  A
stubborn look replaced the pleading one and Gary couldn't help but
smile.  He wondered if she knew how cute she looked when she got
stubborn.

"Ok.  Just promise me you'll come up here and rest if you get tired or
feel sick."  He stroked her cheek gently.

She smiled in relief.  "I will, I promise."  She threw her arms around
him and whispered, "You're my Prince Charming, you know that?"

He laughed and said, "I'm glad.  I wouldn't want anyone else to be your
Prince Charming!"  He laid her gently back down and placed the cloth on
her head again.  "You're at least gonna take the rest of the day off and
get some rest."

She yawned and agreed.  Before long she was asleep, one hand clutching
the front of his shirt.
 

Chapter four

You have searched me and know
When I sleep and when I rise
You're familiar with all my ways
Even the darkness will shine like the day
When you look into my heart
~~~~~~~~~~~Jaci Velasquez

The next morning Aimee tried to get up with Gary, but he promptly
refused to let her.  He brought her a glass of orange juice and toast,
then sat beside her reading the paper while she ate.  Her heart melted
at how sweet he was to take care of her.  She snuggled up next to him
and was about to drift off again when the phone rang.  They both knew it
was Lois.  She was the only one who ever called that early.

Aimee laughed at Gary's facial expressions as he spoke to his mother.
She always marveled at how his parents could change him instantly back
into a little boy.  He spoke to her briefly then handed the phone to
Aimee.

It was all Aimee could do not to tell Lois about the baby, because she
knew how desperately Lois wanted a grandchild.  But she and Gary planned
to tell his parents at Christmas.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Later in the office, Aimee picked up the mail she'd neglected to look at
the day before.  The letter from California was on the top of the pile.
She'd forgotten about it, but now her curiosity was renewed.  She slit
open the envelope and withdrew a plain white sheet of paper.  In big
bold type were written the words:

 I KNOW WHO YOU ARE AND I WANT WHAT'S MINE!!!!!!!!

That was it!  There was no name or signature.  She studied the envelope
again, but it offered no more clues as to who the sender was.  The
cryptic message stared up at her from the top of the desk.  The letters
seemed to grow larger and larger, mocking her as they grew.  She had no
idea what it meant.  The office door was open and the smell of George's
burgers on the grill assaulted her again.  A wave of nausea washed over
her.  She rose quickly to shut the office door against the odors from
the kitchen, when her vision blurred and the room started to spin.  She
clutched the top of the desk and sat down again, laying her head down.

She was awakened some time later by the sound of Marissa entering the
office.  Aimee sat up and pretended to be busy.  She shuffled papers
around, not noticing when the mysterious letter floated to the floor and
landed under the desk.

"Aimee, were you asleep?"  Marissa had never known Aimee to fall asleep
at work.

"Uh, yeah, I guess I drifted off for a minute."  She pushed her hair
back and straightened her sweater.

"Are you okay?"  Her voice was tinged with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine.  Just fine."  Aimee felt like a broken record.  It
seemed like all she ever said was, I'm fine.

"You're pregnant, aren't you?"  Marissa was no dummy.  She knew the
signs, and they were coming off Aimee loud and clear.

"How did you know?"  Unlike Gary, Aimee wasn't as accustomed to
Marissa's amazing insight.

"I just know.  So girl, give me details.  When are you due?"  Marissa
was very happy for them.  She knew how much Gary wanted to be a father,
and she couldn't imagine a better mother than Aimee.

They spoke about it for awhile, and Marissa promised to keep their
secret.  When Gary came in later, she couldn't help but tease him about
it.

"So Gary, I can't wait to meet Zeke."  She had a little smirk on her
face, remembering how he'd wanted to name his child Zeke, no matter if
it was a boy or girl.

"Huh?"

"The baby!"

"Oh, Aimee told you?"  He was completely confused.  It wasn't like Aimee
to want to keep something secret and then tell it anyway.

"No, she didn't tell me, but she fell asleep at the desk.  And I noticed
she wasn't quite herself lately.  It didn't take much to figure it out.
Congratulations!"

"Oh, well thanks!"  He smiled and ran his hand over the back of his
neck, but his mind was on the fact that Aimee had fallen asleep at work.
He said goodnight to Marissa and went upstairs in search of Aimee, ready
to give her a speech about her promise to rest.

After he left, Marissa's hands began searching the desk for a braille
printout she'd been working with.  She circled around to Aimee's desk to
search there, when her foot caught on a piece of paper on the floor.
She knelt down and picked it up.  She felt the cool smoothness of the
page, wondering if it was something important.  But it wasn't in braille
so she simply placed it back on Aimee's desk, it's foreboding message
staring up at unseeing eyes.
 

Chapter five

Nothing will change the way
I feel about you
Not the miles or the years
Or the place this life takes me to
~~~~~~~~~~Plus One

Gary found Aimee in the loft making dinner.  He was all prepared to
lecture her about her promise to come upstairs and lay down if she got
tired, but she looked so darn beautiful, and she was making one of his
favorite meals.  She dropped what she was doing and came to greet him,
putting her arms around him and kissing him.

"Hi!", she whispered.  "I missed you today."

"I missed you too."  He pushed her hair away from her face. "Did you get
some rest today?"  He looked into her eyes, wondering if she would
confess.

She played with the front of his shirt, not meeting his eyes.  "I uh
yeah, I took a nap."  She took one look at him and knew that he knew.
"Marissa told you, didn't she?"  She started laughing.  "I promised I
would rest if I needed to and I did."

"You promised you'd come up here and rest."

"I know, but I just fell asleep before I even knew I was tired."  She
smiled her best 'I know I'm guilty but you just can't stay mad at me'
smile and it worked.

He laughed and pulled her close again.  "What am I going to do with
you?", he whispered.

"Love me", she whispered back and their dinner was forgotten for awhile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next day, Gary only had a few things in the paper to deal with, so
he spent the rest of the time helping out at McGinty's and keeping an
eye on Aimee.  He was sitting at one of the tables with some paper work
when he heard a familiar voice calling out, "Hey Gar, I'm back!"  He
looked up in time to see Chuck strolling toward him.

"Chuck.  What are you doing here?  I thought you and Jade were in East
Morenia visiting her family."

Chuck pulled Gary into an embrace.  "Nice to see you too, big guy."

"Huh? Uh yeah, it's nice to see you.  What are you doing here?"

They sat down at the table and Chuck looked everywhere but at Gary.  He
fidgeted nervously then finally looked up when Gary said, "Chuck?"

"She dumped me, Gar!  Jade dumped me for an East Morenian Prince.  I
spent a year with her there schmoozing with her family and this is the
thanks I get.  I hate to say it, Gar, but you were right about her.  She
wasn't right for me.  I'm givin' up on women, Gar.  It's not worth it."
He shook his head sadly, until something behind Gary caught his eye.
"Woa, check out the babe over there."

Gary turned around to find that Aimee was the object of Chuck's remark.
She was standing at the bar speaking to Crumb.  Gary had to admit she
did look particularly beautiful today.  She had that glow about her that
he'd always heard about on pregnant women, but had never really noticed
before.  His heart swelled with love for her.  Chuck was forgotten as,
unable to resist, he stood and went to her, kissing her tenderly right
there in the middle of the bar.

"Well, what was that all about?  Not that I mind, you can greet me like
that anytime."  Aimee's fingers played with his shirt as she spoke.

Gary found her habit of playing with his shirt endearing.  He smiled and
touched her face gently.  "You just look so beautiful, I couldn't help
myself."

"Ahem!"  It had taken Chuck a minute to recover from his shock at seeing
Gary so amorous.  Now he stood behind him waiting for an explanation for
this bizarre behaviour.

Gary turned and found Chuck staring intently, his eyes full of
questions. "Uh, yeah, Aimee this is Chuck.  Chuck this is
Aimee........my wife."
 

Chapter six

I tremble inside, just thinking
About the world around us
Scared, can't help to wonder
Don't want any changes
'Bout the way we feel
Do you know what I mean
Catch me I'm falling
Say it's gonna be alright
It's gonna be alright
~~~~~~Jon Secada

"You're married?"  Chuck's jaw dropped and his blue eyes grew wide.
"When did this happen and why didn't you call me?"  They were seated
once again at the table and Aimee had gone to the kitchen to get them
some lunch.

"Well Chuck, I tried to reach you, but you were in East Morenia.  It
happened kinda fast.  We've been married for a year now."

"And she knows about the paper?"  Chuck was incredulous and somewhat
envious, especially in light of his own failed marriage.  Gary had
always complained that the paper wouldn't let him have a life and now he
had a gorgeous wife and seemed very happy.

Gary lowered his voice and glanced around surreptitiously.  "Yes, she
knows about the paper.  Actually, she figured it out.  She helps me with
it sometimes, and she runs this place with Marissa."

Aimee came out of the kitchen, trailed by one of the waitresses who
carried a tray with their food.  Marissa came out and greeted Chuck as
well.  She and Aimee sat down and they all began to eat and catch up.
Aimee was anxious to get to know this man she'd heard so many stories
about.

"So Chuck, I've heard so much about you.  It's so nice to finally meet
you.  How long are you in town for?"

"Uh well, I'm here for the holidays and then I'm heading back, but I'm
thinking of moving back here."  He looked at Gary for his reaction.

"What?  What about Hollywood and your big career?  I thought you were
some kinda big shot out there."

"Well, Gar, I've been thinking about simplifying my life.  Ya know, all
that glitz and glamour gets old after awhile."  Chuck tried to sound as
sincere as he could.  Marissa made a snorting noise of disbelief, as if
she were trying to hold back a laugh.

Aimee just sat back and watched the interaction between the three
friends with amusement.  Gary also saw right through Chuck's facade.
"You're broke, aren't you?"

"Completely.  Jade cleaned me out.  I barely have two cents to rub
together."  He looked at Gary like a little boy in trouble with his
parents.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back in the office later, Aimee received another mysterious letter.
She'd forgotten about the first one until now.  The envelope was the
same, no return address, just a postmark from California.  It was
addressed to Miss Aimee Madison, just like the first.  She opened the
second one and read:

I'M COMING TO GET WHAT'S MINE!

Aimee dropped the letter as if it had burned her hand.  She had no idea
what it was about, but it was starting to frighten her.  She searched
the desk looking for the first letter, finally finding it under some
computer printouts.  Her face paled as she studied the two messages
again.  'What is this all about and who could be sending these?'  She
clutched the heart shaped charm that Gary had given her last Christmas,
wondering if she should tell him about the letters.  He was already
worried enough about her, but she didn't want to keep any secrets from
him.  She decided she would tell him.

"Hey beautiful, I was just gonna..........Are you okay?"  Gary was
standing in the doorway of the office.  When he saw the palor of Aimee's
skin, he was instantly at her side.  He knelt down beside her chair to
look into her face.  "What's wrong?"

She swallowed hard and handed him the two letters, watching as he read
them.

"Where did these come from?"  He looked into her eyes, his own filled
with concern.

"I.....I don't know."  She showed him the envelope.  "I don't know what
they mean.  The first one came yesterday."

"What?  Why didn't you tell me?"  He stood up and started pacing the
office, the letters in one hand, the other running across the back of
his neck.

"I fell asleep and then I forgot all about it."  She stood too and went
to him.  "I just got distracted.  You have that affect on me, you
know!"  She put her arms around him and smiled reassuringly.  "It's
probably nothing to worry about.  If something was going to happen, it'd
be in the paper, right?"

"Yeah, well, you're probably right.  Still, I'm gonna give these to
Crumb and see what he says."  He held her tightly, and whispered, "I'm
not taking any chances on losing you."

She ran her fingers through his hair, reveling in the feel of it.  He
bent his head, kissing her softly.  And that's how Chuck found them.
 

Chapter seven

Well, it may not be over by morning
But Rome wasn't built in a day
You can name that thing a thousand times
It won't make it go away
Let me put my arms around you
And hold you while you weep
We've been talking, and you know what, I'm sick of this talk
And it's nothing that won't keep
~~~~~~~~~~~~Amy Grant

Aimee spent some time the next morning searching the paper for an
apartment for her friend, Abby, who would be moving to Chicago after the
holidays.  They'd spoken on the phone some more and had laughed together
over Aimee's adventures during her first days in the big city, but both
knew it would be better for Abby to be a little more prepared.  They'd
always thought of themselves as 'unofficial sisters', and eagerly
anticipated being reunited.  Abby was also looking forward to meeting
the man who had stolen Aimee's heart.

She was flopped across the bed on her stomach with the paper open in
front of her when Gary came out of the bathroom.  "What are you doing?",
he asked, pulling the paper away from her.

She looked up at him in surprise.  "I was looking for apartments,  for
Abby.  What's wrong?"

He sat down beside her.  "Oh, I'm sorry.  I just
thought........well.....I don't want you to worry about the paper right
now.  I just want you to take care of yourself."

She sat up and put her arms around him.  "Gary, you're sweet to worry,
but I'm fine.  You're the one out there risking your life to save
others.  I want to help you if I can."

"Right now, you can help me by staying close to home.  I don't want you
going anywhere alone, ok?"  He was concerned about whomever was sending
those letters.  He'd given them to Crumb who passed them on to one of
his cop buddies.  Both Gary and Crumb were worried about the
possibilities behind the threatening messages.  Crumb had agreed to keep
an eye on her when Gary wasn't around.

"You think there's something to those letters, don't you?"  She saw that
it was more than just her pregnancy that had him worried.

He studied her for a moment as if weighing his words, then he cupped her
face with his hands and said, "Yes, I do.  So promise me you won't go
out alone."

"I won't, I promise.  Gary, please don't worry about me.  I know you.
When you worry, you get distracted.  And if you're distracted, you might
get hurt when you're trying to save someone.  Promise me you'll be
careful."

He smiled, his hands still cupping her face and whispered, "I will".
Their lips met and he gently laid her back on the bed, the paper falling
to the floor forgotten.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A third letter came that day.  Similar to the first two, only the
postmark was from Las Vegas.  Aimee opened it to find another cryptic
message.  This one said:

I'M ON MY WAY TO CLAIM WHAT'S MINE.  DON'T THINK YOU CAN HIDE FROM ME!!!!!!!!

She was already feeling a bit queasy from the smells emanating from the
kitchen, and the letter only added to that sick feeling.

"Aimee, what's wrong?"  Marissa's insightful intuition had kicked in
full force.

"It's another letter.  Excuse me, I think I'm gonna be sick again."
With that she ran upstairs to the loft.

Marissa went to get Crumb since Gary was still out dealing with the
paper.  She led him back into the office, where he saw the letter lying
on Aimee's desk.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gary heard the news the moment he came into the bar.  He went upstairs
and found Aimee asleep on the couch.  She was pale and looked as if she
had been crying.  He gathered her up into his arms, the thought of ever
losing her more than he could bear.  Aimee awoke and clung to him,
crying softly.

 "Don't cry", he whispered.  "I promise, I'll never let anyone hurt
you.  Don't you doubt it for a minute."  He continued soothing her with
his whispered words until her tears subsided.

Finally she looked into his eyes and smiled, touching his face gently.
"Thank you."  She laughed a little and said, "I'm okay now, but I guess
the weepy stage of pregnancy has begun."

Gary spent the evening taking care of her.  He brought her dinner from
downstairs and made popcorn.  Then they curled up together and watched
one of her favorite movies on the television, determining not to speak
of their worries for once.
 

Chapter eight

Do you need a friend right now
In the road that you're going too
If you get lost, just call me I'll be there
Yes, I'll be right there
Cause though I may not have the answers
At least I know what I'm looking for
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Jon Secada

Several more days passed, each one bringing another letter.  Each
postmark closer to Chicago.  The police had not discovered any leads as
to who the sender could be.  Gary's worry was increasing.  He had a
consuming fear that while he was out with the paper, someone would harm
Aimee, as if he were the only one who could protect her.   He was
sitting in the bar with the paper open in front of him trying to figure
out what to do when Chuck came in and sat down with him.

"Hey Gar, guess what?  I'm here to stay, buddy.  I got a job!!"

"Huh?  Oh uh that's great, Chuck."

"Aren'tcha even gonna ask where?", Chuck asked in exasperation.

"Oh, yeah sorry, where?"  Gary tried to give Chuck his undivided
attention, but his mind was elsewhere.

"You're looking at one of the newest producers of The Jerry Springer
Show.  Mr. Springer said I had some great ideas for future shows and he
liked my moxie."

"Well congratulations, Chuck!!"  He looked down at the paper again, and
stood.  "I gotta go."  He headed into the office to speak to Aimee
before leaving, but when he saw her he knew he couldn't leave.  He went
back to the table and spoke to Chuck again.

"Chuck, I need you to do me a favor."

Chuck could see that Gary was worried about something.  "Sure, Gar, what
is it?"

"Really, just like that, you'll do it?  No catch?"  Gary couldn't keep
the skepticism from his voice.

"Gar, you wound me.  Haven't I always been there for you?"  At the look
on Gary's face, he hurriedly continued.   "Ok, don't answer that.  But
this is the new Chuck.  I'm turning over a new leaf."  While he spoke he
was trying to get a peak at the financial section of the newspaper.
When Gary noticed, he closed it quickly and pulled it to his chest,
giving Chuck a look of exasperation.

"I need you to go and stop a woman from getting injured when her arm
gets caught in an elevator door."  He checked the article again.  "It
says here that Laurie Ackerman loses her arm in a freak elevator
accident.  The sensors malfunctioned causing the door to close on her
arm."  He read off the rest of the details to Chuck, then looked at him
as if he was starting to doubt the wisdom of sending him.

"What?  Don't worry, Gar.  I'm on it.  No problem."  Chuck headed for
the door, turning and saluting Gary just before exiting.

Gary went back to Aimee in the office.  She looked up at him in surprise
as he entered.

"Don't you have another save this afternoon?"

"I sent Chuck."  He sat on the edge of her desk and studied her face.

"You sent Chuck?  Why'd you send Chuck?  After all the stories you told
me, I didn't think you trusted him to ...............Oh, I get it.  You
didn't want to leave, did you?"  She stood and took his hands in hers.
"Gary, that's so sweet, but you can't be with me every minute of every
day for the rest of our lives, as nice as that sounds.  I'm here in the
bar, surrounded by lots of people.  Crumb barely lets me out of his
sight since the letters started coming, and George practically stands
guard over the office door while he's cooking.  And you know he's got a
kitchen full of sharp knives."  She laughed softly at her little joke
and the image of all the overprotective men in her life.

He pulled her close and whispered,  "I have to watch over you, after all
you're the reason my heart beats, remember?  So humor me."

"Mmmm, okay!  If I must, I must."  She smiled up at him.  "So since I
have you all to myself for the rest of the day, will you take me
Christmas shopping?"

"Hmm, I could think of better things to do this afternoon", he said
suggestively.

She laughed.  "Yeah!!  Well, I think we can both get our wish."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While they were shopping, Gary checked the article about the woman in
the elevator.  He cringed when he saw the change.  It now said that
Laurie Ackerman had gotten her skirt caught in the elevator.  It had
then been pulled right off her body and she'd been left standing in a crowded
lobby in her underwear.  A picture accompanied the article.  Well, at
least she hadn't been injured, only humiliated, he thought.  He almost
laughed, but he'd been in her shoes before when Chuck de-pantsed him on a
crowded Chicago street in front of a group of tourists in what he now
referred to as "the lollipop incident".

Aimee was not so merciful.  When she saw the picture, she almost
couldn't stop laughing.  She finally got herself under control long
enough to explain to Gary why she thought it was so funny.

"I grew up with that woman, Laurie Ackerman.  Abby and I hated her.  She
always copied our homework or stole our project ideas.  She made our
scholastic lives miserable.  I can't believe she's in Chicago now."  She
looked at the picture again and choked back another laugh.  "I just
can't seem to muster up any sympathy for her.  I have to save this to
show Abby when she gets here."  With that she burst out laughing again,
as Gary smiled and took her by the hand and led her out of the store.
 

Chapter nine

The fire is burning
The room's all aglow
Outside the December wind blows
Away in the distance
The carolers sing in the snow
Everybody's laughing
The world is celebrating
And everyone's so happy
Except for me tonight
~~~~~~~~~~~~Mariah Carey

Gary loaded the Christmas gifts into the back of the McGinty's van,
covering a small suitcase.  It was Christmas day and he and Aimee were
preparing to leave for Hickory.  The paper had only given him one save
and it had taken place early.  A local florist had decided to play Santa
Claus for his children and would've gotten stuck in his chimney if Gary
hadn't arrived in time to stop him.  It seemed as if the paper had been
giving him more of a break since he'd met Aimee, or maybe it just felt
that way because he was happier.  He placed a blanket and pillow on the
bench seat for her in case she was feeling sick on the way, then headed
upstairs to see if she was ready.

Both were silent during much of the drive.  Gary was feeling guilty over
the secret plan he had made behind Aimee's back.  They had promised
there'd be no secrets between them, and he knew she'd be angry with him,
not only for the secret, but for the plan itself.  He dreaded her
reaction.  He just kept telling himself it was for her safety that he
was doing it.  The thought did little to assuage his guilt.

Aimee was thinking back on the morning and how sweet her husband was to
her.  He'd been so thoughtful to provide a blanket and pillow in case
she wanted to sleep on the way.  He'd had to leave to save the Santa
before she awoke, but he'd left her a sweet little note.  When he came
home he had a big bouquet of red roses for her.  After a bout of morning
sickness he'd wrapped her in his arms and said, "I hate seeing you like
this.  Is there anything I can do?"  To which she had laughingly
responded, "Not unless you can carry this baby, but thank you."

She held another silent conversation with her grandparents about Gary
and the baby and how happy she was, even though she still missed them.  She
looked over at Gary in the drivers seat and noticed a look of guilt on
his face.  'What's he up to?', she thought.

"Is everything ok?", she asked, noting that his fingers were nervously
drumming the steering wheel and that he cleared his throat before
answering.

"F-Fine.  Everything's fine.  W-Why do you ask?"  He cursed himself for
stuttering.  It was a dead giveaway that he was nervous.

She leveled him with an 'I know you better than that' look.  "Gary,
please tell me what's wrong?"

He reached across and took her hand.  "It's nothing really.  We'll talk
about it later, ok?"

She let the matter drop, but only because they were pulling up in front
of Gary's childhood home.  Bernie and Lois came out to greet them.  Hugs
and kisses were exchanged and the van was unloaded.

They enjoyed an enormous dinner complete with Bernie's famous gnocchi,
and then they gathered in the living room to open gifts.  Gary and Aimee
held back one of the gifts for last.  Just when Lois thought they were
all finished, they pulled it out and handed it to her.

"What's this?", Lois asked.

"Open it and see."  Aimee watched as Lois pulled the wrapping off and
opened the box to reveal a soft pastel green baby blanket with the words
"Grandma's Baby" stitched on it.

"You mean.........I'm finally gonna be a grandmother?"  The tears
started to flow, and she began to speak incoherently as she and Aimee
embraced.

Bernie slapped Gary on the back and said, "Way to go, Gar!  I always
knew you were a chip off the old block."

Gary blushed at his dad's words.  His blush deepened when Lois said,
"I'm so proud of you son.   I mean.......oh, you know what I mean."  She
hugged him and said, "Congratulations!"

Lois and Aimee spent some time talking about the baby as they cleaned up
the Christmas wrappings and served dessert and coffee in front of the
fire.  Lois had just about made up her mind already to move to Chicago
to be near the baby, she was so enthusiastic.

Later as Aimee sat on the couch snuggled up next to Gary, she suddenly
realized what time it was.  She yawned deeply and said, "It's getting
late.  We should start heading back soon."

Gary had been dreading this moment and had put it off as long as
possible.  He turned to her and cleared his throat before speaking.
"W-We're not going back."

"What d'ya mean, we're not going back?  We're staying over?"  Aimee
looked at him in confusion.  They'd never planned on staying overnight,
because of the paper.

"N-Not we......you."  Gary swallowed hard, preparing himself for her
reaction.

"I don't understand.  What are you talking about?"  A sick feeling came
over Aimee and for once it had nothing to do with the baby.

Gary cleared his throat again and looked at his parents.  Lois took the
hint and dragged Bernie out of the room.  Then Gary took Aimee's hands
in his and swallowed again before proceeding with his explanation.

"I-I'm going back......... cause I have to deal with the paper, but
you're gonna stay here for a while."

"What do you mean?"  Her mind and heart were refusing to believe that he
would just leave her here.

"I can't deal with the paper and worry about you at the same time.  You
said it yourself, when I worry I get distracted.  Whoever's sending
those letters won't know you're here.  You'll be safe."

"No.  I'm not staying.  I'm going home.  I don't even have any clothes
here."

"I packed a bag for you.  It's out in the van."  At the look of betrayal
on her face, sharp guilt pierced his heart like shards of glass.

Aimee was on the verge of tears.  "You planned this and didn't tell me.
We said we wouldn't keep any secrets between us."  One tear escaped and
rolled down her cheek.

That one tear nearly broke Gary's heart, but he strengthened his resolve
by reminding himself that some psycho was out there sending her
threatening letters.  He cupped her face in his hands and wiped the tear
with his thumb.  "I know and I'm sorry.  I just want you to be safe and
you'll be safe here.  Whoever sends those letters doesn't seem to know
we're married, so he'll never connect you with my parents."

She began to cry even harder.  "I'll be safe at home.  Crumb is there
and George and all the other employees.  Please, don't do this."

But as much as it was hurting him to see her so upset, he remained
firm.  "I'll feel better if I know you're here and safe.  I need you to
stay here.  Please, do it for me.  Besides, my mom is dying to take you
shopping for the baby."  He knew it was a feeble argument, but it was
the best he could come up with.

Later, Gary pulled Aimee close.  "It won't be for long.  I'll call you
as soon as I get back.  I'll miss you."  He kissed her gently, tasting
her tears.  Then he whispered, "I love you, don't forget that!", climbed
into the van and drove off feeling as if he'd left his heart behind.
The sight of her in the rearview mirror, hugging herself and crying,
imprinted itself indelibly on his mind.
 

Chapter ten

When every moment gets too hard
The end of the road can seem so far
No matter how much time we're apart
I'm always near you
~~~~~~~~~Amy Grant

Aimee laid down on the Hobson's guest room bed, her knees against her
chest and began sobbing.  She and Gary had never spent one night apart
since they'd gotten married, and now here she was spending Christmas
night alone in a big, unfamiliar, bed.  She knew it was illogical, but
she felt abandoned and rejected, just the way she felt when she learned
her parents had left her with her grandparents and never returned.  They
hadn't wanted her and now it seemed as if Gary didn't want her either.
She squeezed her eyes shut against the tears and pain.

Lois heard Aimee's sobs through the door.  It hurt her to see her
daughter-in-law so unhappy.  She hadn't agreed with Gary's decision, but
he stubbornly refused to take her advice as usual.  She opened the door
and sat down on the bed beside Aimee, stroking her hair and offering
words of comfort.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The loft felt cold and empty to Gary without Aimee's presence.
Everything felt cold and empty without her, even his heart.  All her
beautiful Christmas decorations only served to remind him of how much he
already missed her.  He laid down on the bed, but quickly got up and
moved to the couch.  He couldn't lie in that big bed without her.  He'd
called when he got in, but Aimee had already fallen asleep and he
insisted that his mom not wake her.  Now he regretted it.  He had a
desperate need to hear the sound of her voice.  He went over to the
answering machine and pressed the button to hear her recording.  For a
brief few seconds, her voice filled the room.

"Hi!  If you're trying to reach Gary and Aimee Hobson, leave a message.
We'll get back to you as soon as we can.  Thanks!"

He played it over and over again, until his finger got sore.  Finally he
went to the shelf and took down the picture of them on their wedding
day.  He studied it for a while, but a picture was no substitute for the
real thing.  He went back to the couch and put the tv on, just needing
the noise to fill the emptiness of the room.  Eventually he fell into a
light, restless sleep, tossing and turning until the cat and the paper
alerted him to the start of another day.

He read through the paper,  then showered and dressed, eager to call
Aimee but not wanting to wake her too early.  Finally, he could wait no
longer.  He picked up the phone and dialed his parents number.  His mom
answered and put Aimee on the phone.

"Gary?"  Aimee's voice sounded teary and tired.

"Hi!  I called last night but you were asleep.  Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine.  How are you?"  She tried not to sound so stiff and
formal, but her heart was breaking and if she said anything more she'd
burst into tears.

"I'm good.  I miss you."

"Then you'll come get me today."

He sighed deeply and ran his hand over the back of his neck.  "We talked
about this last night.  You know I can't do that.  I've got things in
the paper to deal with, and I need to know you're safe.  As soon as the
police figure out who's sending those letters, I'll come get you."

"What if they never figure it out?  Am I supposed to stay here
forever?"  She couldn't keep the sarcasm out of her voice, as much as
she tried.

Gary had never heard Aimee speak to him this way.  It stabbed at his
heart to think he'd hurt her so much.  "Aimee,  I didn't do this to hurt
you.  You know that I love you don't you?"  Silence was his answer.
"Aimee?"

"Yes, I know."  Tears streamed down her face again.  "I love you too."

A few minutes later, Gary hung up the phone, dissatisfied with how the
conversation had gone.  He missed Aimee so much it was all he could
think about, and the thought that he had caused her pain was tearing him
up inside.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You what?"  Marissa was sitting at her desk across from Gary with a
disbelieving look on her face.  "You left Aimee behind in Hickory.
Why?"

"Because there's some psycho out there who wants to hurt her.", he
snapped.

"Oh!  How'd she take it?"

"N-Not very well."  He paced the office, avoiding Marissa's unseeing
eyes.

"I don't blame her."  She sipped her coffee, waiting for him to
continue.

"What was I supposed to do, huh, let her stay here at the mercy of some
lunatic while I'm running around dealing with this?"  He slapped the
paper down on the desk.

"Gary, I know you think you're the only one who can protect her, but we
all love Aimee.  There isn't an employee here who wouldn't watch out for
her.  Crumb barely lets her out of his sight as it is."

He looked at his watch.  It was time to leave again for another save.
"I gotta go."  He scooped up his paper and left.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
His saves did not go well over the next two days.  He was always running
late, no one ever thanked him, and several times he got accused of being
a nutcase with a hero complex.  He grew crankier each day, and everytime
he called Aimee, their conversations were stilted and uncomfortable.  He
needed to see her again or he'd go insane.

Marissa was at work in the office, when Gary came in from a save.

"How'd it go?", she asked.

"How'd it go?  How'd it go?  I'll tell you how it went.  I nearly got
arrested.  That's how it went."

Marissa sighed.  She'd had enough of Gary's foul mood the last few
days.  "Gary, I'm sick of your moping and complaining.  We both know
what the real problem is and it's not the paper.  Get your butt in the
van and go get Aimee."

He looked at her in surprise.  "You know I can't do that.  The letters
are still coming."  Looking at his watch, he realized it was still early
and he was finished with the paper for the day.  "But I can go and see
her."  He smiled for the first time since Christmas day and headed out
to the van.
 

Chapter eleven

'Cause love is different than you'd think
It's never in a song or on a tv screen
And love is harder than a word
Said at the right time and everything's alright
Love is different than you think
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Caedmon's Call

Aimee sat out on the back porch swing gazing out at the backyard but not
really seeing.  It was cold, but she didn't care.  Bernie was out with
his posse and Lois had some community luncheon to attend.  She'd asked
Aimee to come along, but Aimee had begged off, using morning sickness as
an excuse.  She welcomed the solitude.  She loved her in-laws, and was
doing her best to enjoy this time with them, but her heart was
breaking.  Once again she'd been rejected by the person who was supposed
to love her the most.  Her own mother didn't want her and now her
husband too.  She knew in her head that Gary was doing what he thought
was best, but her heart refused to listen to logic.  The pain of his
absence was worse than any physical hurt she'd ever felt.  She'd never
known love could be so painful.

Gary pulled up in front of the Hobson house and shut off the engine of
the van.  He sat there for a few minutes, unsure of the welcome he would
receive from Aimee.  If their phone conversations were any indication,
he had a feeling it wouldn't be as warm as he hoped.  He stepped out and
headed up the steps to the front door, finding it unlocked as usual.
His parents never listened to him about keeping the door locked.  As he
entered, his footsteps echoed through the silent house.  He checked the
kitchen and the living room, but it seemed as if no one was home.  'It
would be just my luck', he thought, 'to drive all this way and find no
one here'.  He sank down on the couch and ran his hands through his
hair, wondering how long he'd have to wait before someone came home.
Just then he heard the back door open.  He stood and headed in that
direction, and found Aimee taking off her coat and hat.

"Aimee."  Her name came out in a whisper.  He longed to pull her into
his arms, but instead he waited.

Aimee turned, startled when she heard her name and found Gary standing
in the hall staring at her with longing in his eyes.  She stared back,
unsure if she was dreaming or if he was really there.  After a moment,
she ran to him and he folded her into his arms and held her tightly,
while tears streamed down her face.

"I missed you so much", he whispered, cupping her face and kissing her
tears away.

"You came to take me home?"  She looked up at him with her tear filled
eyes, hoping to hear the answer 'yes'.  Instead, he stiffened and looked
away, giving her his answer.

"I don't want to argue with you.  The letters are still coming, so you
have to stay here a while longer.  Please, understand", he begged.

But she didn't understand.  Instead, she turned and ran up the stairs to
the guest room and slammed the door.  Gary stared after her for a
minute, then followed.  He tried the door but it was locked.

"Aimee, please open the door.  Let's talk about this."

Silence.

"Aimee, if you don't open this door, I'll break it down.  I'm not
kidding."

More silence.

"Fine.  I'll break it down."  He took a few steps back to gain momentum,
then threw himself at the door shoulder first.  The only thing that gave
was his shoulder.  He rubbed it for a few seconds, then shook off the
pain and stepped back to try again.

Aimee heard him hit the door and shook her head.  As upset as she was,
she couldn't let him hurt himself.  She went to the door and pulled it
open, just as he was making his second attempt to break it down.  He
flew through the now open door and landed in a heap on the bed, causing
it to collapse beneath him.  Aimee's hand flew to her mouth, but when
she saw the look of shock on his face, she slid to the floor in a fit of
giggles, her body causing the door to close again.  Uncontrollable
laughter seized her at the sight of Gary on the broken bed looking
outraged.

"That's not funny!", he said.  "I could've hurt myself."  He stood and
looked down at the broken bed and then back at Aimee who was still
laughing.

"You......should've......seen the.......look.......on...........your....face."  She barely got the
words out through her laughter.

Finally, he smiled.  He reached down and pulled her up and into his
arms.  "It's nice to hear you laugh again and see your smile.  Even if I
had to nearly kill myself, it was worth it."

Aimee stopped laughing and looked into his eyes.  "I'm sorry.  Did you
hurt yourself?"

"Oh, now she asks", he joked.  "No, I'm just fine.  Dislocated shoulder,
concussion, a few bumps and bruises.  Not to mention what my parents are
gonna do to me when they see that bed."  They laughed together again,
then he kissed her hungrily, murmuring against her lips.  "I have missed
you so much."

"I missed you too."  She returned his kisses with a hunger of her own.
Soon their hands were roaming and fumbling with buttons and zippers.
Clothes were tossed aside carelessly.  He backed her to the collapsed
bed and lowered her and they loved each other in an urgent frenzy as if
they had to make up for lost time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later, they lay on the broken bed, wrapped in each other's arms.  Aimee
was the first to speak.  "Gary, please take me home today.  I want to go
home.  I want to be with you."

Gary sighed heavily, wondering why it always had to come back to this.
"You know I can't do that.  I need you here where you're safe. Can't we
talk about something else?  How've you been feeling today?"

She ignored his attempt to change the subject.  "Don't you want me
anymore?"

He sat up and looked at her in surprise.  "How could you ask that?  I
came to see you today, didn't I?"

"Yeah, what for?  A conjugal visit?"  As soon as she said the words, she
wished she could take them back.

Gary gripped her arms and pulled her to a sitting position beside him.
It was clear he was hurt and angry at what she'd just said.  "You know
me better than that."

She started to cry again.  She was angry at herself.  Angry for crying
so much, angry for hurting Gary, just angry.  "I'm sorry.  I know that's
not why you came.  It just feels like you don't want me to come home."
Her sobs renewed and she swiped at her tears in frustration.

Gary pulled her close and whispered into her hair.  "I love you so
much.  I can't wait for you to come home, but not until I know you're
safe there.  Please understand."  He pulled back and tapped the
heart-shaped emerald that hung from her neck.  "You're the reason my
heart beats, remember?"

She clasped the pendant in her hand and nodded.  They called a truce,
both agreeing not to speak of her coming home anymore.  But her heart
broke anew when she watched him drive off again that night, as did
Gary's when he left her behind.
 

Chapter twelve

Whenever I miss you so much
It's more than I can bear
I won't cry, I'll just close my eyes
And know you'll be there
Your kiss and your touch
I'll never forget
'Cause you're as close
As my very next breath
~~~~~~~~~Plus One

Over the next two days, Gary was back to his grumpy self.  Seeing Aimee
for only that brief time was not enough to sustain him.  In fact, he
missed her more than ever.  They spoke on the phone everyday, but it
wasn't the same.  Their conversations were still uncomfortable.  Since
they had agreed not to talk about her coming home, it was like she had
nothing else to say.  He knew she was unhappy and it was eating him up
inside.  The loft felt like a tomb without her.  Each night he dozed
fitfully on the couch with only the tv and the cat for company.  He ate
all his meals downstairs in the McGinty's kitchen, but even food was
tasteless to him.  His daily regimen with the paper continued on in the
same vein as it had since he'd left her with his parents.

He knew he was driving everyone crazy.  He was driving himself crazy
too.  He was down in the office pacing when Marissa came in.

She recognized his footfall and the rustle of the paper in his back
pocket.  Sighing heavily, she realized it was time to serve up another
dish of advice.  Otherwise, they'd all go insane.

"Gary, you're being ridiculous.  Go and get Aimee and bring her home."

He continued pacing and looked at her.  "You know I can't do that."

"Why not?  Because some nutcase is sending her letters?  Are you gonna
let this person rule your life?  And what if he finds her in
Hickory--where will you hide her next?  Go and get her.  She'd be much
safer here in a bar filled with people than in an empty house all day
where your parents don't even lock the door."

He stopped and scratched his head.  "You think so?"

"Gary, look at yourself.  You haven't slept in days.  You snap at
everyone.  You hardly eat.  You can't keep going like this.  You claim
you can't worry about her and deal with the paper at the same time.
Well, have you stopped worrying about her?"  She gave him a knowing
look.  "And how do you think Aimee feels?  You abandoned her just like
her parents did.  Don't you think she's feeling rejected?"

"I didn't abandon her.  She knows why I left her there."

"I'm sure you've told her many times, and she probably knows it's true
in her head, but do you think her heart is convinced?  I know she was
deeply hurt by her parent's actions.  Something like this could bring it
all back.  Besides, tomorrow's New Year's Eve.  Do you really want to
ring in the new year alone?  Go and get her."

Gary thought about Marissa's words for a few minutes.  She did make some
valid points.  Since being without Aimee, he'd only been more distracted
than ever.  Aimee was unhappy, he was unhappy, and as a result everyone
around him was unhappy.  And it was always possible the letter writer
would find out where Aimee was and pursue her there.  He hated the
thought of her in any kind of danger, but maybe leaving her at his
parents hadn't been the best solution.

He went out to the bar and found Chuck arguing with Crumb about who
would end up in the Superbowl.

Crumb bellowed, "Hobson, tell the little guy here that the Bears don't
have a snowballs chance in....

With a mischievious gleam in his eye, Chuck cut him off.   "Yeah, Gar,
c'mon tell us, who's gonna go all the way?  What's your ESPN tellin ya?"

Crumb threw up his hands and said, "If you're gettin one of your
feelings, I don't want to know."  He walked away to tend to another
customer.

Gary shot Chuck a dirty look.  "Don't you have to be somewhere?"

"As a matter of fact, no.  I don't start my new job till the day after
New Year's."  He reached down and pulled the paper out of Gary's grasp.
Gary promptly snatched it back.

"What?  I was just checkin to see if there was anything I could help
with."  He gave Gary his most innocent look.

"I'm glad you brought that up, cause there is something you could help
with.  I was thinking maybe you could deal with the paper tomorrow, so I
could go pick up Aimee."

Chuck grimaced.  "Gar, buddy, ya know I'd love to help out, but I just
remembered I have a........a dentist appointment tomorrow."

"On New Year's Eve?"  He didn't buy Chuck's excuse for one minute.
"I'll give you one sport's score."

"Two!"

"One!"

"How about one stock tip and one sport's score?"

"How about I just forget the whole thing?"

"Alright, alright, one sport's score.  Geez, Gar, you drive a hard
bargain."  He took a swig of his drink.  "So, you're bringing Aimee
home, huh?  It's about time.  No offense Gar, but you're no picnic to be
around when she's away."

Gary ran his hand across the back of his neck.  "I know, I know."

"I'm really happy for ya, Gar.  Aimee's great.  Does she have any
sisters?"

"No, she doesn't have any sisters.  I thought you were giving up on
women."

"Yeah, I thought so too.  But hey, if you can get someone like Aimee,
there's hope for me", he joked.

"Very funny!"

Neither of them noticed the stranger sitting a few stools over.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gary tossed and turned all night again.  He never knew it was possible
to miss one person so much.  He was anxious for the night to end and
morning to begin, so he could go and get her.  He decided not to call,
just to go and surprise her.

Finally morning came, heralded by the cat and his daily delivery.  Gary
scanned through the headlines, happy to note there was nothing too
serious for Chuck to deal with.  No deaths or major injuries for Chuck
to mess up, thankfully.  There was one drunk driving incident that was
pretty serious, but he'd be back in time to deal with that himself.  He
carefully removed the sports and financial sections, then wrote down one
sport's score on the front page.  Then he took a quick shower and
dressed in his white turtleneck and jeans.

He glanced around the loft to see if it was presentable.  He didn't want
Aimee to come home to a mess.  The roses he'd given her on Christmas day
were dead, their heads folded down sadly as if they'd missed her as much
as he did and had given up on life.  The thought depressed him.   He
tossed them out and picked up his dirty clothes off the floor.  It
suddenly dawned on him how much work she did to keep the place clean.
He straightened the bed covers, fed the cat and headed downstairs.

Chuck was just arriving.  Anxious to get going, Gary barely said good
morning.  He tossed Chuck the paper and left.

The drive to Hickory seemed to take forever, but he actually made record
time.  He went through the front door and found his mother in the
kitchen making breakfast.

"Gary, what are you doing here?"

"I came to get Aimee."

"Well, it's about time.  She's been mopin' around here since Christmas.
I know you thought you were doing the right thing, but......"

"Mom!  Where is she?"

"She's still asleep.  I've been letting her sleep late, ya know,
pregnant women require a lot of sleep.  I remember when I was pregnant
with you......"

"Mom!"

"I know.  Go, go."  She smiled and shooed him out of the kitchen.

Gary found Aimee asleep on the newly repaired guest bed.  She looked so
beautiful.   He'd always loved watching her sleep.  He took off his
shoes and coat and crawled in next to her, pulling her close.  She
stirred a little and snuggled closer to him.  He listened to her even
breathing for a few minutes before drifting off himself.  Lois peeked in
a few minutes later and smiled at the sight of them both asleep with
little smiles on their faces.
 

Chapter thirteen

I, I can't read the future
But I still wanna hold you close
Right now, I need that from you
So give me the morning
Sharing another day with you
Is all I want to know
~~~~~~~Jon Secada

Aimee awakened from her cocoon of warmth to the sound of soft snoring.
She turned and burrowed closer to Gary, sighing contendedly, but sat up
in surprise when she realized that waking up in his arms was an unusual
occurance lately.  She quickly convinced herself that he was only there
for another visit, afraid to hope otherwise.  She slid gently from
beneath his arm and headed for the bathroom as a bout of nausea overtook
her.

When she came back into the room, she found Gary sitting up in bed
expectantly.  She crawled in next to him again and they wrapped their
arms around each other.

"Hi!", she whispered, her eyes full of the questions she was afraid to
ask.

"Hi, beautiful!"  He kissed her softly.  "How would you like to go home
today?"

Aimee sat up and turned to face him more fully.  "Really, you mean it?"
At his nod, she threw her arms around him, then sobered and pulled
back.  "For good?"

"For good", he whispered.

She played with the front of his sweater.  "What made you change your
mind?  Did they find out who sent the letters?"

He scratched his head in contemplation, before answering.  "No, I just
missed you so much I was driving everyone nuts.  Marissa finally got
sick of me and......."

"Remind me to give Marissa a big hug when we get back."  She gave him a
big grin.

"Aimee, you know I was only trying to protect you, don't you?  I would
never abandon you and I never meant to hurt you."

A single tear escaped and slowly wended it's way down her face.  A few
minutes passed before she spoke.  "I thought you didn't want me anymore,
just like my parents.  They kept me for a short time and then they
dropped me off and never returned, and I thought it was happening all
over again."  A few more tears followed the first.

Gary touched her face, gently wiping away her tears.  His heart was
breaking that she could think he would carelessly toss her aside that
way.  "I could never do that.  You're everything to me---the reason my
heart beats.  I was so lost without you this past week.  Nothing feels
right when you're not with me."  He wrapped her in a tight embrace.
"I'll never leave you again, I promise."

She cried out all her hurt and heartache in his arms.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When they arrived back at McGinty's the employees were gearing up for
the New Year's Eve rush.  Everyone stopped to greet Aimee with a hug and
welcome her home.  There were only a few customers, but it was still
early.  One particular customer sat on one of the bar stools and quietly
observed all these exchanges.  His eyes followed Aimee wherever she went
until she disappeared with Gary into the office and up the stairs.

"I'm home!", she exclaimed as she entered the loft.  She scooped up the
cat.  "Hi buddy!  Didja miss me?"  The cat purred contentedly in
answer.  Roaming through the large room, cat in tow, she touched various
articles as if reaquainting herself with her surroundings.

Gary put her things down and watched her move about the apartment.  Her
presence brought everything back to life, especially his heart.  He
studied her as she went to the Christmas tree, fingering the ornaments
as if they were all new to her.  When she picked up their framed wedding
picture and touched it with her fingertips, he realized how deeply she
had missed this place and him.  He went to her and removed the cat from
her arms, depositing him on the floor.  Then he pulled her to his
favorite chair and into his lap.

"This place isn't the same without you.  I'm so glad you're home."

She laid her head on his shoulder, sighed and whispered, "Me too".
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The festivities had begun in ernest at McGinty's.  Most of the customers
were regulars, but there were a few faces Gary didn't recognize.  The
stranger at the bar caught his eye as he scanned the room.  He looked to
be in his late-twenties, with dark hair, medium height and build. There
was something familiar about the man, and yet Gary was sure he'd never
met him.  He caught a glimpse of Chuck coming through the door and
breathed a sigh of relief.  When he hadn't heard from Chuck all day,
he'd begun to worry that giving him the paper had been a bad idea.

"So?", he asked when Chuck sat down beside him and plopped the paper
down on the bar.

"So...... what?"

"Whatdya mean so what?  You know what I'm talking about.  How'd it go
with the paper?"

"How'd it go with the paper?  I'll tell you how it went with the
paper."  Chuck's annoyance spilled forth with every word he spoke.  "You
remember that woman from the elevator incident the other day?"  At
Gary's nod, Chuck continued.  "Well, she's a nutcase.  First, she nearly
got us both killed at the ATM when I was trying to keep her from being
robbed.  By the time it was all over, I was ready to shoot her myself.
I shoulda just let the guy steal her money."

Gary tried not to laugh.  He hid his smirk behind his hand, but Chuck
noticed.

"You think it's funny, Gar.  That nutcase showed up at every save.  I
think she was following me."  He looked over his shoulder as if he
expected to see her behind him.

"Maybe she likes you.  Didja ever think of that?  Maybe the paper is
bringing you together.  Maybe she's your destiny", Gary teased.

"If she's my destiny, I'll kill myself", he retorted, moving his hand
across his neck in a cutting motion.

The mysterious stranger sat at the bar a few stools away, quietly
sipping his drink.
 

Chapter fourteen

You are my light
You're my everything
In a place of chaos
You're the one thing that brings me peace
~~~~~~~~~~~~Plus One

The sweet sounds of Billie Holiday's, "You Can't Take That Away From Me"
drifted through McGinty's.  Several couples were dancing, including
Marissa and Emmett.  Gary took Aimee by the hand and led her onto the
floor and into his arms.

"You're the most beautiful woman here", he whispered as they swayed to
the music.  "In fact, every man in this place has got their eye on
you."  There was a tinge of annoyance in his voice.

"What?!!  You mean there are other men in this room.  I hadn't
noticed."  Aimee smiled up at him soothingly.  "I only have eyes for
you."

Gary smiled and kissed her.  "That's always nice to hear."  A moment
later, the man at the bar caught his eye again.  "Aimee, do you know
that man over at the end of the bar?"

Aimee studied the man, who quickly turned his head away guiltily, as if
he were embarrassed to be caught staring.  Something about him stirred a
cord within her, although she was sure she didn't know him.  "I-I don't
know.  I don't think so.  Why do you ask?"

The lack of confidence in her answer worried Gary.  "Whatdya mean, you
don't think so?"

"Well, I'm sure I've never met him before, but there's something about
him.  He looks familiar, but........ it's more than that.  I don't
know.  I-I can't explain it.  Why?  Do you know him?  You don't think he
might be the one sending the letters do you?"

His eyes crinkled up with concern.  "I don't know.  He's been in here a
lot the last couple of days.  It's probably nothing.  Just stay close to
me though, okay?"

Aimee put her hand to her forehead dramatically.  "If I must, I must."
She was relieved to see Gary smile again.

Chuck interrupted them.  "Gar, she's here.  Hide me."  He ducked behind
Gary and peered around him like a turtle peeking out from his shell.

Chuck continued hiding behind Gary, even when Gary attempted to move.
After a few minutes of this strange dance, Gary's irritation got the
best of him.  "Stop that!", he commanded.  "Who's here?"

Now cowering behind Aimee, Chuck spoke secretively.  "That woman from
the paper, Laurie Ackerman.  She's right over there."  He pointed to a
woman standing just inside the door looking around.  When Gary and Aimee
turned in that direction, he practically shouted, "Don't look now!"

His shout drew her attention and she made her way toward the three of
them.

Gary smiled mischieviously.  "I told ya, she's your destiny."

"Uh uh!  No way!"   Chuck turned and ran through the kitchen, leaving
Gary and Aimee to deal with the woman.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for Chuck Fishman.  I thought I saw him here
just a minute ago."  Her eyes scanned the room.

Aimee couldn't believe she was once again face to face with the woman
who had put she and Abby through academic torture throughout their
school years.  "Laurie right?  Laurie Ackerman from Spring Creek,
Minnesota?"

"Yes"  Laurie looked at Aimee in surprise, then recognition.  "Aimee
Madison, is that you?  I haven't seen you in years.  How are you?"

"I'm fine and it's Aimee Hobson now.  This is my husband, Gary."  After
the introductions, the two women did some catching up.  Laurie sat with
her back to the kitchen, so she was unaware of Chuck peeking out through
the door and making motions at Gary and Aimee to get rid of her.  Aimee
could barely keep from laughing.  She knew exactly how Chuck felt.

"Ya know, Laurie, Chuck left here in an awful rush.  I have a feeling he
won't be back tonight."  Aimee was anxious to get rid of Laurie too.
The woman hadn't changed much over the years.  She still seemed to
have a penchant for copying others.  Finally, thankfully, she left,
looking around disappointedly one last time.  Aimee had the sinking
feeling she'd be seeing a lot more of Laurie Ackerman and she suddenly
felt very sorry for Chuck.

It was nearing midnight, and another romantic song was playing over the
jukebox.  This time it was the sultry voice of Karen Carpenter singing
"What are you doing New Year's Eve".  Aimee sang along to Gary as they
danced.

The music stopped and the crowd grew boisterous as the countdown to the
New Year began.  The television above the bar was tuned to the ball
dropping over Times Square.

"8....7....6....5....4....3....2....1"  Everyone cheered and began
embracing and clinking glasses.  Gary pulled Aimee close and whispered,
"Happy New Year", before kissing her hungrily.  They broke apart and he
leaned close and spoke softly in her ear.  "Let's get outta here."

Before she could respond, they were surrounded by well wishers.  First
Chuck pulled Gary into an embrace, while Marissa and Emmett hugged
Aimee.  Some of the other employees joined in and soon Aimee found
herself separated from Gary and face to face with the strangely familiar
green eyes of the mysterious man at the bar.
 

Chapter fifteen

What sad memory of yesterday
What terrible scar
Keeps you gathering pieces of
Your shattered heart
There was once upon a time
When hope was living within
I know there will come a time
When you can believe again
~~~~~~~~~Amy Grant

The stranger reached out a hand tentatively in Aimee's direction.
"Aimee Madison?"

Her heart started pounding.  She took a step back and looked around the
room frantically for Gary, but the crowd was thick, obstructing her
view.

The man took a step closer.  When he saw the panic in her eyes, he
grasped her arm.  "I've been looking for you.  Didn't you get my
letter?"

At the mention of the word "letter", Aimee's first instinct was to
scream, but she realized it would never be heard over the noise of the
boisterous partiers.  She looked down at the hand on her arm and then
back up at the man.  "Let go of me", she said, making her voice as firm
as she could despite her fear.

He tightened his grip as she tried to pull away.  "I can't.  I need to
talk to you about the letter."

Gary searched the room for Aimee, and spotted her with the stranger.
Cold chills ran through him as the man grabbed her arm.  All he knew was
that he had to get to her before the man injured her.  He pushed his way
through the crowd to her side and reached her just in time to hear the
man mention the letter.  He extricated Aimee's arm from the man's grip
and shoved him backwards.

"Hobson, what's going on?"  Crumb had seen the man with Aimee as well,
and had come over to investigate, his 'cop' instincts kicking in.

"Call your cop buddies, Crumb.  This is the guy who's been sending the
letters."  Gary had stepped in front of Aimee and was locked in a stare
down with the man, who now had a look of confusion on his face.

"I--I don't understand.  I just wanted to talk to Aimee.  I wasn't going
to hurt her."  His eyes pleaded with them to believe him, but no one was
listening.  Instead, Crumb was making a phone call and several of
McGinty's male employees had surrounded him.  They held his arms behind
his back and dragged him out of the bar and through the kitchen to wait
for the police.

Gary wrapped Aimee tightly in his arms, more for his own reassurance
than hers.  He looked down into her face, his fears clearly written
across his own.  "Are you okay?  Did he hurt you?"

"N-No, he didn't hurt me.  I'm okay.  I......don't know why, but.......
I believe him.  I don't think he wanted to hurt me."

Gary didn't answer, just held her close.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All through the night, Aimee's thoughts stayed on the man in the bar,
her mind trying to make sense of the strange connection she felt toward
him.  Somehow she knew that he couldn't be the one who sent the notes.
He had kind, safe eyes, not threatening eyes.  His eyes were familiar,
very familiar.  Suddenly, she sat up in bed as a thought struck her.  A
million questions flooded her mind.  She got up and went to the window,
unable to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next morning, Aimee sat at her desk and flipped through the stack of
mail that had built up while she was staying at the Hobson's.  There was
an envelope addressed to Aimee Madison, but it was not the same as the
others.  She slit it open and pulled the letter out.  What she read
brought tears to her eyes, and confirmed her suspicions from the night
before.

She went out to the bar to ask Crumb where the police had taken the
suspect from last night, but before she got the chance, the object of
her thoughts walked through the door.

He spoke quickly, trying to get the words out before being hauled away
again.  "Aimee, I'm not here to hurt you.  I've been looking for you.
I'm........"

Crumb cut him off.  "You again!!  I thought I told you last night never
to show your face in here again."

"It's alright Crumb.  I want to talk to him.  It's ok, really!  Please
excuse us."  Aimee patted Crumb's arm reassuringly.

"You sure?"  At her nod, he added, "Ok, but I'll be right behind the
bar."  He gave the man a pointed look and left them alone.

"Thank you!", he said as she led him to a table.  As he sat down, he
glanced around nervously.  "I've thought about this moment for a long
time, but now I don't know where to start.  I've been looking for you.
I'm.............."

"You're Alex, my brother."  She held out the letter she'd just read in
the office.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gary came in a short while later and found Aimee in the arms of another
man.  And not just any man, but the man from the night before.  Intense
pain like he'd never felt before coursed through him.  All he could
think about was how Marcia had treated him.  After the divorce, when
she'd announced she was getting married again so fast, he'd suspected
that she'd started the relationship with Pritchard long before she threw
him out.  It just seemed to happen a little too fast.  Now here he was
witnessing this painful scene and all his old feelings of rejection
resurfaced.  Aimee's words about the man she was embracing took on a
whole new meaning.  'There's something about him', she'd said.  He tried
to turn and walk away, unable to face her at that moment, but she saw
him and called out to him, so he bravely made his way toward her and
*him*.
 
 

Continued inInstallment 2

Email the author:  shana93@optonline.net
 

Back Home to McGinty's

Stories by Title

Stories by Author