Thirty minutes later, he was drinking coffee again. This time it was from a machine in the hospital, but it was just as rancid as Louie’s rank brew. Looking down at it, Ryan thought it suited his mood. He felt pretty rank and rancid himself. Which is what always happened when he allowed himself to think about his father. Only rarely did he admit his bitter resentment that John Paxton had taken a way out that seemed cowardly, no matter what the circumstances. He’d left a sick wife. And a son. What the hell was he thinking to just cash it in that way and leave them both hanging out to dry? Ryan believed there wasn’t any situation bad enough to make him kill himself, not because he had more guts than his old man, but because it would hurt Jennifer. He couldn’t do that to Jen. So, what the hell kind of threat had Matthew Walker hung over John Paxton’s head that would make an honorable man turn his back on honor? The most frustrating part was that he couldn’t get to either of them to ask. Not that he’d ask, if he had that opportunity. He’d demand.
He looked up now as Liz and Lindsay were returning from the brief visit to Gina allowed in the ICU. He’d arrived just as they were admitted. There was no sign of Austin. That puzzled and concerned Ryan. Austin had a lot at stake and from his attitude earlier, he’d seemed obsessed with controlling the events set in motion by Gina’s accident. When Ryan had left Louie, he’d warned him that Austin might show up wanting to take Jesse and that he was to refuse him, no matter what.
“Do what you have to to stall him,” Ryan had advised Louie, leaving his own cell phone and pager numbers. He’d almost suggested they leave Liz’s house and go to his own condo, but Jesse didn’t need to be in unfamiliar territory right now.
He stood up as Liz and Lindsay entered the waiting area. Liz looked exhausted. “How is she?” he asked, but in fact, he was more concerned about Liz than Gina, who was beyond help.
“No change.” Liz pushed her hair back out of her eyes, anchoring it behind one ear. She looked around blankly. “Where’s my coffee? I thought I left it here.”
“I dumped it,” Ryan said. Reaching out, he tipped up her chin and studied her face. It was an indication of her utter exhaustion that she allowed such an intimacy. “How about taking a walk with me to the cafeteria? I know you’ve got to be hungry.”
“Great idea,” Lindsay said, settling back on one of the settees. “I’ve eaten, so I’ll stay in case anything happens. Take your cell phone, Liz. I’ll call you.”
“I had planned just to get something from one of the vending machines,” Elizabeth said, with a move that took her just out of Ryan’s reach. But there was a faint rise of color on her face. She wasn’t totally unaware of him, Ryan noticed, and felt a surge of satisfaction.
“Go, Liz,” Lindsay urged. She hadn’t missed the small byplay between the two. As Elizabeth turned to go, Lindsay met Ryan’s eyes and gave him a thumbs-up signal and a bright smile.
“I just left your house,” Ryan told Liz as they waited for the elevator. “Jesse was quiet, but she seemed agreeable to having Jennifer around.” With a hand at her waist, he guided her into the elevator. Most of the space was taken up with an elderly woman in a wheelchair accompanied by two family members. He waited until they reached their destination and got out before adding, “Louie’s holding up.”
“I talked to him earlier. I don’t know what I would do without him.” She stood uncertainly, looking over the crowd in the cafeteria. “I’m really not very hungry.”
The place was packed with staff and visitors having lunch, too noisy to talk. And definitely the wrong choice to give Liz a break, Ryan thought, tucking a hand under her elbow. “There’s a restaurant just a short walk from here. Getting outside will probably clear the cobwebs and I bet you’ll be hungry once food is set in front of you. Remember, Lindsay will let you know if you’re needed.”
To his surprise, she didn’t object, but simply fell into step as if to argue was too much trouble. He didn’t jump to any conclusions about her unusual agreeableness. Fatigue, grief and fear were temporarily taking a toll, but the steel in her spine was still there.
“Where’s your client?” she asked.
“Which one? I’ve got a few.”
“You know which one. Austin hasn’t been back since we argued over pulling life support from Gina.” Her lips twisted with bitterness. “He has no love for her and he isn’t going to be responsible for the expense of keeping her in ICU, so I’ve been wondering what’s so urgent that he wants to end her life.”
He touched her arm to stop her as they approached a cross street. “I don’t pretend to understand what motivates Austin in anything he does. You may not believe this, but I don’t know him very well. I agreed to represent him when asked by his father, who’s one of the senior partners in the firm.” The light changed and they started walking again. “I haven’t dumped him because of Jesse. I hope you believe that. Maybe I can do some good for her.”
A hint of a smile softened her face. “I know the feeling. It’s for Jesse’s sake that I do a lot of things that I probably wouldn’t otherwise do. Or make choices I wouldn’t otherwise choose.”
“Such as—”
“Since you’re still Austin’s lawyer, I think I’ve said enough.”
They were approaching the restaurant now, which had half a dozen umbrella-covered tables set outside. She stopped and looked about, caught in full sunshine. Her hair was an incredible color, he thought, not red, but a dark auburn and shot through with rich fiery highlights. Thick and lustrous, it fell to her shoulders, wanting to curl in Houston’s humid air. He guessed that ordinarily she spent a lot of time trying to tame it, but after nearly eighteen hours without benefit of vanity products and mirror, it was going its own untamed way. He preferred her looking natural and feminine, as she did in the jeans and soft T-shirt. And those green eyes…A man could learn to love the look of a woman like Liz.
“Liz—” He stopped her as she started inside. She turned, giving him a questioning look. “After this is over, would you have dinner with me? Could we get to know each other better without all the complications of Austin and…everything else?”
“I…don’t know.” She frowned.
“Are you seeing somebody?”
“No. It’s just—” Shaking her head, she looked sort of frantically at the traffic. “I’m really not interested in…that.”
He smiled, a half tilt of his mouth, knowing the risk he took teasing her. “Don’t tell me Austin’s tacky accusations were right after all?”
“Austin’s—” She looked confused a second or two before she understood. “Oh, that Gina and I—” She stopped, giving a soft laugh. “No, his accusations were probably a fantasy in his own mind. He’s just that sick.”
“And tacky.”
“Your words, not mine.” She glanced at the door. “Are we having lunch or not?”
She hadn’t promised to go out with him, but he hadn’t been completely shot down either, he thought. He felt hopeful. “Want to sit outside?”
“I think so.” She allowed him to seat her and thanked the waiter with a smile as water in a tall glass was placed in front of her. Again, he caught himself staring. Her smile was enough to make him forget the history they shared.
“You should do that more often,” he said, waving the waiter off after they’d ordered.
“Do what?”
“Smile.”
Instantly, her smile faded. “I don’t have much to smile about today. I know it must seem as if I’m refusing to face reality about Gina, but I just can’t accept that the life of someone so vibrant and loving could end this way. I just can’t give up hope.” She toyed with the raffia string tied around her napkin. “There’s still Jesse to consider.”
“There’s always hope, Liz.” He wanted to take her hand and bring her fingers to his lips to kiss, but he’d have to save that and other kisses for later. But it was going to happen. He was going to get to know Elizabeth Walker much better.
She frowned as she opened the napkin, the motion unhurried as if her thoughts were focused back in time. “I never understood her obsession with Austin. I think now, looking back, that I wasn’t a very good friend.” She looked into Ryan’s eyes. “Gina knew Austin’s faults without being constantly reminded by me. If she’d been able, she would have ended their relationship earlier. She simply wasn’t able to put him out of her life and I never could accept that. I should have. I should have tried harder to understand.”
Their food arrived, giving Ryan a chance to consider his reply. “You’ve been there for her during the times when she needed help. That’s a true friend. And you’ve been a steady and loving presence to Jesse. Beyond that, I don’t see what more you could do.” It was all Ryan could think of to say, but her pain made him recall a long-forgotten memory. “My mother had a friend,” he said, looking at the way she was shredding a roll into bird-size crumbs. “They knew each other in high school and all the way through college, but after they both married, they settled in different areas of Houston. In spite of the distance, they met for lunch occasionally and as friends they shared bits and pieces of their lives. Then one night my mother had a call and was told that the woman had been taken to a hospital. Seems she’d fallen down the stairs and was in a coma from which she never recovered. I must have been eight or ten, but I remember my mother’s shock and anger. I thought it was odd to see my mother enraged over an accident. Her friend couldn’t help falling down the stairs, could she? We went to the funeral and I remember hearing whispers and scraps of conversation that hinted at something other than an accidental fall down those stairs. Her husband was a well-respected businessman, and very successful. What were they hinting at? A man like that wouldn’t do something so unspeakable as pushing his wife down a flight of stairs, would he? It just couldn’t happen…could it? That kind of abuse happened in social circles different from ours. Didn’t it?”
Ryan’s smile wasn’t quite straight. He picked up his fork and speared a shrimp, but held it untasted. Instead, he looked into Elizabeth’s green eyes. “Afterward, my mother was filled with remorse. She felt guilty, even somewhat responsible, if you can believe that. I remember her telling my father that she should have done something. Intervened somehow. And I remember my father dismissing her feelings as the usual female tendency to overreact. Like many, he was blind to the truth. He didn’t see anything but the man’s public persona.”
Elizabeth sipped water and toyed with her salad. “It happens.”
“Yeah, it does. I’m wondering if I’m more like my old man than my mother. If Austin is as abusive as you believe him to be, then I might have been more helpful in keeping him away from her if I hadn’t been assuming a man with Austin’s background wouldn’t behave like a common criminal.” That was part of it. He hoped Liz would never know the other—how his objectivity had disappeared once he learned who her father was. Had he helped put Gina in jeopardy because he was blinded by Elizabeth’s connection to his father? “So, if you’re going to beat yourself up over the tragedy of Gina and her dysfunctional relationship with Austin, I’d have to get in line way ahead of you, Liz.”
Elizabeth was shaking her head, now pushing lettuce around on her plate. “Nobody could have prevented them seeing each other one more time,” she said. “I don’t know this for sure—I mean, Gina didn’t confide in me—but I think she called Austin and set up the date. She was surely horrified to find herself pregnant. I think she knew he’d be unhappy to say the least and that’s why she took Jesse. He wouldn’t attack her in front of Jesse.” She pushed her plate away. “At least I don’t think he would. Since Jesse hasn’t said a word since, we haven’t heard her account of the accident.”
“Wait, wait. Go back a minute. Who’s pregnant? Gina?”
She frowned. “Didn’t you know?”
He put his fork down carefully. “No, I didn’t. My client hasn’t shared that particular bit of information.”
She rested her hands on the edge of the table. “Should we be having this conversation, Ryan?”
He swore softly and signaled to the waiter. “Probably not.” When the waiter appeared, he told him to remove their plates, then looked at Elizabeth. “Would you like dessert? Coffee?”
“No, thanks,” she replied with a faint smile. “I didn’t do justice to my salad and I’ve had enough caffeine in the last twenty-four hours to keep me wired for a week.”
Ryan waited until the waiter moved away. “About Gina’s pregnancy. She couldn’t have been very far along, right?”
“It happened the day they left together after the hearing.”
He stared at her. “You’re kidding.”
“Don’t I wish.”
“How do you know?”
“That she was pregnant? Megan gave me the good news.”
“No, how do you know when it happened.”
Another near-smile. “I know.” She paused while the check was placed in front of him. “I think that’s the reason she made the date. She had to tell him and I think the last thing he wanted from Gina was another child. I have no proof of any of this, of course.”
No, but he could see how she’d worked it out in her mind. It sounded very likely to him, too. He pulled his wallet out and removed his credit card. How would Austin react to learning he was going to have to deal with yet another kid? The mental picture that produced was not pretty. But would he do more than just pitch a fit like a spoiled kid?
“Ryan…”
He looked up into her eyes, green as glass, clear and compelling. “What?”
“He mustn’t be allowed to get his hands on Jesse.”
They were entering the hospital foyer half an hour later when Elizabeth’s cell phone rang. Her hands shook as she fumbled for it in her purse. One look at the read-out told her that it was Lindsay calling. With her heart pounding, she put the phone to her ear. “What is it, Lindsay?”
“Where are you?”
“In the lobby…at the elevators.” She turned her back on a uniformed guard heading her way, no doubt to remind her that cell phones were not to be used in the hospital. “What’s wrong? What’s happened?”
“It’s Gina. I don’t know for sure, but everyone is crowded around her bed in the ICU. I’ve paged Megan.” Lindsay’s voice broke. “Hurry, Liz. They’ve called a Code Blue.”
“I’m on my way.”
Gina’s heart stopped during a convulsion brought on by excessive swelling in her brain. It was Megan who told Elizabeth that she was pronounced dead after seventeen minutes of desperate effort by the ER team. Elizabeth listened numbly to the details, white-faced and frozen. This time, when Ryan slipped an arm around her, she didn’t resist. She turned her face into his chest and gave way to unspeakable grief.