Chapter Twenty-Six

In the end, they decided to go to the ranch. They executed a stealthy switch of vehicles to Teddy’s more accessible van, which probably fooled no one inside the Minvielle home, but no doors opened or blinds raised as they completed the complicated procedure of getting two wheelchairs stowed and both people buckled into the front seat. That maneuver completed, the couple headed out of town.

“We’ll have the place to ourselves since the family usually stays over in New Orleans after a game. We can share my bed if you don’t mind sleeping under a teddy bear afghan—or sleep in Lorena’s adjoining room if you want. But I’d really like you to be by my side when I have to explain myself to the clan tomorrow. My parents won’t let me off easy when they find out I tried to brush them off. Call your mother and let her know where you’re going.” Teddy activated his phone and offered it to her.

“Why should I after the way she treated you?”

“Because my own mom would want to know no matter how angry she got. She’s trying to protect you.”

“Make that overprotect.” Yet Jessie conceded by leaving a text and immediately turning off his cell.

Teddy’s phone had been off for hours, partly because he wanted no interruptions while dealing with the police, and partly because he wished to avoid being bombarded by calls from his family on his long and frantic drive to the apartment. The message from the authorities transferred to the booth requested his immediate presence in Lafayette because an act of violence had taken place in his residence. An Officer Nelson added that the baby and Miss Minvielle were safe and well. He withheld information on Ella, saying that would be best handled in person. Undoubtedly, he’d used a lure to gain Teddy’s immediate compliance, and had gotten it. The drive from New Orleans to Lafayette never stretched out longer. Thank God, no cop felt like pulling over a van with a handicapped license plate doing seventy-five most of the way.

Teddy opened the gate of Lorena Ranch and took his red van down the winding road to the mansion by the bayou. As they passed each live oak lining the drive, motion sensors in their boughs activated the security lights turning the leaves to silver and the Spanish moss into ropes of gold. Beautiful, but the ranch had gone into full surveillance mode. “Uh-oh. Looks like Knox Polk stayed home.”

Rounding the last turn to the house, they couldn’t help but notice the chandelier in the foyer glittered through the sidelights of the front door the family seldom used strewing the lawn with a pattern of diamonds. All of the lights downstairs appeared to be on as well as some of the ones in the bedrooms.

“Oh, no,” Teddy muttered. “Judging by the cars, the family has gathered already. Don’t be fooled by the number of vehicles. They probably doubled up. Brace yourself. You are in for the full Billodeaux again, and this time it’s not a party.”

Greeted only by the family dogs, they took their time arranging their wheelchair entrance through the kitchen. Only Corazon occupied the usually homey space. She arranged quartered quesadillas around a bowl of dipping sauce. Her welcome less warm than usual, she said, “Team meeting in the den. You the last to arrive.” She hefted the large tray for transport to possibly hungry people.

“Are you going too?” Teddy questioned.

“Si, I am family now.”

“I guess it’s okay if I bring Jessie.”

“You ask.”

They followed Corazon’s broad behind into the lion’s den where the pride lounged waiting to pounce. Most sat on the floor. Junior held Xochi in the nest made by his muscular crossed legs. His large hands rested protectively on her baby bump. The perpetual honeymooners, Tom and Alix lay stretched out, long limbs intertwined as usual, near Dean and Stacy on the brown leather sofa. His twin nurse sisters perched on the edge of their seats like small doves of mercy waiting to descend and do their part. Intellectual, bespectacled Trin had a look on his face that said, “You’ve done it now,” but spared him a nod of support for all the years they’d worked together producing the camp’s newsletter.

Teddy caught a break with Lorena still being in Australia and Mack out on the west coast getting ready to play a Monday night game with the Cowboys. Lori would have been on his side, but Mack definitely tended to enjoy seeing someone else in trouble other than himself. They’d get the whole story before the night ended from the Billodeaux hot line no matter where in the world they were. At least, the grandchildren were nestled in the nursery, which explained the upstairs lights shining, so a little less noise and chaos than usual.

The ever-hungry T-Rex, his youngest brother, reached for a quesadilla and had his hand slapped away by Mama Nell. “After we talk.”

“Yeah, after we talk,” his tiny and rarely ravenous twin, Edie repeated. Being tucked in beside Daddy Joe made her appear even more petite than usual. The hand that predicted her brother would grow into a very big man retreated.

Nell turned her wounded brown eyes on Teddy who had never given her any trouble outside of medical emergencies since the day he’d been caught spying on a pair of lovers in the palm grove. At times like this, Teddy became all too aware that only he had no blood connection to the Billodeauxs. Though he’d long ago gotten over his fear of being kicked out of the family for any kind of misbehavior, being the always-good kid seemed ingrained in his nature by now. In trying to spare them another crisis after the ordeal with Xochi and handling this himself, he’d disappointed.

Teddy rolled to the center of the room. Jessie followed, parked by his side, and took his hand. He started by announcing, “Jess stays. She’s part of this.” No one objected. He tried to waylay some of the scolding without much luck by saying, “The baby is fine.”

As with many emotional issues, Nell took the lead away from her husband. “Did you really think we’d just sit there and watch the rest of the game after we got your note about the baby and you went off the air? We were only a half hour behind you once we got everyone in a vehicle. Annie phoned into the neonatal nursery asking for a sub for the night shift. She’s more current on caring for endangered infants than any of us. And then to have your phone turned off! Do you know how worried we all were?”

“Yeah, we headed for Chapelle as soon as we got out of the showers. Our wives had the cars ready to go, my kids packed into the back of one of them. We’ve been here an hour. Where were you?” Dean asked, seriously irritated.

“I figured you’d be tired after the game and only want a good meal and your own bed.” No way would he confess he’d been eating chicken wings with Jessie.

“Coach put in my backup for the second half the score ran so high. He took Junior out too. Tom and Alix had to stand by because you never know when the team will need a kicker, so we couldn’t leave. They drove up with Junior and Xochi.”

Tom nudged Dean’s foot with his own. “Thanks for acknowledging kickers are indispensable, but we were concerned too. Junior wouldn’t let me drive because of Xo’s condition, or we’d have been here sooner than Dean.”

Teddy hung his head, let his blond hair fall over his eyes, a way of hiding he’d perfected long ago. “I apologize to all of you. I should have given more information. Nothing happened to the baby and Jessie is okay. She walked in on Ella and her boyfriend planning to desert Lizzy after stripping my apartment of anything they thought they could sell.”

Annie’s usually kind brown eyes narrowed. “For the sake of your television set, I’m going to owe someone a double shift.”

“Sorry, I appreciate your sacrifice, I really do, but there is more. Ella’s man attacked Jessie. She got to my gun and shot him in the hip.”

Knox Polk, usually a silent presence, stood behind the recliner where his wife had plopped down and put her feet up. He spoke. “Good for you, honey. A little more to the left and you’d have got him in the crotch.”

T-Rex snickered. A few other smiles blossomed, easing the tension in the room. Teddy took advantage of that by racing on with the rest of the story.

“They took her wheelchair and escaped, but she found my old one and summoned help.” He gave Jessie a “proud of you” glance and noticed Knox had done the same. “When I got home, I had to deal with the police, lots of questions, and a walk through the apartment to see if they’d taken anything more than the TV and Jessie’s chair. Then, I went to see Jess to make sure she was okay.”

Mama Nell nodded her approval, but asked, “Where is Lizzy?”

Jessie broke in to take her share of the heat. “I said I’d care for her until Teddy arrived, but the police called Child Welfare to take her away. I suppose they didn’t think I was able enough for the job. I’m the one who lost her.” Her grip on Teddy’s hand tightened until her knuckles turned white.

Nell shook her head. “No, it is procedure.” Her eyes turned to Teddy. “If only you had called us before you left New Orleans. We’re still licensed for foster care—have been since Xochi joined the family. You of all my children should know that as we got to keep you with us until the adoption went through. Lizzy could be with us right now if only you’d asked for our help.”

“We’re a team, son. No one wins the game alone, and you have all of us.” Joe Billodeaux spread out his famous hands and gestured to the room full of family.

“What he means is we admire your desire to be independent, but you shouldn’t be ashamed to ask for a little aid if you need it,” Nell said, interpreting the football metaphor.

Teddy’s head came up. Jessie reached over and brushed the fair hair from his eyes. “Can we get Lizzy over here tonight?”

“I’d like to say yes, but I think it would be best to try in the morning. She’s probably settled in for the evening, and Wynn and her baby brother are sleeping in the nursery tonight. We’ll set the wheels in motion first thing tomorrow until you get legal custody. Lizzy can stay here until everything is straightened out. You may too. I imagine your apartment is a mess right now.”

“It is. Might Jessie stay over tonight?”

“Certainly. She can have Lorena’s room next to your bathroom to make things easier for her.”

If his mother suspected they’d be sleeping together, she didn’t let on. Instead, she stayed T-Rex’s stealthy hand making for the quesadillas again, and said, “Are we finished here?”

Knox Polk cleared his throat and weighed in again. “About this man you shot, Jessie, did you give the police a good description, get a name or license plate, anything to help?”

“Yes, I did. First name, Wyatt, long curly black hair, dark eyes and complexion, lean build. He has a record and planned to sell Lizzy to some couple desperate for children, but said she’d turned out too black for that. No one would want her.”

Compassionate Xochi sucked in a breath. “She can always have a home with me and Junior. We’d love her like our own.” Junior nodded his big head and kissed his wife’s dark, wavy hair.

“We’d have plenty of room for her too,” Dean offered.

“We raised twelve. One more would be fine,” Daddy Joe countered.

“Thanks to all of you, but Lizzy is my only connection to my dead mother now that Ella is gone. I want to raise her, give her a safe place and a good home, the same as Maydell did for me.” The worry that creased Nell’s face wasn’t lost on him. She didn’t believe he could do it but wouldn’t say.

Jessie homed in on that look as well. “I’ll help all I can.”

“As will each and every one of us,” Nell responded.

“Glad that’s settled. Now about the culprit. I think I might have a picture of him from the gate security camera. Any idea what kind of vehicle he drives?” said the supremely unsentimental Knox Polk.

“I wasn’t quick enough to get a license number, but it’s a beat up old Ford truck with more rust than paint,” Jessie answered.

“I figured no taxi dropped her off all the way out here no matter what she said. Sounds like the truck that brought Ella to our gate in the first place. I thought she’d been hitchhiking and didn’t want a lecture. I have his face and probably the license plate stored on the computer in case I needed it later. He got down to haul her suitcase from the back of the truck.”

“The Lafayette police will have his last name by now. I told them to contact Newt Smalls about him,” Teddy added.

“Good. I’m going out to the security building to send them the information right away.” Knox turned to leave, but Corazon grabbed his arm. “You eat something first. You probably don’t eat the whole time I am gone.”

“I had a beer and a sandwich while I watched the game, but it’s been a while. Nothing as good as your cooking. Wonder I don’t weigh as much as Junior by now.” Knox scooped up two quesadillas on his way out.

Taking her eyes off her retreating husband, Corazon turned them toward Teddy. “You know I babysit anytime for Lizzy.”

“She’ll probably have to fight off half the family and our Nurse Shammy for the privilege. She’s been yearning for more babies to take care of, and DJ is too far away in New Orleans. See, you don’t even have to ask for help, Teddy,” Nell added.

“I know, I know. Let T-Rex eat. He seems to be starving.”

Edie’s little hand got to the quesadillas before her twin. “He’s always starving. You have to be fast to get anything when he’s around.”

The family polished off the snacks before Xo and her husband departed for their house in Chapelle. As Junior helped her up from the floor, she said, “I recognized Ella as a liar from the start. I wish I had been able to see the future as well to spare you all of this, Teddy.”

“Not your fault. You warned me. Some good might result from all this. You never know.”

“You are an eternal optimist, but I hope so.” With her husband’s big arm sheltering her shoulders, Xo and Junior left by the kitchen door after giving Corazon a kiss on the cheek.

Tom and Alix reclaimed Tom’s old bedroom and left the quarterback and his wife to sleep amid Stacy’s frilly princess décor since Mack had long ago claimed Dean’s former space. Neither of the kickers appreciated a welter of lace. The twins automatically returned to their mutual bedroom.

Teddy hung back. “Go ahead, Jessie, since you know the way. You get to use the bathroom first. I want to talk to Mom and Dad for a minute.”

“What?” Nell asked as soon as Jessie cleared the room.

“Dale Minvielle believes I put her daughter in danger. She doesn’t want me hanging around Jessie anymore. They had a big falling out, and well, I invited Jessie to come live with me.”

“I thought something was up when she came here without her backpack,” Joe observed.

“Ella made off with it when she stole the wheelchair to get her wounded boyfriend out of the apartment. Jess stormed out with me and didn’t take anything with her. We’ll go back tomorrow when her parents are out and collect her car and clothes. I did make Jessie leave a message saying where she’d be tonight.”

Nell gave her approval. “That was the right thing to do no matter what your feelings at the moment.”

“I’m not as upset as Jessie. Coach Mo is on our side, and that counts for a lot. So you see I won’t be alone if I get Lizzy back. The two of us can handle it.”

“You should have the chance to try,” she agreed.

“Hell, yes, any son of mine will make a great father.” He squeezed Teddy’s shoulder in a man-to-man kind of way.

“Well, maybe not Mack right now, but he’ll get better,” his wife said a bit sadly.

“He’ll grow up just like I did when I found the right woman. I think Teddy has discovered his.”

“You two are always great. Thanks for raising me to do the right thing. One other item. Jessie might need some catheters since she left without any.”

“I’m sure we have some in the Camp Love Letter medical supplies. I’ll leave them in the bathroom along with a new toothbrush.”

Teddy gave his mom a kiss, his dad a firm handshake, and wheeled off to join Jessie. He doubted sex waited at the end of this long and turbulent day, but his greatest desire amounted to wanting to curl his body around Jessie and keep her as safe as he was able.