Hiding Out (11 page)

Knowing that he would be alone Wednesday night, he decided to get take out.  He’d even buy extra and share the leftovers with Haley.  She hated being wasteful.  He smiled.

Finishing her class, Haley began the long walk back to her apartment.  She had learned so much in the short month since she had begun taking lessons.  Miss Kim said she was the fastest learner she had ever seen.  And she wasn’t ashamed to admit that she loved working with the kids on Saturday mornings.  The instructors and the students were quickly becoming her friends.  For the first time in a long time she felt like she was fitting in.

As he walked out of the Italian restaurant, enormous bag of steaming food in hand, he happened to glance across the street and saw Haley walking towards her apartment.  Excited, he called to her, but with all the traffic and people, she didn’t hear him.  He hurried down the sidewalk, constantly looking to see where she was, working his way to the nearest crosswalk to intercept her.  He wove in and out of people, until at last he reached her.  He grabbed her arm and startled her, but she startled him, too.  In seconds, she had used one of her self-defense techniques and pinned him against the nearest building.  Instantly, she realized who it was.

“Are you following me?”  She asked exasperated.

He shook his head and showed her the bag in explanation.  “There’s enough for two in here,” he said seductively.

“I suppose you’re trying to protect me,” she said with annoyance.

Smiling he said, “Nope.  After that demonstration, I expect you to protect me.”

Giggling, she let him walk her home.  Their conversation was easy on the way to her apartment.  And as she looped her arm companionably through his, she realized how much she missed their alone time.  Once they arrived at her place, Sam offered to let her change before dinner.

“Are you kidding?”  She asked.  “I’m starving.  I can’t afford to wait.”

She meant it jokingly, but Sam had noticed that she seemed even thinner lately than she had before.  He hoped it was because she worked so hard and hadn’t had enough high calorie meals with him.  “I gather you’ve been taking lessons,” he commented as she took off her yellow belt.

Haley looked down, ashamed of her deception.  “I didn’t know how to tell you,” she said quietly.

Sam wore a confused expression.  “What’s so difficult?  Sam, I can’t go to dinner with you because I have Tae Kwon Do.”  She was still staring at her plate.  He reached over and lifted her chin.  “Did you think I would laugh at you?  I don’t understand.  Explain it to me, Haley.  Please.” 

Something about the look in his eyes compelled her to break the silence.  “I feel stupid,” Haley began quietly.  “I’m twenty-six years old and I’m just now starting to take lessons.  There are black belts half my age.”  She sighed.  “I just don’t want to fail in front of you.”  She looked down again, but swallowed and completed her thoughts.  “I care what you think of me.  I care how you see me.”

Sam put down his fork, left his seat, and knelt next to her.  “Do you want to know what I see when I look at you, Haley?”  He brushed her hair away from her face and waited for her to nod.  “I see the most amazing woman I’ve ever known.”  Her eyes began to fill with tears.  “I see a woman who has suffered through one of the worst experiences that can happen to a person.  Yet, instead of curling up and dying, or shunning the world, she has the courage to face her fears and conquer them.  She rejoins the world, she does whatever is necessary to not just survive, but thrive.  And I marvel every day at your intellect, your heart, and that you even give me the time of day.”  Tears were threatening to spill over onto her cheeks.  Sam lovingly cupped her face in his hands and leaned in to kiss her.  Just as his lips grazed hers, the phone began to ring.  He pulled back.

“I should get that,” she said shyly.  Slowly, she rose from her chair to answer the phone.  Almost as soon as she answered, she began squealing.  “Oh, tell her I’ll be right there!  Big hugs!”  Her eyes sparkling with excitement, Haley turned to Sam.  “Um, I know we were in the middle of something,” she paused.  Sam gave her a wry look.  “But, Ellen is having the baby.  I really need to get to the hospital.”  She began rushing around.  “I have to change first.”

“Let me go with you,” Sam said unwilling to let her get away.  “She was my personal assistant.”

“Fine,” Haley shouted from the bedroom.  “Hey,” she said poking a head out.  “Where’s your car?”

His ear turned pink and he cleared his throat.  “I kind of left it at the restaurant.  I’ll call a taxi to drop us off at it.”  He immediately pulled out his cell phone.

Haley closed the door and leaned against it for a moment.  He left his car to walk home with her.  He wanted to be with her.  Smiling, she finished dressing.

They arrived at the hospital within the hour.  They were directed to Ellen’s room and told they could visit with her until it was time to deliver the baby, then they would have to pass the time in the waiting room.  After only fifteen minutes, the nurse came in, checked Ellen’s dilation, and kicked them out.

Ellen’s eyes went wide.  “You can do this,” Haley whispered.  “I’ll be waiting right out there until this little one comes into the world.”  Smiling, Ellen relaxed a little.  “Oh, but since I have to work in the morning, make it quick,” Haley joked.

“Thanks,” Ellen said, “No pressure.”  Then another contraction struck, she tensed up and reached for her husband’s hand.

Haley’s eyes glistened.  Sam came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her.  “She’ll be fine,” he whispered into her hair.

“I know,” Haley said wistfully.  “I just wonder if I’ll ever have that some day.”  Then she broke free from his embrace and walked briskly from the room.

Sam understood perfectly.  He had been watching Ellen and her husband but seeing himself and Haley.  “Let’s get some drinks and magazines,” he said as he followed her into the hall.  “It could be a while.”

Once they gathered the necessary supplies, they headed back to the waiting area.  Around midnight, Haley somehow ended up asleep in Sam’s lap as they shared the loveseat.  He had one arm around her waist and his head was leaning back against the wall.  They stayed like that until Ellen’s husband woke them at three in the morning. 

He was bursting with excitement.  “It’s a girl!”  He tugged at Haley’s arm.  “Come on, you have to stop by the nursery to see her.  And Ellen wants to talk to you before you leave.”  He looked at them.  “Meet you at the nursery.”

Haley stood slowly and stretched.  “Come on, sleeping beauty.  Let’s go meet the baby.”  She stuck out a hand to help him off the loveseat.

Sam took her hand and was instantly struck by how right it felt just holding her hand.  Smiling, he rose.  “Let’s go.”  

As they reached the nursery, the baby was being wheeled in to her mommy, so they followed her pram like a small parade to Ellen’s room.  Her husband walked over and planted tender kisses on her lips.  “Well done, honey,” he said softly.  “You were amazing.”  He glanced down at his new baby in the pram.  “And baby Abigail is perfect!”

Ellen glanced over at Haley, wistfully staring down at the infant sleeping soundly.  “Pick her up and hold her if you want,” she said.  Haley hesitated.  “Go on,” her friend urged.

Sam watched as Haley bent over and picked up the baby.  He was amazed at how naturally she picked up the tiny, delicate creature.  She didn’t even sit down with her, but held her snugly against her chest in the crook of her arm.  She walked around talking softly to Ellen and her husband.  After a few moments, she turned around and saw him leaning in the doorway, staring at her admiringly.  He couldn’t help but imagine her one day caring for their baby.  And Ellen’s child was the perfect prop for his imagination.  The way Haley smiled at him, he wondered if she could see right through him, and the idea turned his ears pink.

“Come here,” Haley said softly.  “Want to hold her?”  And when he didn’t move, she walked over to him.  He tried to back away and began to protest quietly, but she simply took him by the hand, and gently sat him in the chair.  In an instant he realized he was genuinely afraid of handling anything that tiny.  “Arms like this,” she commanded as she demonstrated how she wanted his arms positioned.  He hesitated.  “Come on,” she urged.  “You’ve held women before.”  Her eyes sparkled as she teased him.

He cleared his throat, embarrassed.  “I like them bigger.”  He smiled.

“Women are suckers for men and babies,” she said quietly.

Suddenly, his arms shot out to hold the infant.  Behind Haley, Ellen’s eyes grew wide at the new side she was seeing of her boss.  Sam smiled shyly at her then focused on the petite bundle Haley deposited in his arms.  He looked at her with open adoration.  “Careful, Haley,” he said, “I could fall in love.”

“Oh, babies are easy to fall in love with when their sleeping,” she said, staring at the baby that he was holding so cautiously. 

He lifted one hand and caught her chin, forcing her to face him.  “I meant you,” he whispered in a husky voice. Sam pulled her face close and brushed her lips with his, sending shivers down her spine.

Ellen sat wide eyed at their behavior and wondered for a moment if this might not be a hallucination caused by all the drugs she was on.  The Haley she saw with her boss was closer to the Haley she had been in the past.  And though he had never struck her as warm, with Haley and her daughter, Mr. Davenport was a different man entirely.  Maybe this relationship was good for both of them.  

“Well,” Ellen mused.  “Who knew?  How long have you two been dating?”

Both of them balked at the question as loudly as they dared with a sleeping baby in residence.  “Ellen, you know I can’t date Haley,” Sam began in his business voice.  “Remember the Interoffice Dating Policy?”

Ellen nodded unconvinced.

“And you know that I am not looking for another relationship right now.  We all know how my last one turned out.”  She shot Ellen an annoyed look.

“Sure,” Ellen said.  And her husband gave her hand a knowing squeeze.

The next morning at work, Sam called Haley into his office.  “What are you doing after work?”  He asked.

“Well, I thought I’d go shopping for the new baby and then head to the hospital for a little while.  Why do you ask?”  She seemed so happy and carefree this morning that he was even more drawn to her, wanting to just bask in her mood.

“I needed to do something for her, too,” he began slowly.  “And I was kind of hoping that we could go shopping together after work.  Baby shopping isn’t really my area, you know?”  He watched Haley smile gradually and nod.  “And then maybe we could grab a little dinner before we hit the hospital?”  He would do anything to extend their time together.

Haley cocked her head to the side and for a minute he was afraid she was going to turn him down.  He could never deny her anything, but she seemed to have very little difficulty saying ‘no’ to him.

“How about if we eat a late dinner after the hospital?  I know visiting hours normally end at eight.  Would that work?”  She watched him for a reaction.

She isn’t trying to get away from me.
  His heart sang.  “I think that could work,” he said happily.

It’s amazing how quickly a day can pass when there’s something to look forward to.  All day, Sam would catch Haley smiling or humming as she went about her job.  At the same time, he found himself equally as happy.  Not only was he getting to spend more justifiable time with her, but also he was mentally ticking off the weeks until he could actually start dating her.  And then, who knew what would happen?  

At five precisely, Haley tapped on the door.  “You ready to go?”  She was standing smiling in the doorway.

Quickly, Sam looked up from his papers.  “What?  No jogging tonight?”  He asked with a warm smile.

“Where have you been?”  She joked.  “I went during my lunch hour.” 

He motioned for her to enter the office and she did so with a confidence that warmed him.  “I’m sorry, Haley.  I was a little distracted today.  I can be ready to go whenever you are.”  He began to pack his briefcase when he caught the look on her face.  Obviously Haley had something on her mind.

She bit her lower lip.  “I know we have so much planned for this evening,” she began quietly.  She watched him for a reaction, but he simply studied her calmly.  “I just want you to know that I can’t stay with you tonight.” 

Sam tried to hide how crestfallen he was.  He cleared his throat and said, “I won’t lie to you, Haley.  I was hoping that I could persuade you to spend the night with me.”  He sighed and crossed the room to stand in front of her.  “More than anything, I want to wake up again with you in my arms, curled up beside me.  I know it only happened once, but I miss it.”  Haley was staring at the ground, so he gently reached over and lifted her chin, forcing her to face him.  “Don’t you miss it even a little?”