The Question (18 page)

Gail leaned back against her pillows, speechless. He was utterly serious and totally sincere. “This is so sudden. You’re talking a major move. How long do I have to decide?”

“I’m flying out Monday for a meeting with the partners. I’ll officially let them know my decision at that time. They have a big case that just came to them that they want me to handle. They’re going to help me find housing until I can get something more permanent. By the end of the month, I plan to be moved.”

“Three weeks! I won’t be released from the doctor for another six.” Her head was reeling with the suddenness of his announcement.

“I know and I’ve taken that into consideration. Come join me when the doctor releases you.  You don’t have to return to work right away. You can come, find us a home, and get settled before looking for employment. Whatever you choose for us will be fine with me. I want you to be happy in our home.”

“Greg, we’ve only been together a couple of months. That’s not very long. Are you sure you’re ready for something like this?”

“Yes, I’m very sure. Maybe it was not being able to have sex that did it, but I know you.  Really know you, and what I know I like. I can’t wait to discover more about you. What about you? Do you have any feelings for me at all?” Gail could tell her answer was very important to him.

She cupped the side of his face.  “You know that I do. I can’t put a name on them yet, but what I feel is very strong.”

“There’s one more thing you should know before making your decision.”  The look on his face caused her heart to stutter.  “It’s only fair to warn you that I’ve made the decision to never have kids. I was the victim of divorce and I see what divorce does to the families that come to me. I’m never putting my kids through that. Since there’s no guarantee that a relationship will last, no matter however much we might want it to, I prefer not to bring children into an uncertain situation. And please, understand, this is non-negotiable. I won’t change my mind later.”

“I understand.” And she did. She’d decide how she felt about his revelation later when it had time to sink in.

“Good. I’m glad to hear it. I know this isn’t the best time to lay this on you but I couldn’t wait.  I’m really hoping that in spite of all that I’ve said, you’ll make the decision to come with me. I know I’ve given you a lot to think about and you’re still tired. I’m going to leave and give you time to think. I doubt I’ll make it by to see you tomorrow before you leave, but I’ll call you from California.”

“You do that, if for no other reason than to let me know that you made it there safely.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He leaned forward and kissed her goodbye. “Say yes,” he whispered.

As he walked out of the door, Gail’s mind went into overdrive. California. The west coast.  As far from Florida as you could get and still be in the continental United States. Might as well be a foreign country. She would be away from everyone that she knew. All of her family was on this coast. Everything would be new, different, and strange. Could she make that kind of a move with a man she’d been in relationship for such a short period of time?

And what about Greg? He wasn’t promising marriage. However, after Jason, she knew that a wedding ring didn’t guarantee a lifetime of love and happiness. And here was the clincher, if she went with Greg, she would be giving up any hope she had of ever having another child of her own. Not that she was sure she wanted any after losing Marcus, but she still wanted to leave the option open. 

While she was considering all of the potential ramifications of making such a move, the door opened and the hospital administrator came in. “Ms. Henderson. We need you to verify and sign the birth certificates.”

“But I’m not the babies’ mother. I’m the surrogate.”

“I understand, but legally, we have to have the birth mother’s name on the certificates. Mr. Al Jabbar’s lawyers will petition the court to have your name officially removed and the intended parent’s names added at a later date.”

“Oh, if you’re sure I should be signing these…”

“Very sure.”

Gail reached for the forms and added her signature. She vaguely remembered the lawyer mentioning something about this when she signed the agreement. Rashid must have given the officials the twins’ names. “You’ll have to have Rashid verify the spelling of the names.”

“I’ll be sure to do that,” she said and then left the room.

Chapter Eleven

Rashid stood outside the door of Gail’s room, hesitant to enter. He was not looking forward to the coming conversation. He took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and entered. Gail was dozing in the recliner in front of the television. She looked so peaceful he was loath to wake her.

He took the other chair in the room and positioned it near the recliner. Then he reached up and turned off the television. As he sat, he called her name softly. “Gail.”

She stirred a bit before her eyes opened; then she smiled.  “You’re back. I must have drifted off.”

Rashid didn’t return her smile. “We need to talk.” 

Gail’s smile disappeared and her expression became as serious as his. “That doesn’t sound good. What’s wrong? Has Crystal been found? She’s not dead is she?”

“No, none of that. I owe you an apology.”

Any lingering traces of sleep cleared from her eyes as Gail tensed in the recliner. “What did you do?”

“It’s what I’ve been doing that I need to apologize for. I misjudged you. I didn’t believe you about Crystal. Despite what you said and how you reacted, I thought that you knew where she was and was covering for her.”

“Why would you think that?”

“You’ve been friends with her for such a long time; much longer than I’ve been her husband.  Your loyalties lie with Crystal. I knew that if you believed she had just cause, you’d hide Crystal from the devil himself.”

Gail sat quietly for a moment. Rashid wished he could read her better. He really wanted to know what she was thinking.

“And now?”

“Now I know that you don’t know where she is and had nothing to do with her disappearance.”

“You seem very certain of yourself. Do I even want to know what changed your mind?”

Rashid allowed his gaze to drift away from hers. This was the difficult part. There was no excuse for what he’d done. It was a gross invasion of privacy. “I hired a private detective to find Crystal and told him of my suspicions. He reported to me today. He was able to track her until she reached Vegas. After that, he lost the trail. No one knows where she is. She hasn’t contacted any of her relatives or acquaintances, including you. It’s as though she vanished off of the face of the earth.”

Gail looked puzzled. “She went to Vegas? But, she doesn’t have any family there. As far as I know, she doesn’t know anyone, either. How could she just vanish? She has to have a place to live, some means of supporting herself. How far can she get with no credit cards? She must have used her ID for something. Crystal has very expensive taste. She couldn’t have gotten far, using only cash.”

“Crystal cleaned out her personal savings, maxed out her credit cards, and emptied the joint account. She could easily have fifty thousand in cash. I don’t know how much was in her savings. I do know she didn’t get more than a thousand from the joint account.” He kept the balance in their joint account low. Crystal had proven early in their marriage her inability to handle the family finances. Now, Rashid paid all of the bills and gave his wife an allowance that, in addition to any money she earned, was hers to spend. He didn’t know how many credit cards she had but knew there were a lot. His name wasn’t on any of them, so he didn’t concern himself. They were Crystal’s and she was responsible for paying the balance on them.

“Fifty thousand sounds like a lot of money, but to someone like Crystal who spends money like it’s water, it won’t last her long. Eventually she’ll run out, apply for credit or employment and you should be able to find her.”

They were both silent with their own thought, then Gail looked at him with narrowed eyes. “I know Crystal hasn’t tried to contact me, but how does the detective know?”

Rashid forced himself to hold her gaze. “He monitored your calls and your mail.”

“You tapped my phone? Are you crazy?”

Inwardly he flinched at the anger in her tone, knowing he deserved every bit of it. “Yes, and I’m sorry, but I had to be sure. You were so insistent that I find her and in your belief that this was just something she was doing to get attention. I figured it was a ploy of Crystal’s to get her way and that you were involved. It’s why I said the things that I did. I figured that if I put enough pressure on you to help me with the twins, you would in turn pressure Crystal to give up this foolishness and return home. I had difficulty believing that she would do something of this nature - deliberately leave me and our children, right when she was needed the most. I truly believed that she was playing games and would return once she had made her point. Now, I have no choice but to accept that this was her intent all along. By her actions, she has proven that she no longer wishes to be a part of this marriage, nor does she intend to be a mother to our children.” His voice was tight with the pain and anger he was feeling because of his wife’s betrayal.

Gail reached out and laid her hand over his, which clenched into a fist on his thigh. “If I knew where she was, I would tell you. I’m just as amazed as you. I never would have believed, not in a million years that Crystal would be capable of something like this. As her friend, I’m unbelievably hurt.  She talked me into this then she just up and left. I can’t begin to imagine the pain you must be feeling right now. What you did was wrong—a serious invasion of my privacy and illegal as hell—but I understand. In your position, I might have done the same. The question is, what happens now?”

“My marriage, obviously, is over. I need to focus on the children. Because I believed this situation to be temporary, I made no attempt to find caretaker for them. With the hours that I work, and the frequent traveling that I do, I need a nanny—someone reliable that will live-in. I’ve made arrangements to work from home for the time being, but I don’t have a lot of time to find someone. My children are too important to me to trust their care to just anyone.”

“If you’d like, I can help you with the search. It will be six weeks before I can return to work.  According to our original agreement, I was to spend that time with you and Crystal. If that is still the plan, while I’m there I can help you conduct interviews and give you my opinion of the candidates, for what it’s worth. I realize that the twins belong to you and you have the final say in any decision made.”

Rashid flipped his hand over and held Gail’s hand in his own. “Our arrangement still stands. I want you to stay at the house so you can fully recover. And thank you. Your help will be greatly appreciated. I need all that I can get. Never underestimate the value of your opinion where the children are concerned. One thing that I said before holds true. As the twin’s birth mother, you are the only mother they have. Crystal may have initiated the process, but it is you who have given them life. By leaving, she proved her unsuitability to be their mother.” 

He paused to swallow the lump in his throat. “I know you didn’t start this with the intention of being a mother again, but I ask that you would consider the needs of the children—our children. Help me raise them. I ask for their sakes and mine. Our children deserve two parents who love them. They could have no better mother than you, and I say this with all sincerity. You were a great mother to Marcus, and I have no doubt that you will be the same with the twins, if you’d allow yourself to do so.” The twins would be fortunate to have Gail as a mother. He was sure they could come to an agreement regarding their parenting.

Gail slid her hand from his and gripped them over her stomach, an uncomfortable look on her face. “There’s something you should know. Greg has asked me to move to California with him and I’m seriously considering it.”

“He asked you to marry him?” Rashid’s stomach rebelled at the thought of Gail married to Greg.

“No, he wants me to live with him.”

“He wishes you to be his mistress? And you are considering it?”

“No! Who uses terms like that anymore? We would be living together, sharing a life. Greg’s not sure he wants to marry anyone—he doesn’t believe in it after all of the divorces he’s handled—but if he did, it would be me. After Jason, I’m not sure I’m ready to risk my heart in another marriage. This seems like a reasonable alternative.”

“You would be living together without the blessing of the church. What about your children? How will you explain your living arrangements to them?”

“Greg doesn’t want any.”

Rashid stared at her in disbelief.  “You were born to be a mother. You would do this? Live with this man without the security of marriage, knowing that he would never give you children? What would your parents say?” Rashid knew from Jason that Gail’s parents were very traditional, as she herself was.

“I didn’t say I was going to do it. I said I was seriously considering it. It’s a lot to think about. I really care for Greg and I’m not ready for the relationship to end, but I’m not sure I’m willing to follow him to California, either. I like having a man in my life. As for children, losing Marcus hurt so much that I almost lost my mind. I can’t go through something like that again. Maybe not having any more children would be a good thing.”