Lethal Legacy (27 page)

She lay still. How did he know she needed him? After all her pleading for secrecy, had
her father broken down and called him? A dark shaft of pain bore down on her. Sweat
beaded her face and trickled from her scalp onto the damp pillow. An agonized moan
started in the pit of her stomach and worked its way up to her lips.

Nathan started, opened his eyes, and gazed at her with a look of melting tenderness.

“I ... hurt,” she murmured, touching her chest.

“I know."

She took a shallow breath and fire seared her lungs. A tear ran down her cheek.

Nathan raised his hand as if to reach out, then stiffened and drew back. “They're unable
to give you strong pain medication,” he said in a harsh, tight voice. “Because of the
pregnancy."

He knew.
“Nathan...” she said. “Am I, are they, all right?” She lay her hand on
his arm. He stared at her with a bleak expression and nodded. “The doctor says you will
make a full recovery. The babies are unharmed.” She let her hand fall back on the bed.
“Thank God,” she said. “Did my father call you?"

He shook his head. “I was asleep, I woke up ... and I knew. I called your home. A young
woman told me you were in the hospital. I caught the first plane to Seattle."

“Nathan ... all of this,” she gestured to the hospital bed, “is my fault.” She tightened
her lips to keep them from trembling. “I forgot, Nathan,” she said, squeezing the words
through her aching throat. “After all your warnings, I forgot to"—a sob shook her—"to
wear my medicine pouch.”

“No one's invincible, Amy.” With a deep sigh, he got to his feet, leaned over and brushed
his lips across her cheek. “Other people want to see you,” he said with a sheepish
expression. “I haven't let anyone in except the nurse and the doctor. Not even your
father. Neither he, nor your,” he grimaced, “your redheaded male friend is very happy
with me."

She started to laugh, then moaned as pain seared her chest.

He gripped her hand. “It's a mountain, Amy. Climb over it. You can do it.” He put his
cheek next to hers. “Remember the spirits, and this time don't forget to leave a rock at
the top."

With a wan smile, she clenched her teeth until the spasm passed, leaving her body wet
with perspiration. “Thanks, I'll remember,” she rasped.

He dampened a washcloth and ran it over her face. “You should have told me you were
pregnant."

“I ... I thought you,"

“I understand.” The skin drew tight over his cheeks and whitened around his mouth. “I'm
glad you found someone else you could be close to. Are ... are you happy, Amy?"

Amy's breath caught in her throat.
He doesn't know.
For an instant, she didn't
know whether to be sad or glad. “Happy...? I suppose."

Nathan looked at her with a puzzled expression. “There is no love between you?"

She fought to clear the fogginess from her brain. Were they really having this
conversation or was it some bad dream? She let her feelings for him shine in her eyes.
“How could there be love between us?"

He ran his knuckle along her jaw. “Try to rest.” He straightened. “I'll send in your
father."

A cold lump gathered in her stomach. “Will you be back?"

“Yes. I'll return after awhile."

Minutes after Nathan strode out, B.J. hurried to her bedside. “How do you feel,
kitten?"

“Kind of shaky.” She clutched his hand and let out her breath. “My chest hurts like
fury."

B.J. nodded. “I'm not surprised. You have a bad chest wound."

“Did the police arrest Cam?"

B.J. smiled. “Jed and I have had several meetings with Captain Moretti, Prosecuting
Attorney Ingalls, and Sheriff Boyce.

“Tai Pham's bite impression is the same as the one the forensic dentist took off the
piece of candy you found by the stakeout site. His fingerprints correspond with those in
Nguyen house and on the back of Chea Le's car. And I'll bet both of the brothers' DNA
matches the semen I found in Mai's vagina.” He regarded her closely. “Am I tiring
you?"

“Go on. I'll rest better once I know."

B.J. nodded. “Kim's fingerprints match those in the Nguyen house, also those on the
interior and exterior of Chea's car.” He smiled at her. “He's flat-footed and has a
triangular scar on his right heel like the impressions you took at Cam's house. And I'm
as sure as I'm standing here that his DNA will be identical with the tissue under Mai's
nails and will prove he was the father of Chea's unborn baby."

“What about the knife?” Amy asked.

“The one Kim stabbed you with is the same one he used to kill Mai."

She lay back against her pillow. “And the jewels? Were they in the package we found in
Mai's garden?"

“I'll say.” B.J.'s eyes snapped with excitement. “Honey, I've never seen gems the size of
those. The rubies were damned near as big as cherries."

He stopped and smoothed back her damp hair. “Now you've got to rest awhile. Jed wants to
say a quick hello, then we'll leave you alone."

After B.J. retreated, Jed entered with a belligerent set to his jaw. “Who the hell does
that big black-haired dude think he is? He acts as if he owns you."

“He's an old and very dear friend,” Amy said.

“Well, he can get his ass back to where he belongs. I can look after you and the twins.
And,” He stopped in mid-sentence as Amy groaned and clamped her mouth close to keep from
crying out.

“Oh, I'm sorry, Amy, I'm sorry.” He sank down onto a chair. “I don't know what's wrong
with me.” He ran his hand over his face. “I got so damned steamed. I forgot how much
pain you're in.” He patted her arm. “I'll get out of here so you can go back to
sleep."

When Amy woke up several hours later, she found a pink bed jacket lying at the foot of
her bed. An attached note said.
Thought you might want this. Love you. Dad.

Amy asked the nurse to brush her hair, help her into the bed jacket, and raise the head
of the bed. After she left, Amy rearranged the jacket in an effort to conceal her
protruding abdomen. Out of sight, out of mind, she hoped. It would be best for both of
them if Nathan continued to believe she was pregnant with someone else's children.

When Nathan arrived, he stood at the foot of her bed and gazed at her with a look that
took her breath away.

“Do you have any idea how pretty you are?"

“Pretty?” Amy pushed at a lock of limp hair. “You've got to be joking."

He came around to the side of the bed. “Your father and I have had a long talk."

She widened her eyes in alarm. “What about?"

“You. What you were like growing up."

“Why?"

“I wanted to know. He brought albums of pictures. Told me about your mother leaving when
you were only eleven. Told me about you graduating from college with honors and about
the trials of your marriage."

She let out a relieved sigh. “Pretty boring, huh?"

“Never.” He reached out a tentative hand and fingered the edge of her bed jacket. “I
learned something from your father."

Amy pulsed speeded up.
Now
what had he done? “You'll have to excuse Dad. He gets
pretty wound up when it comes to me."

“He loves you, Amy. He'd make any sacrifice for you, if it came to that."

A cold feeling came over her. She shuddered and forced words through her aching throat,
“Wouldn't most parents?"

“Only the good ones.” He drew a deep breath, then another. “After listening to him talk,
I realized how lucky it was that we didn't marry. You're so strong, Amy, so independent.
I would have been too possessive of you."

She remembered his feverish plea the night they'd made love.
Only me, Amy. Only
me.
Didn't he know, she'd wanted to echo his words?

She closed her eyes, felt a sob growing in her chest, but fought it down. “Maybe you're
right.” What else was there to say? She patted her abdomen. “I'm going to have lots
others competing for my attention."

He smiled sadly. “Yes. And you have so much to give.” He unbuttoned his shirt, took her
hand, and pressed her open palm to his chest, skin to skin. “You will always be
inmi
tumnami."
His dark eyes bored into hers. “In my heart.” He leaned down and
pressed his lips to hers. “I will never forget you,
Mihewi.
Perhaps, if God wills
it we will meet again."