Page 54 of Missing Marcus

The plane landed and Knight searched for Saint’s truck among the line of vehicles waiting to pick up the passengers from their flight. When he noticed his brother-in-law inching closer, he waved and headed toward him.

“Thanks for picking me up,” he said as he climbed inside.

Saint nodded as he pulled away from the curb and back on the street. “Did you handle everything you needed to in California?”

“Yeah. Gabby didn’t answer her phone when I called. Do you know if she’s all right?” he asked.

“Bryanna spent the afternoon with her yesterday. She seemed fine but insisted Bryanna return home to her own family. Kassie stopped in and checked on her later in the evening. She mentioned Gabby’s holding her own,” Saint reported, a bit coldly. “I have some bad news. They located her assistant, Jackie and her car in a lake outside of Seattle. We thought you might want to break the news to her.”

Knight rubbed his hand over his face. “Oh, man. That’s the last piece of news I want to give her.”

“I’m sure Bryanna will do it if you want. I know she’s concerned about Gabby. I personally, don’t need my pregnant wife stressed out either.”

Knight shook his head. “No. I’ll tell her. It seems we need to talk anyway.”

“Speaking of talking, I want to run something by you. We have two docs on staff at the hospital. When we experience something horrific, we use them to help us deal with the situation,” Saint brought up, tentatively.

“You mean like a shrink?” Knight asked.

“Yeah. There’s nothing wrong with using them to keep our heads on straight,” he defended.

Knight sighed. “No. I’m not judging. My visit to California opened my eyes to a few things. I’m not sure how to begin,” he admitted.

“As your brother-in-law, I’m always available to talk,” Saint offered.

Knight glanced at Saint. “I appreciate it. I want to talk to Gabby first. I’m concerned about how she’ll handle her friend’s death. Do you think it’s wise to tell her?”

Saint twirled the toothpick in his mouth. “You don’t want her to hear this coming from someone else. Kassie notified Dr. Beecham if you run into any problems. I’ve asked the women to give you some time alone to tell her. Considering the situation between you two, they’ll support her if she needs extra help.”

Knight focused on the passing landscape. “How did my sister overcome her fear of dating a military man? You didn’t date very long before she became pregnant.”

Saint’s eyebrow went up in question at Knight’s statement. “If you’re asking me if I trapped your sister, I didn’t. I’ve loved her since the moment I set eyes on her. She cared for my daughter as her own and they’ve developed a wonderful relationship. It took persistence, patience and honesty. I didn’t do everything right and neither did your sister. We’ve learned to communicate with each other.”

“Did she ever get mad enough at you she refused to speak with you?” he asked.

Saint grunted and then chuckled. “More times than I care to count. Sometimes, walking away felt like the easier solution, but I love her. Our relationship has only deepened with our commitment to each other.”

Saint turned onto the mountain’s access road. Knight’s heart beat faster at the thought of seeing Gabby. He may have only left the day before, but he missed her. The desire to fix things between them grew with every curve in the road. Knight knew he needed to own up to his mistakes and somehow fix them. How to repair them remained the question. Like Saint, his love for Gabby was worth fighting for and he refused to walk away again.

Closing the truck’s door, Knight sprinted toward the cabin, anxious to see his wife. He pressed the code into the panel and turned the knob. The cabin remained quiet and he figured she was still sleeping since he took an early flight to hurry home to her.

Setting the kettle on the stove to boil water for tea, he opened the fridge to take stock of what he might fix for a meal. Did she eat breakfast? Bryanna mentioned her morning sickness lasted past the first three months. Knight frowned at how little he knew of his wife’s pregnancy. Disappointment ran through him at how little he knew of her due to his own damn fault. Vowing to repair it, he opted to wait until she woke and ask her directly. They spent too much time guessing things about one another. Taking out a tin of chamomile tea, he carefully measured the loose leaves into the strainer and waited.

A noise from the back bedroom alerted him to Gabby waking. He walked down the hall and gently tapped on her door before opening it. Gabby came out of the bathroom, adjusting the tie around her expanding stomach.

“Good morning. I’m making you tea. I wanted to make you something to eat, but I didn’t know if you can eat first thing in the morning,” he greeted her.

“When did you return?” she asked, avoiding his gaze.

“A few minutes ago. Do you want to keep me company in the kitchen while I rustle up something to eat?” he asked, trying to sound cheerful.

“I only have tea and toast. Once it settles, then I can eat,” she cooly informed him.

“I missed you,” he whispered.

Gabby turned her startled eyes on him. He saw the hurt and doubt flash across her face before her chin lifted.

“I’m taking a shower first. Bryanna’s having a baby shower this weekend, and I want to go into town to purchase a gift for her. Can you ask one of the team members to escort me down?” she asked as she walked into the closet, gathered her clothes for the day, and returned to the bathroom. The shower turned on, and he heard her rummaging around.

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