Page 77 of Dirty Little Secret, Baby
Beth is holding something in her hand. At first I don’t recognize it, but then the little ball of fluff hops down, pads over to me, and sits by my feet. "Cutie?" I ask, astonished.
"Was in that giant bush," Beth says a little weakly as she stops in front of me. I can’t help it. I run to her and pull her into my arms. To my sweet relief, I feel her hands on my back too.
"I was so scared for you," I whisper, not wanting to let her go, and I look deep into her eyes.
"For me?" Beth asks. "I thought you... you wanted to ruin me?"
"That was all Eric. My ex-assistant. I only found out recently. He works for Jake. He was behind the termination, and the eviction was his doing, too. I don’t know how I could have been so blind."
"Is he still here?" Beth asks then.
"I took care of him," I say, nodding toward the body on the ground, and Beth nods, reassured.
"Oh, Beth, I’m so sorry. Everything went so terribly wrong. I just wanted to... hey, what’s wrong?" I ask, worried, when I notice Beth holding her head.
"Nothing, just a headache," she says as I help her and ease her into the grass. Cutie seems to sense Beth isn’t feeling well and sits right next to her, and Beth starts to pet her.
"I’m calling an ambulance."
"No, no need, I’m fine. Great cat. Is she yours? What was that..." Beth trails off and presses her hand to her forehead again.
"Please, Beth. Maybe you didn’t break anything, but you might have a concussion. I’d really like someone to check you out."
"It’s just the shock. I’m fine," she says again, then reaches for her head once more and looks at me. "Okay. Maybe you’re right."
"Thank you," I murmur in relief.
I call 911 for an ambulance and the police. They arrive at the same time, and I describe what happened. The paramedics take care of Beth and want to take her to the hospital. I want to ride along, but since we’re not related or married, that isn’t possible. So I decide to follow right away after I’ve explained to the officers everything about Eric and his double game, and howmy competitor is involved—what you’d generally call industrial espionage. The patrol cops seem a bit overwhelmed, but they take Eric in—he’d come to with a bloody nose just before they arrived—on suspicion of attempted homicide. Apparently that’s enough for now to haul him off in cuffs.
As the ambulance pulls away, I take care of Cutie, who’s waited by my side the whole time, and then I have only one destination: Beth!
******
"Just a mild concussion, the doctors said. I can go home tomorrow," I hear Beth say as I enter the room the nurse told me about. Traffic was hell; it took me forever, I couldn’t think straight, and I kept picturing what might be wrong with Beth. Hearing that diagnosis is a true relief.
"I’m so glad to hear that, Beth," I say, walk toward her, start to hug her, then stop when I see the words weren’t meant for me but for Veronica, who’s already here with her son.
"I’ll wait outside for a minute," Veronica says, stands up, walks past me, and winks as she closes the door.
"Beth!" I whisper, taking in the sight of her sitting at the small table in front of her bed, our son in her arms.
"Can I... can I hold him?" I ask carefully.
"Of course," Beth says, getting up and coming toward me. Her eyes sparkle, and she looks beautiful even in that hospital gown.
"Here. You know how to do this? One arm under his head, one arm... hey, that’s perfect," Beth says as she hands me the little guy, who looks at me curiously, and warmth spreads through my whole body and I’m almost certain this must be love at first sight. Just like with his mom.
"This is your daddy, Ben," Beth says, brushing away a silent tear.
"What a beautiful name," I say in a thin voice, feeling tears prick my eyes too.
"Oh, Beth. Everything went so horribly wrong. Right from the start. Back when Dilara threw you out. So much time was stolen from us. And then I was such an idiot and didn’t say clearly that I was interested in your shop. But I..."
Ben fusses, and I look down, uncertain, at my son, my own flesh and blood. "Hey, what’s wrong with him?" I ask, uneasy, and look to Beth, who smiles at me.
"It’s okay. He doesn’t know you that well yet. That’s normal. Can I?" she asks, and when she takes the little man back, he settles right away. It hurts, even though I know she’s right. And I know I want to change that—for good. I don’t want to be a stranger to my son. Not ever again.
"Where was I? Right: When I saw you, I just wanted to ask you out. I was going to tell you then. But somehow..."
