Chapter 7

Locke was assisting her with the backlog of bodies that were in the county. There were only seven, but she was pissed off because there were seven of them that hadn't been done. By the time she was ready to leave for the day, she and Locke had gotten nearly all the bodies identified, and most importantly, the office of the county medical examiner cleaned up enough so that they could use the office. It had been emptied out for nearly ten years, she told him.

"While there were no rats in the place, there were enough stink bugs in the room that would have qualified for a colony." He laughed. "I kid you not, Dusty. It looked like there were thousands of them in every corner of the room. Locke and I will never be able to look at a bug again without being sickened by them. Gross. And I've been overseas and thought that I'd seen it all."

"I'm glad that you were able to help out. I know that no one is to know, but I was stopped on the street twice today on the way home in having people ask me if you'd gotten to their relative as yet. I guess Mr. Jones died over a month ago, and his family had been at a standstill in getting things done in all that time. I was also told that the government gives veterans a marker when they pass as well."

"They do. Though I thankfully haven't had to look into that as yet. Tomorrow, we're going to get started. I'm so glad that Locke is going to be with me. He said that he has to work a little bit in the office, and this will be perfect for his degree. I didn't know he wasn't a doctor, to be honest with you. I had no idea that he was, as he calls himself, a plain nurse. He's far from plain anything if you ask me." Dusty told her that he'd gotten the degree to help out Martha, the woman who had helped them in so many ways. "That's what he told me, too. That she'd been better to you guys than your mother had ever been."

"More than anyone could have asked for." She asked him about dinner. They were supposed to have dinner with Demitrius tomorrow night as he was trying new foods out. "When I saw him at noon, he was picking up things from the grocery store. He said that he was going to have a salad, too, which he was really hoping went over well. I don't know what he meant by that, but I'm willing to try things."

"It's going to be one of those foo-foo salads, I'm betting. I can't stand those kind of things. I want salad stuff, not fruit. If I wanted a fruity salad, then I would get one. But only tomatoes and lettuce belong in a salad. Cucumbers, too, but nothing else. That kind of thing is supposed to be a side dish." Laughing, he asked her about onions. "Occasionally, you can have them in there so long as they're pickled. I love pickled onions."

"I'll have to take your word on that. I don't care for anything pickled." They spoke more about the dinner tonight and what they might be eating. Shipley wasn't the adventuresome type of person with her food. "That's probably because you've only had army messes. I'm betting you didn't get too many fresh burgers, did you?"

"Not where I was." They talked a bit more about food and the kind of things that Demetrius usually cooked for them. "I've never had lamb before. Unless you count having gyros. That's a good food, if you ask me. Also, I'm not a huge fan of pizza if there are other things on it besides meat and cheese. Regular meat, not chicken."

"Honey, I think that chicken is considered regular meat as well." She said it didn't belong on a pizza. "How do you feel about pineapple on a pizza then?"

"I'm hanging up on you. Those are fighting words." They were both laughing by the time she was home. Putting her phone away, she went into the house to be greeted by small arms and her favorite family. Parker wasn't too old, but she was learning that her aunt loved hugs, so that helped, too. She'd forgotten that they were babysitting the kids tonight as her sister had a date.

"How many dates have you had with Brad now? Do the Secret Service get in the way of you guys having a good time?" Amanda told her that they were just friends. "Sure you are. And I'm your uncle."

"Really? And all this time, I thought that we were identical twin girls." Amanda did look like she was happy with dating the vice president. "Tonight is a huge deal in that I'm going to be present as his date to a lot of other dignitaries. With David having the flu, Brad and I have had to step in some for him. Have you heard if he's doing better or not?"

"I haven't, though I did hear from his secretary that he's supposed to be better in a couple of days. Admit it, you're having a blast." Amanda said that she was and that Brad was making her feel so special. "He'd better if he knows what's good for him."

The car showed up for Amanda about the time the pizza did. Brad paid for the pizzas for the kids and tipped the man an extra hundred for not saying who had paid. Of course, that went out the window as soon as he posed for a selfie with the man. Sometimes, she wondered where their heads were.

Parker was about eight months old now and was able to gum a crust really well. Mandy, of course, liked her pizza hot and spicy just like she did. People had been telling her for months that Mandy could be her clone, and of course, she took that to heart. She did have some special connection with the little girl.

After dinner, they headed to the living room for movie time. She couldn't believe how much fun they were all having, so when the front door buzzer sounded, she didn't want to go and answer it. Sending Dusty to answer the door, she was surprised when he yelled for her from the front hall and told her to come to him. She stood there staring at the man and woman for a little bit before she knew who it was.

"Christ, Scott. You look like a new man. And who is this lovely person with you?" He introduced them to Rogen and said that she was his new wife. They'd only been married for a couple of weeks. "You heard about your mom then?"

"The president called him." Rogen was a very beautiful woman, and Shipley could see that she loved Scott very much. "We worked together as dispatchers. It's been a whirlwind sort of ride for us both. We're also having a baby."

She didn't know who was more excited, Scott or Rogen, about having a child. When they joined them for movie night, it was all she could do not to tease Scott about his prior opinion about having children. Shipley thought that he looked like he'd invented having children and didn't care who knew it. They left about ten and she and Scott took the kids up to bed.

"Do you suppose that your sister will be getting married again?" She asked him if he meant Brad. "Yes. Do you know any other men that your sister has been dating?"

"No. I mean, I never thought of that. Do you suppose it's gone that far? I wasn't kidding her when I asked about the Secret Service around all the time. I do wonder how that's been working for the two of them. Also, Brad told me that he's been in love with Amanda since…well before Fred came along. And she looks so happy. Perhaps it will come down to her having a wedding again. I hope so. For both of them."

"I do as well. And he already loves the kids." She and Dusty talked about all the things that would be something of an issue with her marrying the VP. But none of them were insurmountable that they couldn't pull it off. "I don't know a lot about kids, but I've been keeping an eye on the kids when he's around. He never treats them in any way but as little people. Even Parker is a bit in love with him, too."

"She calls him Da-da." She just stared at Dusty. "It was the last time Brad was here. He was holding her in his arms while Amanda was getting the kids off the bus, and I heard her. It shocked Brad, I think, but he never said anything to her. He didn't deny it, I mean. I think that he'd make a great dad. Why hasn't he married before now?"

"I never thought to ask him. Do you suppose he was waiting on Amanda to make a decision?" Dusty shrugged and told her that he hadn't any idea. "Me either. But I'll talk to my sister when she comes to get the kids tomorrow. I did tell you that they were staying all night. It's too far for Amanda to come back tonight." She cocked her head. "I just thought of something. If they do get married, that means she's going to be moving to DC and taking the kids with her."

"I should hope so." She growled at him. "What did you think was going to happen, love? That they'd carry on this relationship and make it work with the distance between them? No. If Brad doesn't ask her to marry him soon, I'm going to be very disappointed in him. He's more in love with her, if you can believe it than I think that any other couple I know is. Except for you and I. We carry all the love between us."

"You're insane." When they went to bed that night, she kept thinking about how it would work out between the two of them. She was just getting used to having her sister around all the time, and now she was going to leave her. What would happen if he were to run for the White House? Then she'd be out of that time, too.

She told herself that she was being selfish. Her sister deserved a life as much as she did, and her thinking about how it would affect her was simply mean. Getting up and leaving the bedroom, she wasn't the least bit surprised when her cell rang. It was her sister.

"What's happened? Do I need to come there and kick someone's ass? You know that I will." Amanda laughed and said that it was all good. "Then why are you bothering me at two in the morning?"

"Brad asked me to marry him." Shipley sat down hard on the stairs that she'd been standing on when her phone rang. "I've not told him yes yet. I wanted to talk to you first."

"Why?" She said because she was her sister. "No, I mean, why haven't you told him yes. And what on earth do you think I'd have to say about you getting married. Nothing at all. You're my sister, not my ward." Amanda started crying and that hurt her to her core.

"I just got you home with me and now I'm the one that will be running off. I don't know what to do. He had this beautiful ring for me. You should see it. It's the same stone as yours, but I love it so much more. And then there are the kids. What if they don't want me to get—"

"Hang on a minute. Just… Seriously Amanda, I don't think the two of you could be in any more love than you are right now, and then you have the rest of your lives to fall more in love." Amanda called her a romantic. "No, I'm a realist. You love each other so much. In fact, I think that the two of you have been in love since before you started dating. As for the kids, Amanda loves him. You know that if she had trouble with him, she'd tell you. And Parker is already calling him dad."

"When? When did she say that to him?" She told her that Dusty had seen it. "He never said a word about it. Oh, that helps so much. I don't know what to do about you. I can't lose you again. You're all the family that I have left." She pointed out that she had the entire Erickson family as well as her own kids.

"And you won't lose me. You do remember that we have a house in DC, don't you? And it's not that far away for us to just hop in a car and come see you. Right?" She told her that she could come and see her too. "Yes, but I don't know how feasible that will be with the Secret Service having to follow you around all the time. But we'll cross that when we come to it. And I don't know if you knew this or not, being that you just called me from there. I'm only a phone number away."

"There is that. But I'd want you here to help with the planning of our wedding. It'll have to be huge because of who he is and all." Shipley remembered that her sister hadn't had a large wedding, even though that was what she wanted at the time. "You'll be my matron of honor."

"No, I'm going to be giving you away. Mandy will be your maid of honor. Right there next to you, where she belongs. You know she's kind of stubborn, and that's where she's going to be anyway." They both laughed. "Parker and Fred will be there as well with one of the brothers. They'll love that they can be a part of their mother's big day."

After talking to her sister for another ten minutes, they decided that it was much too late for them to be making wedding plans and closed their connection. She knew that she'd sleep better and that Amanda would as well. Shipley was sad, sad that her sister had been so upset, but she was also feeling like she'd been sad too for no reason. So long as Amanda was happy then everything in her world was all right as well.

"Did you talk to her?" She smiled when Dusty spoke to her from the dark room. Telling him that it was all settled, he rolled over toward her and curled around her body. "I love you, Shipley. Do you regret not having a large wedding, too?"

"You knew that they were going to get married?" He said that Brad had asked him if it would be all right with her that he asked her sister. "He could have asked me, you know."

"And you would have turned him down. You needed to hear from Amanda, and once you did, it was all right. You know as well as I do that she's first in your life." She wasn't sure about that and told him so. "I know that she's your number one fan and the other way around. I'm all right with that, so long as I'm a very close second. I am, right?"

"Forever." She wanted to tease him but couldn't bring herself to do that. It was too late for that anyway. Snuggling up under his chin, she wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly. There was a lot to be said for having someone you love so close to you that it was like you were one person.

~*~

Dusty laid all the paperwork out in neat rows and was ready for his family to show up. This time, when they had their monthly meeting, he was going to be prepared. It had been a real eye-opener when he'd sat down at his desk and saw all the things that he'd been putting off in favor of spending time with Shipley. Grinning to himself, he thought of last night and the way that she'd met him at their bedroom door completely nude. Christ, the woman was so special to him.

He'd thought that she was asleep when he'd opened the door. Crying out a little when she said his name, Dusty thought for sure that she was sleepwalking. But putting out his hands to guide her to the bed made him have the biggest surprise of all. Her warm breast filled his hand, and he couldn't have moved if a gun had been pointed to his head.

"I have some news for you." He told her that he would have to wait until later, that he was busy examining her. "Oh, well, have you noticed anything different about my breasts, doctor sir? They feel much larger to me."

"I'll have to get a closer look." When she moaned as he took her breast into his mouth, he wanted to take her right then. But she'd been in a playful mood, and he wanted her to have her fun.

"Well?" He grinned again, telling her that he was going to have to let her know in a bit. That it took further investigation, and he was one very thorough man. "Good. Also, you should understand that they're tender, too. Just a little, so be nice to them. Their job duties have ramped up."

It took his addled mind a bit more to understand that she was serious. After having her ask him twice to be gentle, he pulled his head from her and looked at her. Dusty could see, too, that whatever had been going on then, she was happy about it. Then it hit him.

"You're pregnant?" She nodded. "You're going to have a baby. Is that why you're tender? When?"

"Yes, I'm going to have a baby in about eight months." She pulled his hand down to her belly—still flat from all the exercising she'd been doing in the service. "Not just any baby either, I'm going to have our baby."

Dropping to his knees, unsure of himself for a moment, he laid his head on her belly and listened. His child was there, he had told himself. They had made a baby, and it was right there. Pulling Shipley closer, he tried to hear anything that would tell him that his child was growing there, but all he heard was her belly gurgle. Laughing, he looked up at her.

"I went to the doctor today. I thought about doing the test myself, but I was sure that if it came back positive, I'd think that I screwed it up or something. Then, when he called back with the news, I had to call him back twice to ask him if he was sure. I'm positive that he thinks that a loony is now working in the hospital and that he's going to have to keep an eye on me so that when I do have the little guy, I'll not lose him."

"Him? You know it's a boy?" She told him that she didn't know, actually but she was guessing. "Twins? Do you suppose we'll have twins like you and Amanda? I'd be happy with anything we got but I'd so love to have twin girls. That look just like you."

He stood up and carried her to the bed. It was funny to him, even now, that he had taken so much care in lying her on the bed and covering her up. He also should have figured out that she wouldn't allow him to pamper her too much before she put her foot down. His little momma was going to be a wonderful mother.

They had made love slowly that night. He couldn't help but worry, too, about him poking at her. Of course, in his stupidity, he had said that to her that he didn't want to poke anything important, and she rolled out of the bed laughing. It had been an innocent comment, made in the heat of the moment and she laughed at him for hours—more than likely was still getting a giggle out of his comment even now.

"Dusty?" He looked at his brother, wondering why he was in their bedroom for a second. "You look goofy. What the hell is wrong with you? You're looking sappy, I was going to say, but that's not it. You and Locke are forever looking sappy now that you're married. What's up?"

He couldn't tell him. Dusty wanted to shout it to the world but he couldn't. Not until Shipley had her first appointment. She wanted to be positive about the baby when they told everyone, and she was still, him, too, wondering if they had messed up the lab work or something like that.

"Just being sappy. Can't a man be in love with his wife and get sappy over her? Shit, August, it's the best feeling in the world to be sappy about someone." He told him that he'd have to take his word for it. "You might feel this way soon enough. I know that I can't help but hope that the rest of you get someone to be sappy over as well. You'll love it."

"Nah. I'm not a man for being caught up with one woman all the time. I want to play the field. If I do meet someone special, she's going to have to be all right with me playing the field. I don't mean sex but just having a great time with women. They're the best things that have ever been created, but I don't want to settle down with just one of them. There are just too many of them out there to be stuck with just one." He told him he'd better not let Alex or Shipley hear him saying that. "No. You're right on that. I think they'd castrate me or something. But I'm going to happily play the lone bachelor and make sure that no woman feels like I've shafted her by getting married. No sir, marriage and settling down is not for me."

"I hope you change your mind." He told him that he wasn't. That's just the way that he was built, to be a flirt and a lover of women. "I might just tell Shipley what you said just so that we can make fun of you when the right woman comes along for you. Boy, I'm going to tell her too. That'll make for some fun conversations."

As his brothers showed up, their orders were taken for lunch. Dusty wanted to make sure that they met at least once a month like this so that everyone was on the same page when it came to their investments. And he had some great news, too, to go along with the money that they'd made in the last quarter, thanks in part to him being able to think outside the box. And man had he thought outside the box a couple of times this quarter.

Too, if he was right and the other brothers found themselves wives, they'd be a bit more busy and with their own families. He wanted to savor this time with them so that they could still talk about just being brothers. Missing out on any part of their lives would be sad to him. He hoped too that they'd want to get together, too, even after they were old and gray.

After going over all the prior commitments that they had made in the form of investments, he told them about the hospital as well. They had gone ahead and cut the funding that they invested monthly and they were beginning to feel the pinch. He had letters from each of the other board members about how the hospital wasn't working as well as it had before and that their bonuses, huge six-figure ones that he'd not known about, weren't going to be as high this year.

"What I've done is cut the hospital down on their donations again. We're now paying a little less than a quarter of what we were paying them for support over the last several years. If they're getting bonuses because we're donating money, then that has to stop. I feel that they shouldn't be getting any kind of kickback, what I was told that it was, to get new doctors and nurses to come here because we're a state-of-the-art hospital, simply because of our money. Also, The Grable Foundation will no longer be supporting the wing that was built in Martha's name. I have set it up for maintenance work, but now the bulk of the money, less than half of it, is going to be set up as a fund for nurses and doctors that wish to further their career." Locke asked if he had done this or he was going to. "I did it. There isn't any reason that if we don't agree on this that I couldn't put it back the way it was before. But I will admit that I was angry when I heard the amount of bonus that were going to the board. The very fact that I only just happened upon it, me being a member as well, makes me pissed off. I wonder what the amount was when we were paying everything for those three months when the hospital was in the red."

"I have the amounts." Grinning at his brother, he told him that he had mentioned it to Alex, and they knew that she'd be right on top of things. "I was going to talk to you about it today anyway. I'm sure that we'll all be happy about doing this. The amounts they got was staggering."

After finding out what they were getting in a yearly bonus, he thought about taking more of the funding away. But Knox said that they had to be careful about taking everything away, or they really could make it difficult to have a hospital.

"I've already filed a motion for them to be fined. This is a not-for-profit hospital, and the fact that they're taking profits makes me mad, too. So I've taken legal action against them. Also…" Knox handed out paperwork that he'd collected. "They'll be fired for their parts in the class action suit against them as well. I think that we've been fair with these people and I keep coming back to the fact that we had to tell them that we'd stop funding if they didn't fire a man that they were well aware of him stealing."

"Good. That was going to be my next topic. Also, I've looked into this, and we won't take the money that is awarded to us should we win, other than legal fees. It will all be funneled back into the hospital for funding, such as the nurse and doctor foundation—I don't have a name for it yet so open to that. But I will say that the money awarded will be a godsend to a lot of people and their billings."

After they all agreed that it would be a good way to keep their profits high at home, none of them were keen on the idea of shorting the hospital. It was a place that a great many people used and they were going to need it as well when their baby came along.