Read Online Cheated By Death by L.L. Bartlett - Free Book Online Page B

is,” he said, anticipating
her request.
    “Beer for me,” I said.
    I watched Richard make the drinks, noticing
he filled a glass with club soda for Brenda.
    “Shall we adjourn to the living room?”
Richard asked.
    “Sounds good to me.”
    “I’ll catch up in a minute. I want to finish
this,” Brenda said. Maggie hung back to help her.
    I followed Richard, who set his drink on an
end table by one of the leather wing chairs. He turned on a couple
of lamps while I settled on the far end of the comfortable leather
couch.
    I sipped my beer and studied my brother’s
face. “Maggie says something’s going on with you two.”
    “She’s very astute.”
    “You going to tell me?”
    His smile was enigmatic. “Not just yet.”
    I took a sip of beer. I don’t like playing
games. But this was his party. They’d probably finalized their
Christmas vacation plans. Some exotic locale, no doubt.
    I cleared my throat. “Are we going to the
Bills game next Sunday?” He had season tickets.
    “Sure.” Richard sat down, took a sip of his
drink.
    Now what could we talk about?
    Richard stared into his drink, looking
thoughtful.
    “Something wrong?”
    “I got a call from an old school friend this
morning. He’s in private practice in Rochester.” He took a sip of
his drink.
    “And?” I prompted.
    He didn’t look up. “A colleague of ours from
the old days was killed recently. He wondered if I’d heard. The
alumni bulletin will probably mention his passing.”
    I got a queasy feeling in my gut, reminding
me of those disturbing dreams I’d been having. “How’d he die?”
    “A hunting accident. Marty had a string of
bad luck. His son died in a motorcycle accident last spring, then
his wife was murdered—apparently in a robbery gone wrong. Jim said
Marty had been drinking heavily and quit his job with the
state.”
    Giggles from the hallway distracted me.
Richard’s face lit up as Brenda entered the room. Maggie placed a
tray of veggies and dip on the coffee table, settling beside me.
“Dig in,” she said.
    “It’s that sun-dried tomato kind you like,”
Brenda told me, taking a carrot and gouging some out of the ceramic
dish. She perched on the arm of Richard’s chair.
    I studied the two of them. They looked . . .
smug.
    “What’s going on?” I asked.
    Brenda’s smile was radiant. “We’ve known for
a while, but we didn’t want to say anything.” She looked to
Richard, who nodded for her to continue. “We’re pregnant!”
    “I knew it!” Maggie cried and jumped up to
hug Brenda.
    I sat there, stunned, my stomach
knotting.
    Pregnant. This announcement didn’t bring me
joy—but what I felt was more than simple apprehension. The threat
of HIV hanging over Richard’s head—both their heads.
    “Jeff?” Richard prompted.
    “I thought you said you guys couldn’t have
sex. Not even with a condom—until six months after—” That terrible
night flashed before my mind’s eye. The shotgun blast—all that
blood. Richard, desperate to save a dying man—with no latex gloves
to protect his bare hands.
    “How?” I asked.
    “Brenda laughed. “I must’ve become pregnant
just days before our wedding.
    In fact, they’d been married five months, but
because of the threat of AIDS, they hadn’t yet consummated their
marriage. And yet Brenda didn’t really look pregnant.
    “You could say something positive,” Richard
said, eyeing me.
    “Sorry.” I laughed nervously, tipped my beer
bottle in his direction. “Congratulations.” I stood, reached over
to shake his hand. “When?”
    “About four months from now,” Brenda
answered.
    “You’re almost through the second trimester?
If I gain five pounds—I look it,” Maggie complained.
    Brenda smiled. “Hey, I feel every pound of
it.” She patted her belly, her baby bump barely noticeable. “Too
much can go wrong during those few months. And because of Richard’s
situation—” She looked at him, her expression darkening. “I guess I
didn’t