Part Five

“Either of you cook?” Miss Parker drawled, walking down the stairs into the kitchen. Ethan raised an eyebrow, glancing up from the computer screen to see her standing by the door. She was dressed in the same uniform she always wore, slacks and a blouse, covered by a matching blazer. Her stilettos had been traded in for lower-heeled shoes. It was familiar; it was comforting.

Jim was sitting in the chair beside him, one hand on a mouse and the other on the left side of the keyboard. He did not even risk a glance in her direction. “I’ll take that as a ‘no’.” her voice was dry. Walking around behind the table, “What has you two so interested?”

Just as she came within line of sight of the laptop screen, Jim hit a rapid key sequence and minimized the screen. The writing gave way to a game screen. “Nothing,” he answered hurriedly. “I can cook, sort of. Are you hungry?”

Ethan fought a smile as the teenager lept out of the seat and headed toward the refrigerator. “Let’s see, pasta and a salad? How’s that? Not too heavy for lunch, and I can make enough for everyone… Hey!” he yelped as he turned around, seeing Parker maximize the internet screen he had tried to hide.

She wiggled around in the chair, trying to get comfortable as the screen reopened. Flashing the boy a wide grin, she skimmed over the page. “Everything you need to know to survive your partner’s pregnancy? Is there something you need to tell me, Jim?”

“Uh, n…n-no. I just, we uh, well…” he stammered.

Parker laughed outright as he blushed bright red. Shooting a glare at Ethan, who was chuckling to himself, Jim turned back to the refrigerator and composed himself. “As neither of us has any experience with pregnancy, I thought it only appropriate to find out what symptoms we should be looking for.”

“Cravings for pickles and wild mood swings?” Parker interjected with toothy grin.

With a huff, the boy continued, “No. Morning sickness, hemorrhoids, and leg cramps. You know, some women even have chronic nosebleeds.” He didn’t have to turn around to know her grin had faded to a look of dissatisfaction. Letting out a chuckle of his own, he continued, “I think spaghetti is easy enough, and everyone likes it.”

“Kid has learned a few tricks on the outside,” she muttered to Ethan, shifting in the seat again. He laughed, getting out of his chair and heading toward the stove as she began to read. Together, they began to work on lunch while Miss Parker read the screen, occasionally tapping a button to scroll down.

After the water was seasoned and the noodles added, Jim placed a lid on the stockpot then turned to face her. “I noticed you seemed lightheaded earlier, when we were readying the guest rooms and before that, when we were at the clinic. A few times yesterday too. While I know that is medically normal, Ethan and I thought reading about it from the person’s perspective might give us some idea of what to do to help. Then we found all of this other information… there are a lot of websites on the subject!”

“There are a lot of websites on every subject,” she muttered, closing the window. “You’re a good boy, Jim. That was very thoughtful of you,” a tiny, tight smile crossed her face.

“I’m hardly a boy! I’m thirteen!” He protested, then paused. “You’re nervous.”

“Yes,” the dark-haired woman answered, closing the laptop and tapping her nails against the case. Before she could continue, car doors began to slam. All three of them stared, and Ethan started for the door. “Wait,” she called. “They know I’m here, not the two of you. If it’s not… just let me check.” Parker shot out of her chair and headed toward the front door. After peeking out the window, she sighed, “It’s your father.”

After opening the door, the three watched as the rest of the group trouped up the stairs, bags in hand and on their backs. The Major was leading Ben and Sydney, with Broots and Debbie taking up the end of the line.

“Welcome back, Dad!” Jim called to the Major, who smiled and ruffled his hair.

“Good to be back! What’s that smell?”

“Oh!” Jim yelped, racing for the kitchen. “The spaghetti!”

As if his words broke the ice, both Parker and Ethan relaxed their tense stances and chuckled beneath their breaths. “Parker,” Ben smiled, reaching for her. He wrapped her in his embrace, and was pleased to note that she held onto him just a little bit tighter this time.

“Hello, Ben,” she released him from her hold. Sydney laid a hand on her shoulder and offered her a smile before heading inside with Ben following. The psychiatrist knew that, given time, she would seek him out on her own.

“Miss Parker!” Debbie called, flinging her arms around the older woman’s middle. “I’ve been so worried! And I missed you!”

Wrapping her arms around the thirteen-year-old, she replied, “I’ve missed you too. Come on in, I think you need to be introduced to a few people.” She nodded at Broots, whose eyes were open wide in wonder and tinged with a bit of concern. Broots closed the door behind himself, setting his and Debbie’s bags just inside the door. “Debbie, this is my brother Ethan. You’ve already met Major Charles, his father. And the boy that just ran into the other room was Major Charles’ youngest son, Jim. Ethan, this is Debbie and her father, Broots.” Ethan flashed his most charming smile at the young girl, then reached out to shake Broots’ hand, nodding to Sydney. “Ethan, this is Mama’s friend, Ben Miller. He used to visit her every spring before…” her voice trailed off. “Ben, this is my little brother, Ethan.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ethan. I’m not sure I understand, though. Your mother never mentioned another son, and certainly never another man.” Ben commented, taking Ethan’s hand in his own, then glancing at the woman beside him.

“It’s a long story, Ben. My mother… didn’t die in April. She lived just long enough to have Ethan after being inseminated at the Centre. The sperm used was a sample Major Charles had given at a fertility clinic when he and his wife were trying to conceive Jarod.” Her words were quick and quiet. Ethan placed a hand on her lower back, the voices firing more rapidly than her words. “Ethan?”

“Can we… let’s sit, we should sit.” He propelled them toward the nearest couch, and the siblings less than gracefully sank into the cushions.

“Ethan? What is it? Do you…?” her voice trailed off, eyes squinting as she let out a low moan.

“Parker? Ethan? What is it? Are you okay?” Major Charles leapt forward, sitting on the coffee table before them, one hand falling to Ethan’s knee.

Sydney spoke softly from behind the other man, “The voices.”

Just as quickly as it began, it appeared to the observers in the room that whatever had happened was over. Ethan’s eyes snapped open, meeting first his father’s, then flitting to his sister’s face. Her fingertips were pressed into her temples. “Parker? Did you…?” he began, as her eyes snapped open. Instead of answering, she moved past them into the kitchen, one hand in the air.

“What just happened?” Ben asked, finally taking a seat beside the couch. Broots held onto Debbie, who was scrambling to try to get up from her chair and run after the brunette.

Ethan blinked rapidly, “I don’t know. I heard something, but it was too jumbled. Usually, the voices speak more clearly for me than my sister. She… she hears static.”

“Was it your mother’s voice?” Sydney asked, “or someone else? Miss Parker only hears Catherine, I’m afraid.”

“I don’t… I don’t know,” he responded, only to be interrupted by Jim’s yell for his father from the kitchen.

Frowning, Major Charles stood up and headed into the other room.

“Sydney, do you get the feeling we’re missing something? A lot of something?” Broots asked the psychiatrist.

“All in time, Mr. Broots, all in time,” Sydney responded, patting the cushion beside Broots’ knee. Hoisting himself to his feet, he said, “I suggest we see what the excitement is in the kitchen.” With a measure of hesitation, the rest of the people in the room stood and followed the smell of spaghetti into the kitchen. As the door flapped open and closed, Jim turned away from his position stirring the pot of spaghetti and staring out the window.

“They’re outside. I don’t think Miss Parker is feeling well, so Dad took her a cup of tea I prepared to settle her stomach,” he waved the wet spoon toward the backdoor. “Spaghetti will be ready in a few minutes,” Jim continued, eyes falling on Debbie. “Hi, you must be Debbie. Miss Parker told me a lot about you,” he smiled, offering the comfort he could see she needed. “Do you mind helping me with the spaghetti sauce? I need someone to help stir so that it doesn’t burn while I shred some cheese.”

“Okay,” the girl replied with an answering smile, stepping toward Jim.

Ethan cleared his throat, “I think we should stay in here. They’ll come inside when they’re ready.”

Broots wrinkled his brow, “Okay, what is going on here? Not three years ago she wanted to kill him because she thought he killed her mother. Now, Miss Parker and Jarod’s father are best friends? I mean, I can maybe understand them working together, but this is a little bizarre!” His voice was low as he glanced at his daughter from the corner of his eye.

“Everything the Centre does is bizarre,” Ethan muttered. “For starters, my father did not try to kill my mother. We all know that now. Secondly, there is a lot going on here that we’re going to have to work out. I think that, right now, we all need each other. My sister worries too much about me, so she has spent the last few days talking mostly with my father while she tries to work out the details of what is going on. And they’re trying to work out what to do about Jarod.”

“”What do you mean?” Broots asked.

Sydney interrupted quietly, “While I’m sure Jarod has been the topic of a lot of conversation, Broots, I get the feeling he is not what they are talking about right now.” Turning back toward the window, the older man took in Miss Parker’s form, hunched over her teacup, a sad expression painted on the face she had tilted up toward Major Charles. Major Charles offered her his most reassuring glance, then patted her on the hand and slipped the teacup from her grasp. Reaching for her other hand, he pulled her up to stand next to him and ushered her inside.

“Jim? That spaghetti ready?” he called as they stepped inside.

“Yes, we’re getting ready to dish it up,” the boy replied, taking the wooden spoon from Debbie and handing her a bowl of shredded cheese. Glancing up at Miss Parker’s gloomy expression, the girl put the dish on the table and then pulled out a chair for herself and a chair for her friend.

After being ushered into the seat by Major Charles, she looked around the table at her friends and family and let out a deep sigh. Jim began passing plates of spaghetti around the table, and within a few moments had taken a seat across from Debbie. “You’re all probably wondering why you are here, I guess now is as good a time to begin as any.”

“Food first, talk later?” Jim offered around a mouthful of garlic bread and sauce.

Shaking her head, she twirled the fork in the mess of noodles, shared a quick glance with Ethan and the Major, and began her story.

“Six weeks ago, I received a package from Jarod with a return address in Dover. Sydney was working on a twin study and Broots was at home with the flu, so I headed to the post office to check into the PO Box written on the package. Lyle,” the word was filled with venom, “was waiting in the parking lot. After that, things are fuzzy. The only thing I remember,” her voice caught, “the only thing I remember is waking up in Renewal Wing with a doctor and Raines in the room. I think it was the same day. A few days later, I woke up at Saint Mary’s with a lump on the head. The nurse told me I’d been in a minor fender bender, and as soon as I felt well enough, I could go home. I signed myself out. I must have been at the Centre until right before I woke,” she thought aloud. “I don’t know what happened during those three days, only that I thought I had been in a car accident, and everyone else thought I had taken personal time to visit an old friend,” she glanced up at Ben. “What I do know now is that, during those three days, I was inseminated at Raines’ instruction.” Swallowing hard around the forming lump in her throat, Parker almost whispered. “I’m pregnant and I’ve decided to have the child.” The room was utterly silent for a few moments, before her voice once again broke the void. “The Centre may have created this child, but I’ll be damned if they ever get their hands on it. Not again.” Her tone was vehement, her face firm.

Major Charles offered her a kind smile, Ethan tapped her foot under the table with his own. For a moment, nothing else was said and no one dared move. “Hey, I worked awfully hard on this spaghetti, you know!” Jim cried with mock indignation, trying to lighten the mood.

Miss Parker forced a smile and reached out to tickle Debbie’s ribs. Glancing at Sydney, she said, “He’s right, this is pretty good.”

“Miss Parker?” Debbie asked, fighting down a giggle, “If you’re going to have a baby, who is going to be its daddy? Or won’t it have one?”

Broots coughed, choking on a forkful of noodles. “Debbie,” he tried to gasp, but the word came out as more of a strangled squeak.

“Chew first, Broots. Then swallow,” Parker smiled wryly, “Debbie… I don’t know how to answer that question yet. I have a few ideas as to who the father could be, but right now I can’t confirm any of them. I had no real say in the situation until now.”

“Daddy always told me to be careful of that place,” Debbie sighed. “I’m sorry Miss Parker, I didn’t mean to make you sad.”

“You didn’t, Debbie,” she smiled back. “The situation is… less than ideal, but we all will just have to learn to make the best of it.” Glancing over her head, Parker watched as Sydney smirked at her words. “Stuff it, Freud. I’m still packing.” Turning her eyes back to the girl, she continued in a more genuine voice, “In a few weeks we can run a test and hopefully then we’ll have some answers. For now, I think we should adjourn the topic until tonight. I think it might offend Jim if we waste this perfectly good spaghetti!”