That morning when Kali's mother awoke, she went directly to the room where she had left CJ for the night. She became completely enraged when she saw that the child was not in the crib where she had left him the night before. She stood by the crib seething, wondering why she hadn't taken care of the baby's father as well. "In good time…" She thought to herself as she turned and walked from the room. Now that she didn't have her daughter to worry about anymore, it would be easy to get rid of the child's father. Going downstairs, a sinister smile spread across her face as she went to the phone and made a call.
***********
The next morning Judy and Taker arrived at the hospital to tell Kane and Kali that they were going back home. "Is she okey?" Judy asked Kane as she looked at Kali who was dead pale and seemed to be having a difficult time breathing.
"She had some trouble through the night, but she'll be alright." Kane replied, but left out the fact that they had very nearly lost her. "They've got her all doped up now, but she should be awake later." Kane looked over at his wife, his feelings for her were very visible in his eyes.
Taker glanced at Judy and then at Kane. "Well, actually, we're going back home today. Our flight leaves in about two hours."
"We'll pick CJ up tomorrow. He can stay with us until you and Kali are back on your feet….No, even better idea. Why don't you and Kali stay with us too after you're released from the hospital. I've got plenty of room and you'll be safe there." Judy looked over at Taker and saw him nod his head in agreement to her suggestion.
Kane considered Judy's offer for a moment and then shook his head. "As much as I appreciate your kindness, we can't do that. I know Kali would agree with me on this. When her mother finds out that she and I are still alive, she's going to come after us again, and I won't have you two put in that kind of danger."
They talked a few minutes longer, until Judy and Taker had to leave. "Please reconsider my offer." Judy urged as she left the room. Kane said that he and Kali would discuss it.
Taker and Judy went back to the hotel to get their bags before going to the airport. As they went to the front desk to check out, the clerk handed Taker an envelope and said that it had been left there for him. Taker knew immediately that it was the report from the detective that he had called to get information on Kali's family. As their flight took off, Taker took the contents from the envelope and began to read. After a few minutes, he turned to Judy.
"Listen to this." He said to her. "It says here that Kali was born Angela Nicole Burke. The McLoed's adopted her when she was three weeks old…just one week after their biological infant daughter mysteriously died. She kept her birth name and was often called Angel by her close friends. Seems like a pretty normal life until about a month into her junior year of high school, she met and began dating Jeff Reed….That's Kane." Taker added as an after thought incase Judy wasn't aware of Kane's real identity. "Let's see…." Taker continued to tell Judy what he had read. "They continued to date through the year and into the summer. They fell deeply in love and ultimately became engaged. Then about half way through their senior year, she just disappeared….seemingly into thin air. Her parents changed her name to Kali and gave her their last name. She also had three minor plastic surgeries. After months of endless mental abuse and heartbreak over missing the man she loved, she attempted….." Taker stopped, not being able to bring himself to say the word. Shaking his head in disbelief, he said, "Damn, and this is only the first page of the report. I hate to see what the rest of these pages say." Nonetheless, he turned back to the report and continued to read.
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Chapter Thirty-Eight~~~Judy
The flight had been uneventful. Judy couldn't believe the detective's report. Poor Kali! The stuff she had been subjected to.
The silent couple made their way through the bustling airport. After collecting their bag, Taker and Judy left, heading for her Jeep. Within minutes, they were on the interstate heading to North Carolina.
She had been quiet since leaving the airport. Her eyes concentrated on the traffic all around them, yet her thoughts were a thousand miles away. What the hell were they going to do to guarantee Kane and Kali's safety? Something had to be done and quickly.
Judy carefully navigated the mountainous road leading up to her
grandmother's home. An idea had begun to form and she needed to talk to Jake to work it out.
Pulling up in front of the old house, Judy cut off the ignition and sat there. Taker looked at her, wondering what she was waiting on.
Looking over at the big man, Judy smiled brightly at him. A preoccupied look clouded her normally clear eyes. She was up to something and would tell him in her own time.
"Come on! Time for you to meet my Grammy, and see your son!" Her voice was cheerful, as she squeezed his hand.
Taker groaned, dreading this meeting, yet anxious to see CJ. As they walked up to the house, Jake stepped out on the porch to welcome them.
"Bout time y'all got here! Been looking for you for over two hours!" His grin was friendly as he hugged Judy then shook the big man's hand. "There's a little boy inside that wants to see his daddy!"
As they entered the house, the little boy squealed in delight, and ran to his father. Taker grabbed him, swinging him up in his arms, hugging him tightly to him. The warm compact little body felt good in his arms. He hugged the child as though he would never let him go. Taker still got a chill when he thought about how close he came to losing him forever.If it hadn't been for these people... if it hadn't been for Judy and Jake... well, the alternative made him sick to think about.
The old woman looked to be at least 100, yet her alert, shrewd eyes never strayed far from the big man. So this was the man who had stolen her grand-daughter heart! This was the man whose baby she lost.
The old woman watched the tender way he treated her granddaughter, the way he paid attention to the child. Grammy was kneading bread for the evening meal, as she watched the young couple through th doorway. Theirs would be a good match! The big man had the heart of a warrior, and would be good for her grand-daughter.
After she introduced him to her grand mother, Judy said something to Taker, then motioned for Jake to follow her outside. As they walked toward the road, she told him what she had in mind.
"How is the Shaman?" Judy asked, watching him.
"He's good! You will need his help!" Jake's blank face gave away
nothing.
"Yes! I need him to protect Kane and Kali, and to stop the danger
heading their way! Can he do that?" She asked, folding her hands behind her as they walked.
"Come on, then, let's go talk to him!" Jake said, as they walked in the direction of the Shaman's house.
Several hours later, they returned to Grammy's humble home. Taker was curious about where they had been for so long. He had just put CJ down for a nap, called to check on the condition of Kane and Kali, and had a long talk with the old woman! Taker got the feeling that he passed inspection and had her approval.
It was some time later before Taker could ask Judy where she and Jake had gone off to.
"We went to talk to the wise man of this reservation. When there is a bad problem, he's the one consulted. He's very old, very wise, and very spiritual! He's also a shape shifter! The Shaman is old! No one knows exactly how old he really is, but he's been the protector of our people for ever!" She told him seriously.
Taker was skeptical! But she had surprised him many times already. And he had heard of stranger things.
"What is it you have in mind?" He asked quietly, watching her closely.
Smiling secretively at him, all she'd say was that she had things taken care of. Hugging her grand mother, Judy slid her arm around the big man's waist, and led him to bed.
The Shaman left his small home and went high up in the mountains to a sacred place. There, he would not be disturbed. He built a fire in the middle of the clearing, and began to chant. The ceremonial rattles shook as his spirit left his old man's body.
He went first to the couple in the hospital. The woman was near death. The Great Bird sat perched at the head of her bed. The blackness surrounded her like a shroud. As his spirit form neared her bed, her eyes flew open, meeting his own.
"Have you come for me?" She asked feverishly, her blue eyes glassy.
"No, my child! It is not yet your time! There is evil near, but I will protect you and your unborn child. No evil will come near this room tonight! Now close your eyes and sleep! Your man will be safe as well." The spirit said compassionately. The Great Bird of Death spread its huge wings and disappeared.
Kali relaxed and drifted off in a peaceful sleep. Her breathing was deep, even, and regular. Kane was awakened by what he thought was chanting and the sound of rattles. Looking around, he didn't see anyone, yet he heard the chanting! Glancing over at his wife, he saw that she was sleeping peacefully for the first time since they were admitted. She had a healthier color as well. What ever was going on, seemed to be helping her. With that thought, Kane drifted back off to sleep. In the morning, he would think it all just a dream brought on by the drugs.
Once they were protected, the Shaman went to Kali's mother. He needed to find out who she hired to kill that young couple. As it happened, she was on the phone with the man making the final arrangements to kill Taker, and return the child to her.
"You do whatever it takes to bring the child to me! And no screw ups!" She said angrily, just before hanging up. But not before the spirit locked in on the man's location.
Taking on the shape of a huge gray wolf, the Shaman made quick work of the evil that claimed to be Kali's mother. When he returned to his own shape, the demon woman lay in a widening pool of her own tainted blood.
By dawn, his work was finished, and the spirit returned to the body of the old man. When he returned to his home, the Shaman sent the boy to fetch Jake. When Jake left a while later, a smile gently curved his lips.
********
Kane woke up as one of the nurses came in to check their vitals. He was feeling stronger every day. Looking over at his wife, Kane was surprise to see her sitting, her eyes sparkling, smiling at him.
"Good morning, sweetie! How do you feel this morning?" She asked,
cheerfully.
Kane gaped at her. Two nights ago, she nearly died. Now, she was
glowing with good health! "I'm fine, but how do you feel?" Kane's husky voice sent shivers racing along her nerve endings.
Giving him a wicked grin, she replied, "I feel wonderful!"
Later that morning, they were moved to a private room! The doctors were amazed by her recovery. She shocked them to silence when she asked to be given a pregnancy test.
That evening, while watching the news, one story in particular, caught their attention. It was about two bizarre deaths! The bodies had literally been ripped apart by some kind of wild animal. The woman was Kali's mother. Kali suspected the man was the one that tried to kill them.
Turning to Kane, she calmly asked if they could go visit Judy when they were discharged.
"Funny you should ask that, she invited us to come and stay with her when we get out!" Kane looked at her curiously, wondering about her lack of a reaction to the news of her mother's death. Her calm eyes met his, love shining brightly in them.
They both looked up as the door opened. The doctor had an amazed
expression on his face. "Well, Kali, seems like congratulations are in order! Your test came back positive! You are going to have a baby! And it is perfectly normal! Your child has not been harmed by the drugs and everything! You are indeed a very lucky woman!" He still couldn't believe it.
Kali smiled knowingly. "I never thought she would be anything but perfect!" Eyes sparkling, she laughed out loud with pure pleasure at the surprised looks on the faces of her husband and the doctor. "Remind me to tell you about it sometime!" She continued to grin long after the doctor left their room.
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Chapter Thirty-Nine~~~Kaliegh
Kane and Kali were released from the hospital four days later. They had both made a full recovery. The only signs left of the ordeal they had gone through were the physical scars. But that didn't matter to Kane or Kali. Both of them were going to be alright, CJ was safe, and to make their life all the more sweeter, they were expecting a child. An ultrasound showed that Kali was just barely two weeks along. She knew immediately that the baby had been conceived the first night she and Kane had been together in Vegas. Kali smiled to herself, remembering the love they had shared that night and every night after that.
Before leaving for Tennessee to pick up CJ and visit Judy and Taker, Kane and Kali stopped by her apartment to pick up a few things. As they walked through the door, they saw the police tape across the entrance to the bedroom and were hit by the full reality of what had happened. They sank to their knees, holding each other close....drawing from each other's strength. Once Kali had cried all the tears she had in her, she looked up at Kane and told him she no longer wanted to live in Reno. She wanted a new home, in a new town....A new life so to speak.
"I understand, love." Kane said softly as he gazed into her eyes and tenderly wiped a lingering tear from her cheek. "Do you know where you'd like to go?"
"As long as you and CJ are with me, it doesn't matter." Kali replied as Kane tilted her head back and gently kissed her. "And speaking of CJ, we better get going or we'll miss our flight." Although they had plenty of time, Kali didn't want to stay in that apartment any longer than she had to.
A few hours later their flight landed in Knoxville. Taker was there waiting for them. "Taker, how's CJ?" Kali immediately asked him. It had been about a week since she had seen her son, and she missed him terrible.
"He's fine. He's been wound up tight all day. I think he knew you were coming today." Taker said, laughing softly as they walked through the airport. "By the way, you two look great. Quite an amazing recovery the both of you have made."
"Alot of amazing things have happened the past few days." Kane said, speaking of the baby they were expecting.
Taker looked at both Kane and Kali with curiosity in his eyes. He wondered what was up with the secretive smiles on their faces. Then Taker suddenly remembered that they had gotten married. "Oh! One other thing. Congratulations on your marriage. I know yours will be a strong and happy marriage."
Kane and Kali thanked Taker for his words, and apologized for not being able to tell him and Judy about it. "It was kind of a quick thing." Kane said softly, knowing Taker understood the situation.
They were silent most of the way to Judy's house. Kali wondered how Judy would take the news of her pregnancy. It hadn't been that long since Judy's miscarriage, and although Judy seemed to have healed well from that tragedy, Kali wondered if one ever REALLY got over something like that.
Kane glanced over at Kali, wondering what had put that worried look on her face. "We're almost there. You'll be able to see CJ in just a few minutes." Kane said, smiling at the look of happiness that lit her face at the mention of her son. Kane couldn't wait to see the little guy either.
Moments later, they arrived at their destination. Kali jumped out of the truck, ignoring the pain in her still tender wounds. Throwing the front door open, she called for CJ. The little boy squealed happily as he ran to her, almost knocking her backwards when he jumped into her waiting arms. CJ wrapped his little arms around her neck and Kali hugged him tightly. Tears ran freely from Kali's eyes. She had come way too close to losing him forever. Saying a silent prayer, she thanked God for bringing him back to them safely.
Later that evening, Kali and Judy sat in the kitchen having a cup of coffee while Kane and Taker gave CJ a bath and got him ready for bed.
"Judy, I really don't know how to thank you for everything you have done for Kane and I. We will forever be grateful to you." Kali said as she sat down across the table from Judy.
"Well, no thanks are necessary. I know you and Kane would be there if we ever needed you I'm just glad that everything turned out in the end." Judy replied.
"Yes, of course! If you ever need anything, please do not hesitate to call." The two women were silent for a few moments and then Kali told Judy that she was leaving Reno.
"i used to love it there. But now....too many bad memories, ya know. I can't even make my shop go anymore. I don't know what happened there. I haven't had a customer in weeks." Kali said shaking her head sadly. Judy knew she loved her work and wondered why her shop wasn't doing well anymore. "So anyway....we haven't decided where we want to go yet, but we're definitely not staying in Reno." Kali paused for a second and then smiled. "I better go make sure your bathroom hasn't gotten flooded yet. Sometimes CJ gets a little carried away with his bath. And with Taker and Kane watching him, you can almost bet there will be trouble." Judy and Kali laughed at the thought of the two big men getting soaked in the process of bathing the little boy. They were still laughing as they left the kitchen and headed for the bathroom.