Love Conquers All
by Dani
CHAPTER FORTY ONE
A few weeks had passed. Ben had explained the
whole Derek situation - everything about Maria,
Derek's stunt of trying to take over his life -
everything. Meg had learned to deal with his past as
best she could, but, with Derek still somewhere out
there, she could hardly rest easy.
"Ben, would you hand me the phone? I need to
call Sara," Meg said cheerily.
"Of course, sweetheart." He walked over to her,
kissed her forehead, and handed her the cordless
phone. "Here you are, darling... How are you
feeling, Meg?"
"I feel wonderful," she said sarcastically.
"Ben, I'm eight months pregnant, my feet are swollen
but I can't see them, I'm cranky all the time, and my
stomach is absolutely huge. How do you think I feel?"
she teased.
"Alright, alright," he laughed. "And I love you
anyway."
"Good, because even if you didn't, you're stuck
with me for the rest of your life."
"No, I think I'd say that you're stuck with ME
for the rest of YOUR life," he smiled.
"Well, either way it works... I'm going to call
Sara now."
"You can call Sara, but only if you kiss me
first..." He leaned in closer, closed his eyes, and
waited for the kiss.
Meg giggled as she thought about what she could
do to him in that position. She finally gave in and
kissed him tenderly. "How's that?"
"Absolutely perfect," he smiled, pleased. "Now
call your sister." Ben kissed her forehead once again
and left to go to the kitchen while Meg made her phone
call.
Moments later, he returned to find Meg sitting
quietly, obviously thinking about something serious.
"Meg? What are you thinking about?" he asked
curiously.
"Oh, nothing," she replied absent-mindedly.
"Nothing? Well it certainly looks like whatever
that 'nothing' is, it's pretty important."
She turned to look at him. "Well, Sara brought
up a good point. We have no name for this baby and
only a month to come up with something."
"Exactly. We've got a whole month to think about
it."
"Ben," she said surprised. "Don't you want our
child to have a perfect name?" she asked, beginning to
get a little angry.
"Of course I do, Meg." He sat down beside her
and put his arm around her shoulder. "But I've always
heard that when you see your baby for the first time,
you just know what to name them."
"Maybe you're right, but I'd still like to have
some idea about it. Didn't you look at those books I
bought?"
"Those books that had thousands of names in them?
Yes, I looked at them, but there's no way I could
pick one out of all those."
"We're going to have to, Ben. This is
important."
"I know it is, darling, but I promise you that
we'll have the perfect name for our baby when the time
comes. We've still got some time to think about it,
though."
"I guess you're right. I give in. I'm too tired
to argue." She rested her head on his shoulder.
He caressed her ahir and then her cheek with his
hand. "Sleep now, Meg. Sleep..."
CHAPTER FORTY TWO
"Are you alright in there, Meg? I told you not
to do that until I got home." Ben said from outside
the bathroom door. He had just returned from work,
and heard the bath water running when he came
upstairs.
"I know, but I'm fine. Come in and wash my back
for me, please," she answered.
Ben entered the bathroom and found her covered in
bubbles. "Are you trying to live a life of luxury?"
he asked when he saw her.
"I AM living a life of luxury, Ben," she replied
and reached up to kiss him. "Did you have a good day
at work?"
"I suppose so," he said as he ran his hand over
her shoulders. "How have you been?"
"A little tired, like I told you half an hour ago
on the phone, but other than that, I've been pretty
well - as well as can be expected for a woman who's
nine months pregnant, I guess."
He chuckled at her remark. He continued washing
her back and talking to her when he suddenly heard the
doorbell.
"I guess I'd better go and get that. Let me help
you out first." He helped her out of the tub and put
on her robe, then took her into the bedroom. "I'll
get rid of them. You stay up here and rest, okay?"
"Sure. Hurry back," she said as he kissed her.
Ben proceeded downstairs to answer the persistent
ringing of the doorbell. "I'm coming. Give me a
minute," he yelled to the annoying visitor.
He opened the door and was completely shocked by
who was on the other side. "What the - "
"Hello, brother dear."
"Derek. What are you doing here?" Ben questioned
as he thought about what he was going to do about his
brother's return.
"You didn't think I was going to stay away, did
you? My plan is to continue the plan that you ruined
the last time I saw you," he smirked as he pushed his
way inside.
"Derek, I don't want you in my house. I'm
calling the police," he said as he picked up the phone
and began dialing.
"Oh, no, you're not calling the police," Derek
replied, taking the phone from his brother and placing
it back onto the receiver. "I'm sorry, Benny Boy, but
I'll be calling ths shots around here from now on. I
think we have a little trip that we need to take, if
you recall my plans from the last time."
"How could I forget? And I'm sure that the
police will remember it as well, considering I told
them all about your plan," Ben answered angrily. "I'm
taking my wife and getting out of this house," he
continued as he headed toward the stairs.
Derek grabbed his arm. "You're not leaving this
house for some time, Benjamin. You and your precious
wife will be here for a while. I've got some thinking
to do," he said as he led Ben to the sofa and they
both sat down.
"She's upstairs, I suppose."
"What?"
"Meg - that's her name, right? Yeah, it is. I
remember it now. Is she upstairs?" he questioned.
"Yes, and you'd better leave her alone. She
hasn't done a bloody thing to you and you're not going
to hurt her, Derek. I won't let you," Ben answered
defensively.
"I'm not going to hurt her - yet," Derek smirked.
"I've got to think about it first."
Ben stood. "Well, while you're thinking about
it, I'm going up to check on her - and you're not
stopping me," he continued when he saw Derek stand.
"Alright, alright. Go and check on your wife,
but I'll be up to check on you in a minute," he said
as he sat back down.
Ben hurried up the stairs and rushed into the
bedroom. "Meg, Derek's back. We've got to get out of
here," he urged as he came to Meg's side.
"Ben, we're not going anywhere. We're having a
baby..."
CHAPTER FORTY THREE
"Ben, we're not going anywhere. We're having a
baby."
"What?" he asked, confused.
"I said, we're having a baby. I think I'm in
labor," she replied as she clutched her stomach.
"Are you sure? Meg, this is exactly a great time
for this to happen."
"I'm sorry, honey, but I can't control this.
You'll have to take that one up with the baby," she
managed to smile weakly.
"But Derek's here. He won't let us out of the
house. What are we going to do?"
Ben's question wasn't answered. Derek came into
the room and saw Meg, lying on the bed and Ben
standing beside her. "Hi, Meg. It's great to see you
again," he said. "What's taking you so long, brother
dear?" he questioned as he neared them both.
"Meg's having the baby now. Derek, you've got to
let us out of here," Ben pleaded.
Derek looked surprised. "I'm sorry, Ben, but
you're not going anywhere. You'll just have to take
care of this yourself." Derek went towards the door,
stepped out into the hallway, and shut it. Ben could
hear him locking the door from the outside.
"That bloody idiot!" Ben tried to control his
temper as he ran to the door and tried to open it.
"We're stuck, Meg," he said nervously as he walked
back to her. "What am I going to do?"
"Well, I don't know what you're going to do, but
I'm going to give birth pretty soon," Meg answered.
"Isn't your water supposed to break or something?
Didn't Tyus say that's how you'd know for sure?"
Meg looked at her husband and could see how
frightened he was. "Yes, and my water did break.
Can't you see that?" she asked, indicating the wet
sheets.
"Oh..." Ben heard the car pulling away. "Great.
Now we're definitely stranded." He walked over to
the phone and picked it up. "He left the phone off
the hook downstairs," he sighed and put it back onto
the receiver. "Meg, I've never delivered a baby
before. Can't you hold it in until we can get out of
here?"
"I'd love to, Ben, but I don't think that's going
to happen. I can feel something right now," she said
as another pain shot through her.
"What should I do? Towels... We need towels...
And water... Hot water..." He went towards the
bathroom and began to gather some things.
"Ben! Get back in here! There's no time for
that!" she yelled.
Ben hurried back into the room and saw Meg making
one of the most horrible faces he had ever seen.
"Meg, what's wrong?"
"What's wrong?! Ben, I'm having your baby, and
it's not easy. Now stop talking and help me!" she
ordered. He remained quiet for a few minutes.
"Ben?" she said weakly, obviously between
contractions.
"Yes, darling," he said soothingly.
"I don't think I can do this." She threw her
head back onto the pillows and lay there crying for a
moment.
"Meg," he began as he pushed some stray hairs
away from her face and brushed away her tears. "I
KNOW you can do this. You've been so wonderful these
last few months, and I'm not going to let you quit
now. You've GOT to do this because I have absolutely
no idea what I'm supposed to do. This is kind of up
to you," he smiled.
"I guess you're right," she smiled another weak
smile and pulled herself up again with Ben's help.
"I'll try."
"What should I do?"
"All you've got to do is catch the baby. I'l
handle the rest," she assured him.
"I think I can do that." He took his position
and they began the delivery.
"Come on, Meg, push," Ben urged. He knew nothing
about what he was doing except that Meg needed to push
and he needed to stay calm.
"I AM pushing," she replied and then began her
work again.
"That's it, Meg... I see the baby's head...
That's our baby, Meg... Come on... You're almost
there... Just a little more..." he continued with
tears of joy running down his cheek.
Moments later they heard the sound they had been
waiting for months to hear - the baby's cry.
CHAPTER FORTY FOUR
The instant the baby fell into Ben's hands, the
look of complete fear on his face turned into the most
gorgeous smile that had ever graced his lips. "Meg,
he's perfect," he cried as he held the baby up for her
to see.
Meg cried tears of joy when she saw her baby boy.
"Oh, Ben," she managed to utter, being completely
worn out. "We have a son," she smiled.
"Yes, we do." He handed the baby, now wrapped
safely in a towel, to Meg. "He's absolutely perfect.
Ten fingers, ten toes..."
"And his daddy's captivating eyes," Meg continued
as she gazed at her son. "He looks just like you,
Ben," she said, amazed. She lay her head back on the
pillow and closed her eyes for a brief instant. "Oh
my God, Ben. We did it," she said in complete
exhaustion.
"You did it, Meg. I'm so proud of you." He
brushed her hair away from her face and wiped away
several falling tears as he kissed her tenderly on her
lips. "I love you, Meg."
"I love you, too, Ben," she whispered. Meg
looked back at the little boy in her arms. "I love
you, too, little one," she smiled.
"And Daddy loves you, as well, you little angel,"
Ben added.
Both mother and father sat in silence for several
minutes, staring at the bundle in Meg's arms.
Suddenly Ben looked at Meg excitedly, as if the
reality of it all was just hitting him. "Meg, we're
parents!"
CHAPTER FORTY FIVE
"Meg, we're parents!" Ben exclaimed excitedly.
"I know," Meg smiled. "I can't believe it.
It's just too good to be true," she continued as she
looked to Ben then back to their son and back to her
husband once again.
Ben sat beside his wife on the bed and placed
his arm around her shoulder. Meg rested her head on
his shoulder and closed her eyes.
"Ben?"
"Yes, Meg?"
"How are we going to get out of here?"
"Well, I'll go over and try the door. Maybe I
can pull it open or something." He got off the bed
and walked over to the door. Ben pulled on the
doorknob, then pushed the door, trying anything he
could to force it open. He looked over at Meg who was
now nursing the baby. "It's not going to budge, Meg.
I'm going to look for something to pry it open."
Ben walked into the bathroom and returned after
finding nothing. He then went into the closet and
found a hammer. "I knew I left this in here for a
reason," he commented as he came out and headed toward
the door again. After several minutes of prying at
the door, it opened.
"I got it," he said as he came back over to Meg
who had fallen asleep with the baby lying on her
stomach. He kissed her forehead and picked up the
baby. "Hi, little one," he cooed. "Mommy's asleep
now, so you can come with me while I make a phone call
downstairs. Let's let Mommy sleep for a while now."
Ben took the baby downstairs to the living room
and found that Derek had indeed left the phone off the
hook. He picked it up and dialed the hospital,
instructing them to send an ambulance as soon as
possible. He also called the police station and
informed them of Derek's return. After making both
calls, he headed back up to the bedroom where he found
Meg still sleeping.
He placed the baby beside her on the bed and sat
down with the newest addition to their little family
between them. "I love you, son," he whispered and
gently placed a kiss on his forehead. "I love you
both," he continued as he reached over carefully and
kissed Meg.
CHAPTER FORTY SIX
Ben sat quietly on the bed beside his wife and
newborn child and just stared at them. A single tear
trickled down his cheek as he watched the two people
he loved most in the world sleeping peacefully. He
bent to kiss Meg again, but, this time, he woke her.
"Hi," she mumbled as she woke from his kiss.
"Hi. I didn't mean to wake you... You look
beautiful, Meg," he whispered sincerly.
"Thank you," she uttered as she yawned. "I'm
sure I look great considering I just gave birth, Ben,"
she smiled. "Did you get the door yet?" she asked as
she lightly touched their son's cheek.
"Yes, sleeping beauty, I did. And I called the
hospital to send an ambulance for you and this angel,"
he said, looking down at the baby. "I also called the
police, as if they'll do any good with Derek," he
continued. He changed the subject. "But let's not
think about him right now. I'd much rather think
about our adorable little boy." He ran his finger
over the baby's cheek.
"All that while I was sleeping?" she questioned.
"Hey, I've been busy. But our son helped me out
a little," he joked.
"I'm sure he did," she smiled. A few minutes
passed as they gazed at the little boy between them.
"Is there someone outside? I think I hear a vehicle,"
Meg commented.
"I don't know. I'll go check," Ben replied as he
stood to go to the window. "Yes, that's the
ambulance," he announced when he could see outside.
"I'll go let them in."
Ben kissed Meg and the baby and went downstairs
to open the door. He led the paramedics up to the
bedroom, and soon the little family was resting
comfortably in Meg's hospital room.
"Meg, I don't think that I've ever been - no, I
KNOW that I've never been happier than I am at this
moment."
"Oh, Ben... You've made me the happiest woman on
earth," Meg replied, becoming teary eyed. "I love you
so much, Ben Evans."
He leaned in and gave his wife a kiss. "I love
you more than I could ever say, Meg Evans... Now that
we've established what OUR names are, I think we need
to name THIS little one," Ben smiled.
"I think you're right. Any suggestions?" she
asked.
"Well, there is that one name we talked about.
Do you remember that one, Meg?"
"Of course. That's perfect, Ben! Do you still
like that one?"
"Yes, I think it's perfect. Remember how I said
that when the baby arrived, we'd just know?"
"Uh-huh."
"Well, as soon as I caught our son, I knew that
his name should be..."
CHAPTER FORTY SEVEN
"...Jacob Aaron Evans." Ben placed his finger in
the baby's hand and watched as he clutched it.
Meg smiled at her husband. "I love it. What do
you think, sweetie?" she asked the baby in her arms.
He cooed softly and looked up at her.
"Well, I guess that means he likes it," Ben
commented, laughing at the little boy's actions. "Hi,
Jacob," he smiled.
"Ben, he looks so much like you," Meg said,
looking up to her husband. "Very handsome."
"I hope he doesn't look like me. Poor child..."
"Ben, don't say that," she said, hitting him
playfully. "And, anyway, I know that you like it. I
know you wanted a little boy who looks exactly like
you," she smiled.
"No, I just wanted a little Evans. But it's
nice," he replied as he reached for the baby. He took
Jacob from Meg and lifted him to kiss his forehead.
"Daddy loves you, Jacob," he whispered.
"And Mommy loves you, too... Oh, Ben, I can't
wait to take him home."
"Nor can I, darling," he answered.
"How do you like it, sweetie? Not too frilly, I
hope," Meg said as she and Ben took Jacob into the
nursery.
"I think he loves it," Ben assured her as he
wrapped his arms around her waist. "I love you," he
continued, kissing the back of her neck softly.
"I love you, too," she whispered as she walked to
the bassinet and placed Jacob in it.
"Meg! Are you here?" Sara called as she walked
up the stairs.
"We're in the nursery, Sara," Meg called. "Come
on in."
Sara entered the nursery quietly. "Hi. Hey,
little guy," she said to her nephew. "Meg, I brought
something for you," she said excitedly.
"Sara, you didn't have to buy us anything."
"I didn't buy you a thing."
"Okay, so what is it?" Meg asked curiously.
"Well, it's actually a little something from me
and Ben."
"Ben? What have you done now, honey?" she
smiled.
"Just wait and see," he replied.
Sara walked hurriedly into the hallway and
brought in the surprise...
CHAPTER FORTY EIGHT
"Mom, Dad! You're here!" Meg exclaimed in
complete surprise as they walked into the nursery.
"Hi, honey," Joan smiled as she rushed over to
hug Meg. She looked down into the bassinet at the
baby. "Oh, Meg, he's absolutely adorable," she
commented.
"Hi, Meg," Hank said and kissed his daughter's
cheek. "You look great and my grandson is perfect,"
he smiled.
"Thank you, Daddy," Meg smiled brightly.
"Hello, Mr. Cummings," Ben said when Hank looked
over at him.
"I thought I told you to call me Hank, Ben." He
walked over and patted his son-in-law's back.
"Congratulations."
"Thank you. That little boy is certainly a
blessing," Ben smiled as he looked at the sleeping
baby.
"Yes, he is," Meg smiled. "Mom, Dad, I'm so glad
that you're here. I wasn't expecting to see you two
so soon."
"Well, you can thank this handsome young man and
your sneaky sister for that. They set up the plans
for us to come to Sunset Beach," Joan informed her as
she placed one arm around Ben and one around Sara,
hugging them both.
"Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised about
what these two can do," Meg smiled. She heard the
baby beginning to stir and turned to pick him up.
"Hi, sweetie. Look who's here. It's grandma and
grandpa," she cooed.
Jacob yawned quietly. Ben walked over to his
wife's side and placed his arm around her. "Hello,
son," he whispered, smiling.
"So what have you named this little angel? Your
husband refused to tell us," Sara teased.
"Well, everyone, meet Jacob Aaron Evans," Meg
answered.
"Jacob Aaron Evans. Oh, honey, that's so sweet.
Your grandfather's name..." Joan smiled.
Sara walked over to Meg and took the baby from
her. "Well, Jacob, I've got a lot of work to do. I'm
going to have to spoil you rotten. I owe your Mommy
that much," Sara teased as she tickled him under his
chin.
"Sara, you will do no such thing," Meg scolded.
"I won't let you do that to my son," she continued,
jokingly, as she took the baby back from her.
"Neither will I, my darling sister-in-law. We
may have been partners in crime for this little
surprise, but you're not spoiling my son," he teased.
"Fine, if that's how you want to be," Sara
laughed. "Just see who will come over and babysit
when you two want to be alone," Sara said, acting
stubborn, but only joking.
"Oh, Sara," Meg sighed. Jacob yawned again and
then began to cry. "Oh, honey, what's the matter?"
she cooed. "I'll bet you're hungry," she said in a
soothing voice.
"Well, I guess we'd better be going so you can
feed this beautiful little angel," Joan smiled and
came over to kiss her daughter and grandson. "I love
you, sweetie, and I love you, Jacob... I love you,
too, Ben," she continued and hugged him.
"Bye, Meggie," Hank said. "Bye Jacob. Ben." He
and Joan exited the room and headed to the motel.
"Bye, Mom and Dad. Come back soon," she called
after them.
"Well, I'd better make sure those two make it to
the motel safely. I'll see you guys later. Bye."
"Bye, Sara," Meg called and then walked over to
the rocking chair.
"I think they're all in love with our little
boy," Meg smiled as she began feeding Jacob.
"I think you're right. But who can blame them?
So am I," he smiled as he watched his wife and son
together.
"I am, too," she replied. "I'm also in love with
his father."
"And I'm in love with his mother," he smiled. He
kissed Meg's forehead. "You're such a wonderful
mother, Meg. I knew you would be when I first found
out that you were pregnant, but now that I've seen you
in action, it's just more evident to me. Jacob loves
you and so do I."
"Oh, Ben. That's such a sweet thing to say, but
I think you're exaggerating just a bit. I'm not that
great of a mother. I just hope I'm enough for him,
but I don't know if I am or will be."
"Meg, believe me, you're a perfect mother. I
can't imagine any woman being more caring and loving
and nurturing than you. I'm watching you right now
with Jacob and I can see how much he loves you. He
couldn't ask for anyone better."
"Except for you," she smiled. "You're a great
dad."
"I hope so. This little boy is stuck with me for
the rest of his life - and so are you," he grinned.
"Good. I'm glad that I'm stuck with you. I
wouldn't want it any other way..."
CHAPTER FORTY NINE
Ben walked up to the nursery to find Meg sleeping
in the rocking chair with Jacob in her arms, beginning
to stir. He picked up the baby and kissed Meg's
forehead gently, careful not to wake her.
"Mommy's tired, son. She's been very busy taking
care of you these last three months. I think we need
to let her sleep for a little while." He took Jacob
to his crib and placed him inside. "I'll be right
back, son," he whispered.
Ben walked over and carefully picked Meg up from
the rocking chair. He carried her into the bedroom,
placed her on the bed, and kissed her cheek. "Sleep
well, darling," he whispered and walked back into the
nursery.
"Well, Jacob, Mommy's sleeping and you and I can
spend a little time together," he said as he retrieved
his son from the crib and took him to the rocking
chair. "Would you like me to tell you a story?" he
asked.
Jacob looked up at Ben and smiled.
"So I guess that means you WOULD like to hear a
story," Ben smiled brightly. "Well, once upon a time,
long ago, there was a daring prince who was frigthened
to ever let anyone get close to him. But, one day, a
beautiful, beautiful princess came to him from a far
away land. The prince was hesitant, but he soon fell
in love with the princess."
Jacob cooed softly.
"Yes, I know, son. It is a little bit of a
woman's story, but, trust me, you'll like it... Now,
where was I? Oh, yes. The prince soon fell in love
with the princess. He knew that he wanted to spend
the rest of his life with her. But, one day, a
horrible wicked witch poisoned the prince's mind
and - "
Ben was interrupted by Jacob's laughter.
"Yes, son. This is the good part. Now, the
wicked witch caused the princess to be upset with the
prince and didn't want to be around him anymore. She
fled back to her home in the far away land, away from
the prince. The prince, however, refused to give up
on her and followed her to the far away land. The
princess was surprised by his arrival, but the prince
was insistent on seeing her again. Eventually, he got
to her and they soon returned to the prince's land and
were married."
Jacob clapped his hands clumsily and smiled up at
Ben.
"No, it's not over yet, Jacob. There's more...
So, after they were married, the prince's evil brother
showed up at the prince's castle - twice, as a matter
of fact. He tried to destroy the prince and princess,
but was unsuccessful. Soon the prince and princess
were blessed with a wonderful little boy. They loved
him with all their hearts. The little boy brought
even more joy to their already happy marriage. And
so, son, they all lived - "
"Happily ever after." Meg finished his sentence
with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face.
"Meg, I didn't know you were standing there. How
long have you been there?" he asked.
"Not long, but long enough to hear most of your
little fairy tale," she smiled and wiped the single
tear from her cheek. "It was wonderful."
"Not bad for an impromptu story, was it, Jacob?"
Ben said as he tickled his son's chin. Jacob laughed.
"How was your nap, my beautiful princess?"
"Wonderful, my daring prince." She walked over
to the rocking chair. "I feel very refreshed," she
smiled and kissed both the baby and Ben. "I love you
two, you know."
"We love you, too, sweetheart. Isn't that right,
Jacob?"
"I believe you," she assured him.
"Well, how about I take you to dinner."
"Ben, I'm not dressed for dinner. Let's go some
other time," she suggested.
"I didn't say we were going OUT for dinner. I
just said I would TAKE you to dinner. There's take
out in the living room. I brought dinner with me," he
smiled.
"Great thinking, sweetheart," she replied.
"I know. I'm a genius," he teased. "I'm only
kidding. Shall we?" he said as he stood, extended one
arm for her and held the baby in the other.
"We shall..."
CHAPTER FIFTY
"Good night, Jacob. Sleep well, sweetie," Meg
whipered as she tucked the baby into bed. She stood
back and watched his chest rise and fall for a few
minutes, amazed by his every move. He was only six
months old, but he seemed like a tiny genius to her -
and Ben.
For some reason other than ordinary, she was
hesitant to leave his side. However, she kissed him
again and reluctantly went to the bedroom. Meg walked
in to find Ben sleeping soundly. She slipped into bed
beside him and was soon sound asleep herself.
Hours later, she and Ben both woke to the sound
of Jacob's crying.
"I'll get him, Meg," Ben said as he sat up
wearily.
"No, honey. I will... This is strange, though.
He's been sleeping through the night for a couple of
months now," she worried.
"I'm sure he's fine," Ben responded as Meg sat up
and put on her robe.
Before Meg could leave the room, they heard a
loud thump from the nursery.
"Oh no, Ben. Someone's in there!" Meg cried and
rushed to the door.
Ben quickly jumped out of bed and ran behind Meg.
She turned on the nursery light and continued walking
to the crib. "Oh, God, Ben. He's gone!" She
immediately began crying, clutching the baby's
blanket.
Ben ran down the stairs as quickly as he could
but was unfortunately too late to catch the intruder.
The front door was ajar. Ben ran to look outside, but
was again unsuccessful in finding anyone.
He grabbed the cordless phone and began dialing
the police station as he rushed back upstairs to Meg.
He found her sitting in the rocking chair holding
Jacob's favorite toy - a little stuffed duck - and his
blanket. Tears were streaming down her face and she
could hardly control them long enough to speak to him.
"Ben, he's gone. Our baby is gone," she cried.
"We'll find him, Meg. I promise you that." He
came to her side and held onto her, tears welling up
in his eyes as well. Ben, however, was just as angry
as frightened. He knew the only person who could have
done such a horrible thing to him...
Derek...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~