| Chapter Fourteen Acknowledged! The child tore at the tumbling barriers that had held her prisoner so long and groped her way to the surface, escaping in the spasms that rocked her mother�s body. Nora Lewin crumbled, unable to stem the flow that broke from her burning throat in deep bitter sobs. Stricken, unnerved by her reaction, Jack tried to hold her; resisting, she pushed him back, turned as if to walk away, stumbled but did not fall. Refusing to be rebuffed, he took her in his arms once more, prepared this time should she refuse him again. �The baby.� Softly. She had quickly regained her equilibrium and stopped crying. He�d held her for only a short time when she�d spoken. Much taller than her, he nestled his chin in her hair, kissed the top of her head. Instantly, her body stiffened. Pulling away, she looked up at him. She�d regrouped. Seeing the gathering fury on her face, Jack awaited the next round. �Son of a bitch!� He unconsciously braced his feet in the Chappy sand. Her eyes flung daggers of cold steel. �You�re right, Jack McCoy! You�re right! I do think that you�re a son of a bitch!� Her mouth pulled into a hard line. �And now this!� She kicked a spray of sand at him. �You didn�t just leave,� she kicked again. �You didn�t just screw off without a damned word! You knew about the baby! You knew and you still left! Bastard!� The unmistakeable scent of a lifetime of regret and suppressed memories filled his nostrils. �And all this time...all this time I�ve had to deal with what happened by myself!� She spied a shell, retrieved it and flung it at him. Stabbing vehemently at her chest with each word: �I loved you! I died inside when you left me! Died when I lost our baby! And you didn�t even care!� Glaring at him, her anger somewhat abated, reigning in her self-control. �Goddamned son of a bitch!� His mind racing, confused, Jack struggled to make sense of what he was hearing. Unable to reconcile his own experience with Nora�s accusations, he felt a tide of panic and disbelief swell inside him. R e v i e w H o m e Nothing could have prepared Nora for what awaited her. Nothing. Completely dry, yet with a bath sheet wrapped around him, a wide-eyed Jack stepped back to let he |