Title - Saying the Words (19/?) Author - Nicky Rating - PG Category - JMPR Summary - Jarod tries to say good bye, but ends up coming back to rescue Miss Parker and finds her in a surprising predicament. Disclaimer - The characters aren't mine. I'm just using them for my own entertainment purposes. * * * * * * * * * * "Dr. Jacobs. What are you doing here? And with that?" Bill asks, pointing to the weapon in the crazed man's hand. "Jarod, you just wouldn't leave this alone," Dr. Jacobs says, seeming to ignore Bill's question. "Why couldn't you have just stayed out of this?" "And let you get away with what you were doing? I couldn't do that." Jarod flinches as the gun is pressed to his head. "You obviously have a beef with me. Don't involve these other people. Why don't we take this outside." Dr. Jacobs scans the room and notices the woman standing behind Jarod, clinging to his arm. Her grip tightens when Jarod makes his sacrificial suggestion. She must be someone important to him. Possibly his wife. He remembers Nurse Simpson saying something about Jarod being married. "You'd like that wouldn't you?" Dr. Jacobs sneers. "I'm sure you don't want any harm coming to this lovely lady here, would you? Who is she? Your wife?" "Just leave her alone," Jarod warns him, his voice dropping to a feral rumble. "I don't think you're in any position to be making threats." Dr. Jacobs jabs the gun at Jarod to emphasize his point. "I'm calling the shots." "What do you want with us?" Suzy cries. She had come to the door after she heard the commotion and was now standing safely behind her husband. She was terrified. Dr. Jacobs looked possessed. She couldn't believe he was actually holding a gun on them. "I came here to tie up some loose ends. And it looks like I've been more successful than I originally planned. I'll be able to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. Or maybe it's more like four birds with one gun." He laughs at his own play on words before turning a serious glare on Miss Parker. "Maybe I won't kill you . . . yet. I think I could have some fun playing with you." "In your dreams, you freak," she yells at him. She narrows her eyes and glares at him, mentally getting herself back into the huntress mindset. She couldn't let this guy destroy her life before it even began. An icy calm settles over her face and the doctor is visibly shaken by her change in attitude. "Touch me and you'll be sorry." "Really? I'll be sorry?" the doctor laughs again, but for some reason, he feels her threats are not void. Jarod notices the man's discomfort and decides to egg him on a little. "I'd listen to her if I were you. She can be a scary lady when you upset her. Trust me on that," Jarod smirks. He can tell that the doctor is getting more agitated. He just hopes his plan doesn't backfire. He'd never forgive himself if anyone got hurt. "Just shut up," the doctor screams. "Both of you. Lady, don't make threats you can't keep. I've got the gun on your husband. Don't make me use it." "You won't be able to kill us all. And if you shoot him, believe me when I say you'll be dead before he even hits the floor," she says, moving from behind Jarod to stand on the other side of the doctor. She sees what Jarod is trying to do. He's trying to annoy and distract the man and then maybe get the gun from him. "Well maybe I'll shoot you, then." The doctor swings the gun around to point it at Miss Parker. He just now realizes she's moved to the other side of him. He was quickly losing control of the situation. "You do and I'll kill you," Jarod threatens, stepping back when the gun swings his way again. The doctor was really starting to lose his cool. "You're in a no win situation, Doctor. Either way, you end up dead. Why don't you just give yourself up." "But I'm the miracle worker," Dr. Jacobs whimpers, his grip on reality slipping. "I'm like a god to these people. I raise their sick babies from the dead. People who deserve children. People who can afford children." "That's not for you to decide," Miss Parker tells him. "You can't rob the poor to sell to the rich." "What are you talking about, Parker?" Bill asks, he curiosity piqued. "Selling what to the rich?" "Doctor," she turns to him, raising an eyebrow. "Care to explain to these folks the mystery behind your 'miracle cure' of their daughter?" "What's going on?" Jarod asks, not understanding what she's getting at. "You went to the Meyers about their sick daughter," she starts explaining. "You knew they could afford the solution you were offering." "That's right," Bill confirms. "Gillian was very sick. Dr. Jacobs saved her." "No Bill," Miss Parker says gently. "Dr. Jacobs didn't save her. He couldn't save her. Nobody could. You paid him for a miracle, alright. But it was someone else's miracle." "No!" Suzy gasps. "You're not suggesting . . . Dr. Jacobs, tell me it's not true. Tell me that the baby asleep in that nursery upstairs is the same baby I carried for nine months. The same baby I gave birth to." "I'm sorry, Suzy," Miss Parker says after a long silence, her eyes start to water along with Suzy and Bill's. "No," she screams again. "I don't believe it. I won't believe it. Get out of my house. All of you. Just go." She dissolves into tears, sinking to the floor. Bill kneels down next to her to comfort her through her vicious sobs. "You heard my wife," he says with a cracked voice. "If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. Get out of our house." "Bill, Gillian has a mother out there who's probably looking for her," Miss Parker says. "She has a mother right here," he cries. "And a father. She's ours and we're not giving her up." "But . . " "Parker," Jarod stops her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Let's just get out of here. The cops are on the way." She turns and sees that while she wasn't paying attention, Jarod had disarmed Dr. Jacobs. He now held the gun on the man, who was babbling incoherently about being a god. And he apparently called the police to come get the man. She could hear the sirens in the distance. "Okay," she nods, following the men out of the house. Outside, the police pull up and take the doctor into custody. Miss Parker goes to the car to get the evidence she took from his office to turn over to them. A few hours later, after giving their statements, they're free to go. "You ready?" he asks her. She nods again, not trusting her voice to speak. She was barely holding back the tears. One by one, however, they begin to break free and she soon finds herself bawling in his arms. "Why does it have to turn out like this for them, Jarod? It's not fair. All they wanted was to have a baby to love. They've spent the last 6 weeks loving that baby as their own. But they won't be able to keep her. I didn't even want a baby, but I got one anyway. But even now, I couldn't imagine what I'd do if anything ever happened . . ." She places her hand over her own full womb, realizing how lucky she is. The tears continue to fall, and Jarod just holds her tighter. "I know," he whispers, kissing her forehead. "We were blessed. And things may work out for Bill and Suzy after all. Most of these babies were from girls who didn't want them. Bill and Suzy may be able to legally adopt Gillian if her birth mother agrees." "What about Denise's family?" "Once they find her cousin's baby, she's going to help the girl take care of it until Mrs. Alexander recovers. Unfortunately, the couple with the baby won't have as happy an ending as Bill and Suzy. They'll probably try to fight it. They have money and resources. I just hope it turns out well." "Oh," she sighs. "But, that's not our problem," he says, kissing her again. "Now that this is over, we can get on with our lives. You ready?" He looks down at her and can't contain his smile when an even bigger one comes across her face. "I'm past ready. Let's go home." She reaches down and picks up his hand, squeezing it tight. She takes her other hand and gently rubs her stomach. She realizes that she really was blessed. She had the man she loved in one hand and their very own child in the other. She couldn't ask for anything more. To be continued . . .