Title - Saying the Words
Author - Nicky
Rating - PG
Category - JMPR
Summary - Jarod and Miss Parker are finally together in a new 
town with new names and making new friends.  So how come they 
keep on finding the same old trouble?
Disclaimer - The characters aren't mine.  I'm just using them for 
my own entertainment purposes.

* * * * * * * * * *
Chapter 22
* * * * * * * * * *

Miss Parker paces angrily in front of her car.  She was too upset 
to drive.  She realized that and didn't want to put herself, her 
baby, or anyone else in danger.   She just needed a few moments 
to calm down.  She couldn't believe the nerve of those people to 
blame Jarod for . . . for the unspeakable acts they're blaming 
him for.  There's just no way.  No way, she keeps reminding 
herself.  A small part of her mind wonders if it could even be 
remotely possible.  But a swift kick to her ribs from the baby 
reminds her that she was the one carrying Jarod's baby.  She was 
the one he loved.  Not some sixteen year old girl he barely knew.  
Something else was going on here.  There was some reason the 
sheriff and Lynn were trying to pin this on Jarod.  At the 
moment, she didn't even care why.  She just wanted to find Jarod.  
But figuring out that reason may be the first step in finding her 
missing husband.

The baby gives her another kick, this one stronger and harder.  
She stops her pacing, grabs her stomach and leans against the car 
to catch her breath.  

"Miss, are you alright?"

Miss Parker turns around to a couple of concerned faces.

"I will be," she replies with a small groan.  "I just need a 
minute."

"Here.  Why don't you sit down?" one of the women, the older one, 
suggests.  She opens the back door to Miss Parker's car and helps 
her get seated.

"Thanks," Miss Parker says, finally sighing in relief.  The baby 
finally seemed to be settling down.  "I'm okay now."

"Is there anything we can do to help?"  The woman sees the 
skeptical look cross Miss Parker's face and realize the woman had 
no idea who she was.  "I'm sorry.  Let me introduce myself.  I'm 
Celia Denton.  This is my daughter, Lisa."

"Mara Wilson," Miss Parker says, offering the women her hand to 
shake.  The other one remains protectively caressing her belly.

"Professor Wilson's wife?" Lisa asks, eyes wide in shock.  

"Lisa, don't start," her mother warns.  "Kylie's mother is making 
wild accusations about the professor.  I know Kylie is your best 
friend, but we have no idea what really happened."

"It's alright, Celia.  I know what they're saying about my 
husband and that young girl.  But it isn't true," Miss Parker 
says confidently.  She had to truly believe that if she was going 
to get everyone else to believe it as well.

"I didn't think it was," Celia says with a smile.  "Olivia 
MacArthur can be a bit . . . dramatic at times.  She has no idea 
how to raise that child.  Kylie spent more time with us than she 
did in her own home.  I love that girl like my own.  I've watched 
her grow up.  And I don't see her running away like this, no 
matter what kind of problem she had gotten herself into."

Miss Parker tenses again, her eyes squeezing shut as she suffers 
more abuse from her unborn child.

"This little guy is pretty active today," she tries to joke.

"He can sense what's going on," Celia says.  "You really should 
get home and get some rest.  And you're in no condition to 
drive."

"Excuse me?" Miss Parker starts to get defensive.

"Listen.  I know you think you can handle this alone.  And I 
don't know you.  You probably can handle this all by yourself.  
But you shouldn't have to.  I'm a midwife.  I can help," Celia 
tells her.

Miss Parker knows she's right.  She did need to get home and get 
some rest.  And she didn't need to be behind the wheel, 
especially if the baby decided to continue to play 'knick knack' 
on her ribs.

"Okay," she relents.  "I'd appreciate you taking me home."

"Well, alright," Celia smiles before turning to her daughter.  
"Lisa, Sweetheart.  You take my car and follow us to her house.  
That way, I won't be stranded over there."

Miss Parker pulls her legs all the way inside the car and closes 
the door.  She gives Celia her address and then sits back for the 
rest of the ride.  Rubbing her stomach soothingly, she prays 
silently that she can trust this woman.  Because if she was going 
to find Jarod, then she would need help from someone she could 
trust.  Hopefully Celia was going to turn out the be that person.

* * * * * * * * * *
 
The room was dark.  Dark and cold.  A pounding in his head wakes 
Jarod.  He looks around, but can't see anything in the poorly lit 
room.  Briefly, he wonders if he's in the Centre.  And he 
immediately worries about Miss Parker.  But what he can see of 
the room doesn't look like the Centre.  That's one thing he 
doesn't have to worry about.  He still doesn't know about Miss 
Parker, though.  What if whoever has him also has her?

His ears pick up on a sound nearby.  It sounded like someone 
crying.  A woman.  He tries his aching limbs to see if anything 
was broken.  A few ribs, he guesses.  But other than that, 
everything seems to be working.  And with any luck, he hadn't 
punctured a lung.  The sobs get louder and he tries to determine 
where they're coming from.  And who they belong to.

"Parker," he calls out with a raspy voice, hoping desperately she 
doesn't answer.  He couldn't bear it if she were also being held 
captive like him.

"Parker, can you hear me?  Honey, it's Jarod."  He makes his way 
over to a door and realizes that the sounds are coming from the 
other side.  He bangs on the door, calling out to Miss Parker 
while at the same time praying that she's not in there.  "Parker.  
Parker.  Parker . . . "

Miss Parker sits up abruptly, the knocking at the door waking 
her.  She had been having strange dreams of Jarod for the past 
three days since she first discovered he was missing.  In this 
dream, she heard him calling to her, plain as day.  But it seemed 
more real than a dream.  It seemed to be a sign that Jarod was 
okay.  He just needed her help.

The knocking starts up again and she realizes that there actually 
was someone at the door.  It wasn't just part of the dream.  She 
raises her heavy body from the chair she fell asleep in and 
waddles over to the door.

"Celia," she says, sounding surprised when she sees who's 
visiting.

"Did I wake you?  I'm sorry," Celia apologizes.  "I came by to 
check on you."

"I'm fine," Miss Parker says quickly.  A little too quickly.  
Celia picks up on that.

"Your husband is missing and you're fine?" Celia asks dubiously.  
"You know, Mara.  It's okay to admit you need help.  You're not 
expected to be 'fine' right about now.  Let me help you."

Miss Parker bites her lip, considering this woman's offer of 
assistance.  She knew something strange was going on in this 
town.  But she didn't think Celia was a part of it.  The woman 
seems like she can be trusted.  Having made her decision, Miss 
Parker lets out a shaky sigh.

"Celia, I'm sorry.  I realize you just want to help.  I'm not 
used to that," Miss Parker explains.  

"It's okay," Celia smiles, looking around the house to see what 
needed to be done.  "Since I'm here, why don't you go sit down.  
Put up your feet and relax.  I'll fix us some lunch and we can 
get to know each other."

"I'm not hungry," Miss Parker mumbles, sighing sadly.  She walks 
over to the couch and slowly lowers her bulky mass onto the 
couch.

"Mara, when was the last time you ate?"

Miss Parker looks up at her with a guilty expression, but doesn't 
say anything.

"Just what I thought," Celia says, shaking her head.  "Mara, you 
have to eat.  You have to keep up your strength and continue to 
nourish the baby.  Listen, I know you feel helpless as far as 
your husband is concerned.  But you're not helpless as far as 
this baby is concerned.  This little guy is depending on you."

Celia leaves on that note, giving Miss Parker something to think 
about.  She goes into the kitchen and twenty minutes later, 
emerges with a tray with a sandwich and soup on it for each of 
them.  She places Miss Parker's meal in front of her and proceeds 
to silently eat her own lunch.  After a few minutes, she has to 
contain her smile of satisfaction when the other woman picks up 
half the sandwich and begins nibbling on it.

"Can I ask you a question?" Miss Parker says out of the blue.  
She had finished the half of sandwich she was working on and then 
moved onto the soup.

"Sure," Celia says, wiping some crumbs from her face.  "What do 
you want to know?"

"The people in Bristol.  What are they . . . do they think Jarod 
really did what he's being blamed of?  Do they believe he seduced 
that young girl and then ran off with her?"

"You know how people talk, Mara.  They like a good story.  And 
yes, that seems to be the one floating around town.  I'm not sure 
if they believe it or not.  But they don't really have any other 
explanation, so why not believe that?"

"How about you?  Do you believe it?"

"Mara, I just don't know," Celia tells her truthfully.  "But I 
believe in you.  And if you trust your husband, then I'm willing 
to give him the benefit of the doubt.  Besides, I hardly trust 
the source of the stories."

"The MacArthur woman?"

"Yes.  And Lynn Stokes," Celia nods.  "But I'm not sure who 
spread it faster.  They both like to stir up trouble.  Especially 
Lynn."

"You don't seem to like her very much," Miss Parker notices.  
"Why is that?"

"Well, for one thing, she doesn't seem to be able to keep her 
hands off of everyone else's man," Celia says, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, I noticed that," Miss Parker laughs.  "Don't get me wrong.  
Jarod is brilliant.  But I don't think he was hired by her just 
for his academic skills."

"I wouldn't doubt that," Celia laughs as well.  "I shouldn't have 
trusted her around my ex-husband."

"No way," Miss Parker gasps.

"That's another story for another time," Celia promises, holding 
up her hand to stop any further questions.  "Anyway, besides 
being man hungry, Lynn has made it a point to separate herself 
from us 'more common folk'.  She has this air of superiority and 
thinks she's better than us.  She buys really fancy clothes and 
just got a really nice car.  And just recently, she moved about 
20 miles out to Edgebrook."

"Edgebrook?" Miss Parker questions, suddenly very alert.  "That's 
a pretty ritzy area, I hear.  How can an employee of the school 
system afford to live out there as well as the other stuff?"  
Miss Parker starts to run that thought through her head, tuning 
out what Celia was saying.  She had a feeling this could be the 
piece of the puzzle she was looking for.

"No one knows," Celia shrugs.  "No one really cares, either.  
Like I said, her attitude doesn't make her very popular.  Mara?  
Are you even listening to me?"

"What?  Oh, sorry.  I was thinking," Miss Parker says 
distractedly.

"About what?"

Miss Parker looks at her, but doesn't say anything.  It wasn't 
really a matter of not trusting Celia anymore.  She had a feeling 
that the woman was upright.  But she also had another feeling.  
An even stronger feeling that Jarod may have stumbled upon some 
very dangerous people trying to keep a very dangerous secret.  
She didn't want Celia trapped in the middle of that.  Nobody 
deserved that kind of peril.

To be continued . . .