Disclaimer: These characters aren't mine. Well, some of them are. But the important ones are all property of MTM and NBC Productions and used without permission. I'm not making any money out of this . . . . Blah, blah, blah. You know the drill.

 

Sins of the Father

By Nicky

 

Chapter 12

 

 

"And you think Raines is your real father?" Sydney asks, totally amazed by the tale Jarod had to tell.

 

"I'm fairly certain of it," Jarod frowns.  "And I have a brother or sister out there, Syd.  I have to find them.  And then Tori and I will be able to take care of the Centre.  Once and for all, it's time for the cruelty to stop. Too much is at stake now."

 

"I can have Broots do some research on this number," Sydney offers.

 

"No.  We don't want to involve him.  He has too much to lose.  He doesn't know anything about whatever's going on and we want it to stay that way," Jarod demands.

 

"So, what's your next move?"

 

"I guess I'll sit tight for a day or so while I come up with a plan.  Because I really don't know.  In the mean time, I'll have plenty to keep me busy."  Jarod smiles and walks over to a pair of headphones attached to an antenna.  "I left a little listening device in Mr. Parker's office when I was there last night.  Something tells me he's up to something."

 

"Who's up to something?" Miss Parker asks curiously.  She comes down the stairs fully dressed, minus the stilettos of course.  Her swollen feet were rebelling from normal shoes.  She wasn't about to attempt to wear the heels.

 

"Your father.  I was just telling Sydney about the bug I planted in his office," Jarod explains.

 

"Oh, turn it up.  Let's see what Daddy's thinking this morning."  She places her hand on her stomach when it starts to rumble a little.  "Go ahead and start it.  I'm going to go get a little snack."

 

"Snack?  We ate breakfast an hour ago." Jarod shakes his head and chuckles, marvelling at the incredible appetite Miss Parker has developed.

 

"Well, I'm hungry again.  So drop it," she warns playfully.

 

She goes into the kitchen while Jarod sets up the speakers so they all could listen.  A couple of minutes later, he hears the microwave buzzer go off and he knows she on the way.  She emerges from the kitchen moments later with a plate of steaming food.

 

"Buffalo wings?" Sydney asks incredulously when he sees what's on the plate.  "Aren't those kind of spicy for someone with an ulcer?"  Not to mention an odd choice of a mid-morning snack, he thinks to himself.

 

"They're not the hot ones," she explains.  "Besides, this really cools things down."  She smiles adoringly at a bottle of ketchup as she pours its contents generously over her plate of wings.  "Okay, turn it on.  Let's see what kinds of evil plots my father has planned for today."

 

 

Mr. Parker sits at his desk, shuffling papers around and trying to figure out why he feels out of sorts that morning.  It was as if something had been moved or displaced, but he couldn't really see what.  He eventually shakes the feeling off and gets down to business.  There was a lot to be done that day.  The phone rings, interrupting his paper shuffling.  He almost didn't answer it, but then he remembers the plan he set in motion the previous day.  This was probably someone calling with the results of that plan.

 

"What is it?" he asks gruffly.

 

"It's me," the caller replies.  "We have a problem."

 

"What kind of problem? You had a simple job to do.  Even my idiot of a son could have pulled it off.  Now did you or did you not accomplish what I asked?"

 

"I couldn't, sir. Something happened and . . ." the caller tries to explain.

 

"But not the something I paid you for," Mr. Parker yells.  "I told you where to be and when to be there.  All you had to do was execute the plan.  How hard could that have been?  What happened to prevent you from following through?"  He was very upset that things hadn't turned out how he had expected. 

 

"I got close.  Real close.  I had her in my hands.  But then that son of yours came barrelling towards me.  I had to run."

 

"Lyle stopped you?" Mr. Parker asks, slightly taken aback. 

 

"I don't know how he knew we were out there.  She wasn't screaming or making any noise.  In fact, she was just standing there, looking kind of shocked.  And that's when he came out and stopped me before I could do it."

 

"So you didn't kill her like I wanted you to.  And all because Lyle felt the need to protect her somehow.  That's interesting."  Very interesting indeed, he thinks to himself.

 

"Should I try again?" the assassin asks.  "This time, I'll make sure your daughter's alone before I try to kill her.  No more Lyle to the rescue."

 

"No.  Consider your assignment cancelled," Mr. Parker says.  "I'll find another way to get what I want."

 

He hangs the phone up and taps his fingers on the desk, thinking at the unusual turn of events.  Lyle saved Miss Parker from the attacker.  That's a scenario he didn't figure.  But it was something he had to ensure wouldn't happen again.

 

 

"It wasn't a random attacker," Miss Parker gasps, her face turning white as a ghost.  "He planned it all.  He was planning on having me killed.  My own father."

 

"You have to calm down," Jarod says, moving quickly to her side to console her.  Her body was trembling and he knew she shouldn't be getting this upset.

 

"I can't believe this," Sydney remarks.  "How could he?  Why did he?  I don't understand it."

 

"Honey, you've got to calm down," Jarod tells his inconsolable wife, noticing that she was shaking even more.

 

She tried to calm down.  She tried to get a handle on things, but she just didn't understand why she was so upset.  She didn't know why she was so surprised.  Based on all she's heard about her father in the past few months alone should have clued her in that he really didn't care anything about her.  But to have someone kill her?  That was unthinkable.  Unbelievable.  And she couldn't handle it.  A small, aching throb forms at the base of her neck.  It travels quickly down to her back, leaving behind tiny, pulsing pains that begin to spread around to her sides.

 

"Ahhh!!" she screams, pulling away from Jarod and grabbing onto her stomach.

 

"Tori, what is it?" Jarod asks, beginning to panic, but forcing himself to remain calm for her sake.

 

"Something hurts," she manages to grunt as another pain strikes.

 

"What's going on, Jarod?" Sydney asks, concerned by Miss Parker's sudden outburst.  "Is it the ulcer?"

 

"Talk to me Tori.  Tell me where this pain is," he begs her, not even noticing Sydney's question.  He slips into doctor mode and begins a quick assessment of her current condition.

 

"It hurts," she whimpers.

 

"Okay, lay down," he orders.  "I'm going to check you out.  Is it a sharp pain or more like a dull, stretching kind of pain?"  He pokes around her stomach and also checks to make sure there was no bleeding.

 

"It just hurts.  Right here," she cries, holding onto her stomach.

 

"Sydney, call the hospital.  Explain to them that you're a doctor and you're bringing in a victim of an attack.  Tell them she's approximately 11 weeks pregnant and is experiencing abdominal cramping and light spotting," he barks out quickly.  "I'm getting her into the car."

 

"Pregnant," Sydney whispers before grabbing his cell phone and meeting Jarod at the car.  He places the call and tells the hospital they're minutes away.

 

"She's pregnant," he repeats while supporting Miss Parker in the back of the speeding vehicle.  "I can't believe it.  You two are going to have a baby."

 

"Let's just hope so, Syd," Jarod says, peeking quickly into the rear view mirror at his wife.  "Let's just hope so."

 

 

The phone continues to just ring and ring and Miss Dee starts to get nervous.  It was unsual for her not to be able to reach either Jarod or Miss Parker.  If she couldn't reach them at home, then she could usual find one of them on their cell phones.

 

"Imani, nobody's answering," she tells her granddaughter.  "I guess they're not home."

 

"Something's wrong.  I have to get to Mommy," the little girl wails.

 

"We can try again later," Miss Dee suggests.  "They probably just went to the store or something."

 

"I have to get to her, Granny.  Mommy's scared.  She needs me," Imani continues to cry. She climbs into Miss Dee's lap and buries her head in the woman's chest, still sobbing quietly.

 

Miss Dee thinks about things for awhile.  Imani and Miss Parker always had a special connection that even she didn't understand sometimes.  And Imani was getting so worked up about something.  She knew the little girl wouldn't rest until she could see for herself that Miss Parker was fine.  She decided that there was only one thing to do.

 

"Go get your things, Imani," she tells the little girl.   "I'm taking you home."

 

 

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