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The usual disclaimers apply.  I own nothing, just borrowing the characters for a bit... Allegiance - Chapter Four        The car sped around the corner at fifty miles per hour.  Emily looked frantically out of the rear window.  Sure enough, they hadn’t lost the black Lincoln.  She glanced worriedly at her sister-in-law.  “They’re still back there.”        Miss Parker floored the gas petal and the rented Audi picked up speed.  Events in the past seventy-two hours had taken some wild turns.  Broots had stumbled onto a plot by Lyle and Mr. Cox to catch Jarod’s sister.  Parker had rushed to a public library to e-mail Major Charles as she hadn’t a clue how to get hold of Emily.  He’d emailed her back that Emily was searching for clues to her mother’s whereabouts and was in Baltimore.  With Sydney in tow, Miss Parker took off for Maryland.  She’d simply told Broots she wasn’t going to allow Lyle to cheat and use Emily for bait.  She’d left him back at the Centre trying to hack into her brother’s computer.        Sydney was holding on for dear life in the back seat.  Emily looked at this man she’d heard so much about from her brother.  She knew her father had thanked him at their one and only meeting for raising his son.  Emily was reserving judgement.  Now was not the time to discuss it anyway.        Miss Parker’s skillful driving allowed them to pull ahead far enough that when they reached the outskirts of the city they temporarily lost their pursuers.  She dropped Emily off with the promise to be extremely careful.  Parker then drove off in the direction they’d come.          It wasn’t long before Mr. Cox and Mr. Lyle spotted them.  Still under the misconception that Emily was driving, Mr. Lyle was finally close enough to get off a few shots.  His aim was true and he blew out their left rear tire.  The car spun off the road slamming into a telephone pole.  Miss Parker came to a few moments later.  She turned her head at the sound of Sydney’s voice.  “Don’t try to move, Miss Parker.  You’re hurt.”        “The baby,” she said weakly.        Sydney was not a medical doctor, but knew the outlook wasn’t good.  She was covered in blood and gasping for breath.  From the sound of things she’d punctured a lung.  He’d known Miss Parker her whole life and knew she wouldn’t want him to sugar coat the truth.  He shook his head sadly.  “I don’t know.”         “Sydney,” she reached urgently for his arm.  “Sydney, don’t let Lyle find out.”        “Miss Parker,” he began but she cut him off.        “The baby, it’s Jarod’s baby, Sydney.” she whispered.        Sydney had thought there was little left in life that could shock him.  But her announcement left him completely dumbfounded.  He had no time to react before Mr. Lyle and Mr. Cox were at the car.        “Sis!  What are you doing here?” Lyle asked in outrage.        Parker turned her head and winced at the pain the small movement bought.  “You shot at us?” she asked in surprise.  Of course she and Sydney had known who was after them, but Lyle and Cox didn’t know they knew.        “I...” Lyle looked frantically at Mr. Cox, “I thought you were someone else.” he finished lamely.  There was no love lost between the twins but he didn’t want to kill her.  “You need a doctor.”  There would be time to find out what had gone wrong with their plan later.        “I’ll take her,” Sydney replied gruffly.  “You two have done quite enough.  You’d better get out of here before the cops show.”  There was no better defense than a good offence.  He needed the other men out of the way fast. ***        Twelve hours later, Miss Parker was resting comfortably at Memorial Hospital.  He’d given them a fake name and stated they had no insurance.  The five hundred he’d paid up front in cash had stopped the flow of questions.  The doctors had done all they could, but had been unable to save the baby.  She had several broken ribs and a concussion.  Surgery had stopped her internal bleeding and allowed them to repair her punctured lung.  Her overall prognosis for recovery was good.  She had come out of the anesthesia five hours ago and had wept for over an hour upon news of her miscarriage.  The doctors had finally had to sedate her.         Sydney had emailed Jarod at the Refuge site, but the message he’d left had been vague.  Jarod had called while she was in surgery.         “What’s the emergency?” Jarod asked.         “It’s Miss Parker, Jarod.  She’d been in an accident.”  There was a long pause.  “She lost the baby, Jarod.”        “Oh God.” Jarod wept.  “Where is she?”        “You can’t come, Jarod,” Sydney cautioned.        “Where is she?” Jarod repeated vehemently.  Reluctantly Sydney gave him the name and location of the hospital.         Sydney could only imagine their devastation.  Still, there were practical matters to be taken care of.  Breaking into the surgical lab was relatively easy.  Locating the remains of lost baby was a gruesome job, one he’d much rather have avoided.  But who knew what the Centre would do if they found out.  He took the remains and erased the entry from the hospital’s computer.  He made a mental note to ask Jarod to be sure all the records were wiped.  He took the remains out to his new rental car and placed them in the baby coffin he’d obtained after Jarod’s call.         He was debating what to do next when he felt a tap on his shoulder.  He spun around to see Jarod.  The younger man looked exhausted.  Sydney knew he’d been traveling all nigh to get here.  Jarod’s eyes went to the coffin and filled with tears.  “Don’t worry.” Sydney said, “I’ll take care of it.”         Jarod shook his head.  “Is she awake?”         “They sedated her a few hours ago.  She won’t be up for a few hours yet.”        Jarod fought to hold back his tears, but gave in to them as his mentor awkwardly embraced him.  After a moment he pulled back and swiped at his eyes.  “Let’s get this done then.”        It was strange, Sydney thought in a detached way, to see Jarod in action out in the real world.  They took the coffin to a crematorium.  The sympathetic clerk placed the ashes in an urn and gave them to the grieving father and grandfather he thought they were.  He thought it was so sad they’d lost their newborn to a heart defect, never knowing the remains he’d just cremated were not those of a full term baby. ***         They drove back to the hospital in silence.  Sydney parked the car.  When Jarod unfastened his seatbelt and moved to open the door, Sydney placed a hand on his arm to stop him.  “Are you sure about this?” he asked.        “I have to see her, Sydney.” he explained.        They walked into the lobby and took the elevator to the seventh floor.  Sydney made sure the coast was clear before leading Jarod down the hall to her room.        She was awake when they opened the door.         “What are you doing here?” she asked upon seeing her husband.        He said nothing.  He simply crossed to her bed and gathered her up in his arms being careful not to dislodge her IV.        “I’m so sorry,” she said, crying again.        “Shh.”  He kissed her hair.  “It’s not your fault.”        They stayed like that for a time, each grieving the loss of their unborn child.  After a moment though she drew back.  “You have to go.  This isn’t safe.”  She looked past him and registered Syndey presence for the first time.  “He has to go.” she explained, wondering why she was the only one who seemed to understand the danger he was in.        Jarod looked at his wife, then his mentor, then back at his wife.  “I’m not leaving.” he said, his voice brooking no argument.         “Jarod,” she said, but that’s as far as she got.        He took her face, so precious to him, and stared deep into her red-rimmed, swollen eyes.  “I need to be here, honey.  I’m not leaving.”        The tears, which had slowed to a trickle in her concern for his safety, started in earnest again.  She wept hard and long, as did he, each sobbing and clinging to the other.         Sydney quietly left the room.  He stood in the hallway, standing sentinel over the despairing couple.  He hadn’t known what to think when Miss Parker had confessed Jarod was her baby’s father.  He hadn’t had time to stop and contemplate it.  Seeing them together though, it was obvious they were deeply in love with one another.         Now that he’d seen it, the idea didn’t seem so farfetched.  Seeing them together had actually given him a funny little zing that was part pride, part joy, and part satisfaction, as if he’d always known in some far corner of his mind that they belonged together.         Seeing the doctor coming down the hall, Sydney ducked back into the room to warn them.  Jarod reluctantly released her and went to hide in the bathroom.         The doctor went over her chart, checked her vitals, and asked if she wanted some antidepressants.        “I just lost my baby, doctor.  There’s no drug in the world that can change that.” she snapped.         The doctor shrugged.  “Fine, your choice.  I’m going to prescribe some painkillers for the ribs and we’ll need to keep you a few days to ensure your internal bleeding doesn’t start again.  I know it’s probably no consolation at this moment, but you will be able to have other children.”        Miss Parker closed her eyes tightly and fought to keep from blubbering again.  God, she hated to cry.  The words didn’t diminish her sorrow over the loss of her child, but they did offer some solace for the future.         She only hoped she and Sydney could come up with a logical enough reason to give Mr. Lyle and Mr. Cox so she would live to have that future. 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