Laura stared at Fenton in shock. That was the last thing she had expected him to say.  Sure, her heart flew that he loved her – she loved him too, and had done so since the first time she laid eyes on him – but then, her heart plummeted….

Shaking her head, she let go of his hand and backed away from the bed.

“Laura?  Laura? What’s wrong?” Fenton asked, his heart hammering as he saw her reaction. Had he been wrong? His instincts had told him she was the one….Was he wrong?  Above his head the monitor went crazy, and then Laura turned and bolted out the door.

She couldn’t marry Fenton….She just couldn’t…..

* * *

Paul was just coming back into the hospital when a very distraught Laura flew past him.

“Larry?”  He took off after her, wondering what was wrong now.

* * *

Gertrude hurried back into her brother’s room, flanked by a nurse who had come to see if he was okay.

Fenton had his eyes closed and was shaking his head.

Stupid…stupid…stupid…he chastised himself. How could he have misread her so badly? He was a cop, for Pete’s sake – that alone suggested he should have some sort of instinct about people!

He looked at Gertrude as the nurse, satisfied he was okay, checked his IV lines and then left.

“I blew it,” he admitted miserably.

“You blew what?” Gertrude asked, sitting down beside him.

“I asked her to marry me,” Fenton confessed, too miserable to be reserved.

Surprised, Gertrude took a moment to recover and compose herself as she dared ask, “And?”

“Oh, I think you can figure that out….She didn’t go flying out of here to pick out wedding china,” he griped, and then apologized, “I’m sorry, Gert. I just really thought she was the one….” His voice trailed off miserably.

Gertrude sighed. Inwardly she was very pleased, but at the same time she hated to see her little brother looking so miserable. So, tongue in cheek, she said, “Just give her some time, Fenton. She hasn’t known you for very long…and she is young.”

That was all she would offer. She did not want to be on that side of the fence at all!

Fenton turned to her, his dark brown eyes so hopeful it put a lump in her throat.  “You really think so?”

What was she supposed to say? But she was saved from having to answer when Dr. Scott came into the room to check on his patient.

Great, thought Fenton sarcastically as the doctor smiled kindly at him and made congenial small talk, and just after I’ve come to something amicable with her father!

Closing his eyes after the surgeon left, Fenton shook his head. Maybe it was better this way. He wasn’t sure if he could handle the Scotts’ ‘passion’. 

* * *

Laura was hyperventilating by the time Paul caught up with her. She had only run as far as their pickup truck and she was leaned against it, unable to take a breath.

Immediately Paul was there, comforting her and talking her through it. His worry increased as, at first, it seemed his words weren’t getting through to her. But then she started to calm down enough to breathe again.

She collapsed against her brother, sobbing heartbrokenly, and he had no idea what was wrong. But seeing her like this was making him panic.

“Laura,” he said, knowing that his use of her name would get her attention, “What’s wrong? Is something wrong with Fenton?”

At the sound of ‘his’ name, she just started to cry harder, and Paul was convinced Fenton must have taken a turn for the worse, regardless of what their father predicted.

But then she was trying to tell him, and Paul had to work hard to pick anything out of her distressed speech, “H-he…he…h-he…l-l-oves-s…m-m-me…me….”

“Fenton loves you?” Paul repeated to make sure he had heard her right – and she nodded, increasing his confusion.  “Well, that’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

Again she nodded, and then she continued, “B-b-but… he… he… h-he… pr-pro-prosed… to… m-me… me!”

Paul put his finger under her quivering chin to force his sister to look up him as he said softly, “Isn’t that a good thing, sis?”

But when he saw the anguish in her blue eyes, he knew there was something else.  Wrapping his arms tightly around her lithe frame, he held her until she calmed down. And then he had her sit in the passenger seat of the red pickup.

Once she was buckled in, he drove away from the hospital… away from Fenton.

Laura turned around and watched the building as it got further and further away, silent tears streaking down her cheeks. And then Paul took a turn and she could no longer see the hospital, but she still didn’t turn around.

I’m not strong enough, she despaired, oh I’m so sorry Fenton, but I’m just not strong enough….Not anymore….

* * *

A man watched the red pickup pull away from the hospital.

So those are Scott’s kids, he thought to himself, committing them to memory.  He’s a very lucky man. Such an attractive pair…. A boy and a girl – how Apple Pie…

Oh yeah, the man decided, they’ll do just nicely…. 

Starting his car, he followed them at a distance. The surgeon’s home number was unlisted so he had no idea where he lived…until now.

As he saw the truck pull off the road and onto a long gravel road that led up to a two-story, older style farmhouse, he smiled grimly.  An eye for an eye…or in this case…two eyes….