Destiny opened her mouth, looking as if she had a lot to say to Fitzgibbon, but she closed her mouth when Corny shook his head. Fitzgibbon raised a quizzical brow at her, as if he were daring her to say what was on her mind. When she didn’t take the bait, Fitzgibbon continued.
“Then we get to you, Martha.” Fitzgibbon paused, as if he were waiting for her to insist her name was Destiny. She offered him a smirk but wisely kept her mouth shut. “It’s going to be another hundred thousand for you to have this child, not to mention the prenatal care you’ll need, Lamaze classes, baby clothes, an apartment to live in before your little bundle of joy arrives. She’ll need a crib and a car seat, along with a stroller and other necessities, which brings us up to around the million-dollar mark, all told.”
The startling figure wiped the smirk off Destiny’s face. “We don’t have anything close to that and no family to help us out.” Tears dripped from her green eyes.
Tennyson knew in that moment, Destiny’s attitude was fear-based. The woman sitting in front of him was scared to death of her future, as well as what would happen to her baby if she couldn’t afford the basics to bring her home from the hospital.”
“I know you don’t have that kind of money,” Fitzgibbon said gently. “But my husband and I do.”
Destiny’s eyes widened with something that looked like hope.
“My husband was a trust fund baby, who inherited about a billion dollars when his father died. He uses that money for all sorts of philanthropic endeavors here in Massachusetts. He’s willing to help the two of you out, but you need to know we’re not just handing you all that cash. We’ll make arrangements to pay the money back to GoFundMe. I’ll work with the DA to see that the charges are dropped. We’ll pay the treatment and hospital bills, along with your rent and money for food and other expenses.”
“What do we need to do in exchange for this help?” Corny wore a look as if to say the offer was too good to be true. If Ten had been sitting in his shoes, he would have wondered the same thing.
“You need to be law-abiding citizens. Both of you.” Fitzgibbon pointed back and forth between Corny and Destiny. “Follow doctors’ orders. Lastly, you need to make peace with your sons. They’re going to have a lot of hard questions that you need to answer.”
“Is this a guarantee one of them will give me a kidney?” Corny asked.
Fitzgibbon shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“What if they say no?” Destiny asked. “What will Corny do then?”
“Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it. For the next few days, you’re both going to be busy with your new apartment and with doctor appointments. We’ll speak with your sons and will set up a time for you to meet.” Fitzgibbon grabbed his phone and opened up a blank contact page before handing it to Corny, who entered his information and then passed it to Destiny, who did the same. “If you need anything, contact me. I mean it. If we find out that you’re breaking the rules we’ve set out, you’re done. No second chances.”
“The other thing you need to figure out is the kind of relationship you want with Carson and Cole,” Ten began. “There’s a lot of bad feelings with your sons over how absent you were, but more especially how you treated Bertha. I have to tell you, she’s one of my favorite people. Ronan’s too. She’s always been there for us and helps out with our cold cases.”
“You’re talking about Corny’sdeadwife, right?” Destiny asked, looking confused.
“Bertha was an incredibly talented psychic,” Corny said. “I know I’ve talked shit about her abilities, but she was the real deal. I loved her but never showed it. I just always assumed she knew and that she’d let me get away with anything. I was wrong. I let her die alone and left my sons virtual orphans.”
“They’ve worked damn hard over the years to save West Side Magick and bring it back to the prominence it had when Bertha was at the helm. Carson and Cole are also married, with three kids apiece. You have six grandchildren that you’ve never met, Corny.”
“Do you have pictures of them?” Corny asked, his voice hoarse with obvious emotion.
“I do, but I can’t share them without Carson and Cole’s permission. It’s something you can ask them when you meet. All parents love to show off pics of their kids.” Ten paused, impressed by Corny’s attitude. “One more thing. It might be for the best if Destiny isn’t at that first meeting. Get yourself on better footing with your sons, and then bring your new wife around the next time. Do you understand what I’m saying, Destiny?”
Corny’s wife nodded.
“If you’re both serious about getting the help and medical attention you both need, follow the rules,” Ronan said. “I’ve worked with Captain Fitzgibbon for nearly eight years, and he’s not playing. If you screw this up, there will not be a second chance to set things right.”
“Also know that we’re going to speak with Carson and Cole in the morning about this meeting and what we’re prepared to do.” Fitzgibbon took a sip from his drink as the waitress approached with their food.
“I’m really sorry that I called you a psycho, Tennyson,” Destiny said after the waitress left. “And a witch. And an asshole.”
“You’re forgiven. I know you’re scared for your baby’s health and future.”
“Is she healthy? Can you see that?” Destiny asked, nibbling her bottom lip nervously.
It crossed Ten’s mind to lie to the woman just to keep her in line, but that wasn’t fair to the baby. Any stress Destiny felt would be passed on to the child. “Everything is healthy at the moment.”
“What does that mean, at the moment? Are you saying that won’t continue?” Panic filled Destiny’s eyes.
Ten held up his hand. “The future is fluid, Destiny. Based on the path you’re on now, everything is fine, and your daughter is perfectly healthy, but if you go back to your old habits, smoking, drinking, taking edibles, your daughter’s health will change as well. Do you understand?”
Destiny nodded.
“I’ve got some great parenting books I can lend you, if you’re interested. We also have a gadget that lets you listen to her heartbeat.”
