"Nah, that's not going to convince Dawn that she's dating her uncle. The numbers could mean anybody."

Damn. Jack needed something. Even if Christy believed him—and that might not be an easy sell—she'd want to be able to prove it to Dawn.

He pointed his fork at Levy. "Look. Christy's trying to split up Bolton and her daughter. Simply dropping the brother bomb won't be enough. It's not going to mean a thing without documentation."

Christy had already derailed her own credibility with Dawn. Coming up with a wild story about Bethlehem being a blood relative but then being unable to prove it would not put it back on track.

Levy said, "If you want to help split them up, find a way to put Bolton back under lock and key."

"Easier said than done."

Especially when Jack had to work from the wings. Whatever happened to Bolton had to look like bad luck.

"Let's just say he's exposed. Where does that land you folks at Creighton?"

Levy shrugged. "All part of a government program. The fallout is the agency's problem. They'll handle it. They're good at that." He leaned forward. "Look, if you want documentation, let Mrs. Pickering drop the brother bomb, as you call it, and then challenge Bolton to prove she's lying. They can go to any commercial lab and run a paternity test. It will show they both have the same father. That way, you're out of it and so is Creighton."

Yeah, but would any of this be enough to break them up? Jack doubted it. He had a feeling it was going to take a lot more. Something really major.

But what?

3

"Come on now, darlin. You know you want to know."

"I do know. You had a vasectomy so it can't be."

They stood in the upstairs bathroom. Jeremy waved the home pregnancy test kit before her eyes like a hypnotist. He'd picked it up about an hour ago at the local Duane Reade. Now he had to convince Dawn to use it.

"Wouldn't be the first time something went wrong with a vasectomy."

Tears rimmed her baby blues as they fixed on the package like it was a cobra or something.

"You're starting to scare me, Jerry."

"Don't be scared now. Just get a little pee and see." He grinned. "Hear that? I'm a poet. Come on now—pee and see."

She snatched the package from his hand and pushed him toward the door.

"All right, all right! But you're not watching me pee. Nobody watches me pee."

He put on a hurt expression. "Not even me?"

"Especially you. Now get out of here while I do my business."

Jeremy stepped back and let her close the door. As soon as the latch clicked he raised his fists and punched the air.

Yes! It was gonna be positive. Had to be.

He waited, pacing like an expectant father. Hell, in a way he was an expectant father—father to be. He hoped.

His pits were soaked, his palms were so wet they were gonna start dripping soon. His whole life had been pointed toward this moment. Had some unexpected detours along the way—Creighton being one hell of a detour—but here he was, right where he was meant to be. But had he done what he was meant to do?

He waited near the door till he heard a flush inside, then backed away. Dawn came out holding a little wand, staring at it.

"It says we've got to wait. It turns either red or blue. If it turns blue…" Her voice choked off.

"What?"

"Blue is yes." She shook her head. "I don't believe I'm doing this. 1… oh, shit!" She dropped the wand and buried her face in her hands. "()h-shit-oh-shit-oh-s/uf!"

Jeremy swooped down and picked it up: Blue.

Yes!

He felt suddenly boneless. He leaned against the wall. He needed to sit down. But the feeling lasted only a few seconds. Then a wild mix of joy and pride exploded within, energizing him.

He'd done it! He'd damn fuck done it! He'd completed the touchiest, most difficult—and therefore the most important—part of Daddy's Plan. He wanted to run and tell Hank, wanted to jump around and whoop and scream in a crazy victory dance. But he resisted. Plenty of time for both later. Right now he had to deal with Dawn.

"There, there, darlin," he said, slipping his arms around her and holding her tight against him. "No need to cry. We should be celebratin."

She looked up at him with a blotchy, tear-streaked face. She wasn't a beauty to begin with, but she looked downright homely now. But looks didn't matter in this case. All that mattered right now was what she was carrying inside her.

"Celebrating? Ym pregnantl This wasn't supposed to happen!"

"Look at it this way: It's a miracle."

"No, it's a mistake, that's what it is. The test's got to be wrong."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

But Jeremy knew different. He knew all about pregnancy tests. He'd used them before, lots of them. But that had been pre-Creighton. These new ones were much better and accurate much earlier. Lots fewer false negatives.

Dawn backed away a step and wiped her face.

"I'm going down to the drug store and pick up a different kind—no, two different kinds. And then we'll see." Jeremy watched her shake her fists in the air just like he'd done minutes before, but with a different feeling. "I can't believe this!"

Jeremy kept his voice calm. "Worse things in the world, darlin."

She stared at him with narrowed eyes. "Hey, wait a minute! Is this the same guy who told me he got a vasectomy because he didn't want to bring kids into this screwed-up world?"

"Yes, I did. I surely did. And I really and truly felt that way. But all that changed when I met you."

Her face softened. "Oh… that's so sweet. But I can't be pregnant! I just can't!"

You are, Dawnie-babes. You are.

"Maybe not,"" he told her. "But il you are, don't you think it's like a miracle?" She opened her mouth to reply but he rushed on. "I mean, don't you see the hand of god in this?"

"If you're talking about a virgin birth, I've got news for you—"

"No, I mean, you believe in god, don't you?"

He knew she did. Jeremy didn't. At least not in her god.

"Of course."

"Well, then, you can almost see his hand in this, can't you. I never wanted to have kids, then I meet you and start wishing I hadn't had a vasectomy because we're so perfect together and you'd make such a great mother, and now look what's happened."

"I'm not pregnant!" She started crying again. "I can't be! I'm not ready! And then there's the game—"

He hugged her tighter. "That's the great thing about software, darlin. You can do it from home."

She pulled away and headed for the stairs.

"I'm going down to the drugstore. When I get back we'll do it again, and then you'll see."

No, Dawn. You'll see.

And then would come the tough part. Once she was convinced she was pregnant he had to work on her to get behind having the baby and want it as much as he did.

Yeah, well, she'd never want it that much, and he could never ever tell her the whole story—man, would she freak!—but he'd have to convince her how special this baby was going to be.

That might not be so easy, but hell, she'd bought into everything else he'd told her. Why not that?

But more important, he had to keep an eye on Dawn, stay with her, watch her every minute. He had to protect the baby.