As soon as she changed clothes, Donna and Richard took the amniotic sample to the genetics lab. Donna quickly harvested the stem cells and Richard started culturing them. Leaving Gary to finish the job, Richard and Donna rode with John, McGowan and Sir Richard, in the chopper to the Hall, for their engagement photo shoot.
The photographer took some shots of Richard and Donna standing on the portico; some of them sitting on the bench, by the duck pond, and a shot of them in the gazebo, with Sir Richard to be used for the front page announcements. Richard stood, facing Donna with his arms wrapped around her waist. Donna looked up at him with a bright smile on her face; her left hand resting on the side of his upper arm, displaying her diamond solitaire. Sir Richard stood behind them, proudly looking on.
“I want one of these superimposed over the front of St. Nicholas Cathedral,” Sir Richard said to his press agent. “I want the story in the morning edition of every major newspaper in the country, especially the Newcastle Journal and the Evening Chronicle. Make sure it gets on the Financial Times, too, and use the story I gave you. I want the headlines to read exactly as the paper says.”
“I’ll take care of it, Sir Richard, and congratulations. Donna is a really sweet person, and she and Dr. Triplet make a lovely couple.”
Sir Richard smiled. “Yes, they do.”
Donna’s cell phone rang. She glanced at the name and stepped out of earshot. “Sweetheart, it’s me. Gary just finished processing the first batch of stem cells. There’s no rush, but I thought you might like to know.”
Donna sighed. “Prep Alan for surgery. I’ll be there in about fifteen minutes.” She ended the call. “That was Sam. He’s prepping Alan for surgery. I need to get back. Gary has finished processing the first batch of stem cells.”
Sir Richard looked to McGowan. “You heard the lady. Let’s get loaded up.”
------------
Sam and Donna peeled off their surgical gloves and went to his office. He handed her a cup of coffee. “Things happened pretty fast with Missy. How long do you think it will be, before Alan starts responding?”
“Remember, Missy was young and healthy. Alan isn’t, so it could take a lot longer. Then again, we could start seeing a change later on tonight, or in the morning.”
“How did the photo shoot go?”
Donna frowned. “Perfect,” she groaned. “Sir Richard has everything lined up. The announcements go out in the morning. It’ll be on the front page of the Financial Times. I’m sure Forrest will see it.”
“The front page? Wow! Sir Richard must be paying them a bomb. This kind of thing usually appears in the editorial section.”
“I don’t care how much Sir Richard is paying to pull strings. None of this was my idea. I wanted an extremely small ceremony with just a few close friends and family. I’m starting to feel like Lady Diana before she married Prince Charles.”
“Sweetheart… you could always call it off.”
Donna narrowed her eyes. “No! I can’t, and you know it.” She glanced at her watch. “Shit! I’ve got to go.”
“Why?”
“We promised Lady Triplet – damn,” she winced, “…I wasn’t supposed to say that. I’ve gotta go. Call me if you need me.”
Sam stepped into the waiting area. “How?” he called out. “The last time I tried you weren’t accepting my calls!”
“I changed your setting,” she called back and dashed out the door. Sam smiled, shook his head and went back into the infirmary.
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Donna ran for the lift and hurried across the hangar floor. Richard was waiting for her beside the chopper. “What kept you?”
“I’m sorry. I was having coffee with Sam. We started talking about Alan, and I lost track of time.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him thoroughly. “Forgive me?”
“Pet…” he said, helping her into the chopper. “I’d probably forgive you if you slit my throat.” He crawled in the pilot’s seat, started the engines and grinned. “Assuming I lived through it.”
“You’re not going through the pre-flight check?”
“No time. Grandma will be having fits. VICi, open hangar doors and raise lift.”
“Where’s Sir Richard?”
“He and John left about half an hour ago. Hang on.” Donna grabbed the handhold and held her breath. Richard lifted off as soon as they were topside. “Is Alan going to be OK?”
“I hope so. I changed Sam’s setting on my cell phone. I told him to call me if something went wrong. When we get to the castle, instead of you waiting for me to take a shower, why don’t you use one of the guest rooms? That way it will save time.”
Richard glanced at her. “You could always shower with me.”
Donna softly chuckled. “That would definitely not save time.”
Richard grinned. “Probably not.”
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Richard finished changing first. He knocked on the bathroom door. “Pet, are you going to be long?”
“No, I’m almost finished. Go on down. Tell them I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Richard entered the drawing room. “Where are Dad and John?”
“He got a call and had to leave. Vera and Jack are busy, setting the table and preparing to serve.”
“Why? I thought we were all having tea together.”
“Something went wrong at the Centre. Where’s your fiancée?”
“Donna will be down shortly. She’s changing. Did Dad say what was wrong?”
“I don’t know, Ricky. I think it had something to do with Mildred’s children. Your father called them and told them what happened. They were pretty upset.”
“Why? What happened wasn’t Dad’s fault.”
“I know, but you know how it is. So…” she smiled. “Tell me how things are between you and Donna? Are you excited about your wedding? Your father said they were taking pictures for the papers. Is Donna still OK with our plan – I mean – your father’s plan to get rid of Forrest?”
“No, Grandma, she’s not,” Richard sighed. “Donna thinks it’s wrong, and, I guess, from her point of view, killing someone like that would be.”
“Triplets have a certain standard to uphold. She’ll have to learn to adjust, your mother did.”
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Donna jumped out of the shower, and quickly got dressed. Grabbing her sandals, she headed downstairs. She stopped beside the doorway and started putting on her shoes. Hearing her name mentioned, she quietly listened to the conversation from the drawing room. From the tone of his voice, she could tell Richard was upset about something.
“Grandma, I do not need your help anymore. Your meddling came close to ruining everything. I told you before I left for the States that I had this under control. Donna is not going to leave me for Sam.”
“Mark my words. If you don’t keep them apart, Sam could still stop this wedding.”
“No, he won’t! Stay out of our affairs. Sam is no longer a threat to our relationship. Leave him alone.”
“I have other plans for him. You take care of Donna. After the wedding, I’ll deal with Sam.”
Donna’s eyes widened. She covered her mouth with her hand and slowly backed away. She hurried partway back up the stairs and sat down. Her heart was pounding. Her head was spinning. “It can’t be true,” she whispered and shoved a hand through her hair. “How could you do this to me, Richard?” She buried her face in her hands and breathed through waves of nausea.
Richard hurried to her side. “Donna! pet, are you OK?”
Donna jumped and looked up. “I’m fine. I was just on my way back upstairs to change. We were in such a hurry, I got dressed so fast I didn’t realise I was putting on my jeans instead of dressing for dinner. I got dizzy, so I sat down for a while. How’s your… grandmother?”
Richard helped her up. “You don’t need to change, pet. Grandma is waiting for us.”
Donna gave Richard a plastic smile. “Wouldn’t want to keep her waiting.”
Lady Triplet smiled as Richard led Donna into the drawing room. “There you are, Dear!” She scrutinised Donna’s clothes. “You’re a little under dressed, aren’t you, Dear?”
Donna pressed her lips into a thin line and tried to look embarrassed. “Sorry, Lady Triplet. I’ll go change.”
Lady Triplet looked annoyed. “Nonsense, Dear. There’s a first time for everything.”
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Donna picked and nibbled at her food. She’d lost her appetite. She couldn’t get Lady Triplet and Richard’s conversation off her mind. Halfway through the meal her cell phone rang. Donna’s breath caught. She unlocked it and read the name. Relieved, she sighed and stood. “It’s Sam. Excuse me.”
Lady Triplet arched an eyebrow and looked at Richard. “Do you see what I mean? I thought he couldn’t reach her here.”
Richard narrowed his eyes. “Grandma, she told Sam to call if there was news about Alan. Donna and Sam are friends, so get used to it. Not everyone lives the miserable life you’ve lived.”
“You are going to lose everything if you don’t do what I told you. Put an end to this!”
“I’m warning you. Stay out of this, or I’ll marry Donna somewhere else. I mean it, Grandma!”
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“Hi Sam. Is something wrong?”
“Yes, it is. You’re there, and I’m here, and that’s just not right.”
“Sam, I unlocked your number so you could call me in case there was an emergency. You weren’t supposed to call unless you needed me.”
“That’s just it. I do need you.”
“Sam, I’m hanging up, and don’t call again, unless there’s a real emergency.”
“No, wait! I was teasing. I just took Alan off the respirator.”
“You’ve what? In three hours’ time? That’s faster than Missy.”
“It must be the amniotic stem cells that made the difference. After all, the EHG is part of your gene structure.”
“Is he awake yet?”
“No, he hasn’t regained consciousness. That will probably happen by morning. This is the fastest recovery yet.”
Donna smiled. “I’m glad he’s responding, so well.”
“You’re still coming back to the complex in the morning, aren’t you?”
Donna glanced over her shoulder toward the dining room. She swallowed the lump in her throat. “You don’t need me there. You can handle it, can’t you? I’ve got a wedding to plan for. You’re still playing the piano for me, right?”
------------
Sam frowned. “Yeah, sweetheart. What’s wrong? You sound tense.”
“No, I’m fine, but I think we need to stop what we’re doing.”
“Donna, what are you saying?”
“Unless we’re working, I shouldn’t see you anymore.”
“He threatened you again, didn’t he?”
“No, Sam. Richard is not threatening me.”
“That’s not what you said today, in the cafeteria.”
“Well, I was wrong! We talked, and I’ve changed my mind, so stop… bothering me. I’m sorry Sam.”
“Donna? Are you there? Hello?” Sam locked his cell phone and put it away. “Dammit Triplet! What are you doing to her?”
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McGowan landed Sir Richard’s Cessna at Barksdale Airport, in Shreveport, La. As soon as Jared set foot on the pavement, Sarabeth ran to him and jumped into his arms. Behind her, not too far away were Nadine, Tom, and Myra. They had all come to meet them. Jared hugged Sarabeth and nuzzled her neck. Juanita stepped off the plane. Sarabeth gave her a strange look. “Daddy, she’s not Mommy,” she whispered in his ear. “Where’s Mommy?”
Jared sighed and swallowed the lump in his throat. He set Sarabeth on her feet. “This is Miss Juanita. She’s going to be living at Wisteria Hall, so she doesn’t have to worry about the bad people.” Juanita stood beside Jared. “Juanita, this is Beth, my daughter.”
Juanita smiled and bent down so she could shake Sarabeth’s hand. “Hi Beth.”
“Hi, Miss Juanita. You’re pretty, too. Is Nano your cat?”
“Yes, he is. Have you been playing with him, while I was away?”
Sarabeth giggled and took her hand. “He likes to chase strings.”
Juanita chuckled. “Yes he does. Do you like cats?”
“I do, but Daddy doesn’t, so we don’t have one.”
“No, I didn’t say that. I said cats don’t like Daddy. And before you ask, Miss Juanita knows why.”
Juanita glanced at Jared and smiled. “I guess Nano will just have to get used to your daddy.”
“Mom. Dad. Myra. This is Dr. Juanita Walton.”
“Yes, Donna’s best friend. Nice to meet you Juanita,” Nadine said, extending her hand.
“Pleased to meet you Juanita. You can call me Tom.”
“I’m Myra. Nice to meet you Juanita.”
Nadine hugged Jared. “Welcome home, Son. I’m so sorry things turned out this way. Remember what I said.”
“I didn’t want to leave her,” Jared choked. “It’s so hard to leave her Mother. How many more times will I have to do it? I feel like I’m being punished.”
Nadine looked up into her son’s dark eyes. “You are not being punished, and neither is Donna. You have both made choices. The threads of time are tangled. You must be patient. All will work out in the end.”
“Excuse me a second,” Jared said and stepped out of earshot. “Sir Richard it’s Jared. We’re here.”
“Good, Jared. I trust you had a pleasant flight?”
“Yes, Sir, we did. Is everything OK, over there?”
“Yes, Son. When did you want to go after the diary?”
“My family is here. Can we wait a few days? After having to leave Donna behind, I’d like to spend some quality time with my daughter.”
“Of course, Jared. I hope to meet them someday. Let me know when you’re ready.”
“Right.” Jared sighed and ended the call.