Her Baby Plays Cupid

Chapter 11 Numb

Leah's POV

I'm numb. That's the best word to describe how I feel.

Yesterday I was still in shock, still able to function, able to do what had to be done. Today? Not so much.

I did manage to text Carly when I woke up. Told her that I couldn't face seeing or talking to anyone, and could she talk to Jose about setting up the meeting Liam requested. She answered with a 'thumbs up' emoji, than left me to my own devices.

Mid-way through the morning I had a thought flash through my mind. I needed to notify Bernice's and Jake's lawyer. Let him know what happened, and ask him to look after securing everything, including financials, until the estate was able to be settled. I knew if that wasn't handled immediately, Jake's uncles, aunt, and cousin would try to raid everything. After all, they had tried to do that when Jake's dad passed away.

I had insisted the two of them keep their original lawyers, even after I passed the bar and started practicing law. I felt it was a safeguard should events like now occur. I didn't want there to be any grounds for Jake's relatives to claim undue influence, or impropriority of any kind.

Bernice and Jake used the same law firm, one that specializes in estate management, wills, probate, and everything related. I placed a call, requesting to speak with Mr. Mills. He was very familiar with what had occured when Henry died, so upon learning of Bernice and Jake's death, he went into full protection mode. He had the necessary documents that allowed him to act on behalf of their estate, with me having final authority.

"It's going to take a few weeks to get everything in order before we can read the will. Is that acceptable to you? Will you need access to any of the monies from the estate?" he asked, genuine concern for me in his voice.

"No, I have a separate personal account that I can use. My family will help me if I need anything." I replied, knowing that I wouldn't have to ask my brothers for anything financially. Though married only six months, we had been together since we were eighteen. Jake and I had been saving all those years to buy a house. With the funds being kept in my personal savings account. I would be okay for the time being.

"Alright, but if you need anything, you call me. I'll look after everything from here." He ended the call after getting the memorial service information. I had no doubt but that he would show up to pay his respects.

Feeling exhausted, I went back to bed, taking Jake's t-shirt with me. I lay there, eyes wide open, because every time I closed them, the body cam video footage played through my head. I wished now I had never agreed to watch it. Fat lot of good wishing did. It couldn't make me unsee it. Couldn't make it so neither Jake nor Bernice were dead. Couldn't rewind time to the day before yesterday, before all this happened.

Somehow I fell asleep. A sleep of exhaustion. A sleep without dreams. At least for a little while.

Sometime later I came awake, hearing my name being called softly. I opened my eyes to find Carly sitting on the side of my bed, her eyes filled with concern.

"Leah, it's time to wake up. Have you eaten anything today?" She waited for a response that was some time coming as it took me a while to shake the sleep cobwebs from my brain.

"What?" I mumbled, half understanding what she had asked.

"Have you eaten today?" She repeated her question.

"I don't think so. I had some orange juice this morning, but I didn't feel like eating. I'm not hungry." I continued to mumble, not wanting to deal with reality.

"Leah," Carly's expression and voice both became slightly stern. "You need to eat. Not just for you, but for the baby."

The baby. THE BABY! I can't believe I'm pregnant!

"No, I haven't eaten anything today. I need to, of course I need to eat." I agreed, suddenly feeling hungry.

"Okay, I'll wait while you get freshened up, then we'll go over to our suite. Greg and I made a huge pot of minestrone and I made chicken alfredo. Nothing too spicy or heavy." Carly gently directed me to the bathroom, closing the door so I could have some privacy.

Within five minutes we were in their suite, the tantalizing aroma of rich Italian minestrone wafting through the air. My tummy growled in hunger, craving sustenance. The three of us didn't waste any time ladleing the soup in to our bowls, then spooning it into our mouths. Jake would have loved this, it was one of his favorite meals.

After eating, I helped with the dishes, needing something to occupy my hands. We just finished when Greg opened the suite door to Francine and Jose. Good thing those two live in one of the resident suites on the top floor. They are always 'on the job' available in the case of emergencies.

"I hope you don't mind we stopped in?" Francine asked as she gave us all a comforting hug.

"Not at all," responded Carly. "We were just getting ready to sit down for a few minutes. Please, join us."

Greg poured them all a drink, while I got a bottle of water from the fridge. It felt better to have something to do with my hands other than twiddling my thumbs.

"Greg and Carly updated me on the events of last evening. Leah, I'm starting to think your talents are wasted in our legal department. You would make one hell of an investigator, should you ever decide to switch gears."

I snickered before offering a reply. "No, I love being a lawyer. That's what gives me the analytical skills. Thinking logically is just something I do naturally. Helps when coming up with tricky contracts and protecting both us and our clients."

"Well, either way, you will always have a career at Graystone Security."He paused long enough to take a sip of his whiskey. " and I wanted to let the three of you know that I spoke to both Elio Moretti and your brother Liam. We've arranged for the secret meeting to take place at a time Jeremy Cole and his security team will be tied up." Jose informed us, a wry grin showing how pleased he was with himself.

"When's that?" Greg questioned.

"During the visitation time for Andrea, at the funeral home. It's scheduled for between two and four in the afternoon on Thursday, the day after tomorrow." His smirk widened. "I've arranged for them both to come into the parking garage and take the freight elevator to the third floor. It's closest to the secure room. I'll make sure no staff is in the area. Not that I think any of our people can't be trusted, but why chance them seeing someone they shouldn't and speculating like crazy. "

"I suggest we five meet tomorrow for an hour or so just to organize our information. The two investigators I assigned to the case yesterday have already submitted a preliminary report. Also, Jake's cousin, Matthew Turner, revealed some interesting information when I talked to him late yesterday afternoon." Seeing the look of curiousity I was shooting his way, he just shook his head in the negative.

"We're all too tired to get into it this evening, Leah. We'll meet tomorrow morning at ten-thirty when we're rested and alert." He and Francine finished their drink, stood up and took their leave. Who could blame them? What couple doesn't need some alone time?

Carly, Greg, and I spent another hour chatting sporadically interspersed with bouts of silence. I asked Greg if he would do the eulogy for both Jake and Bernice. "Greg, there is no one else in this world that knew him or Bernice better than you. I would be honourd to have you euloguize my husband and my mother-in-law.

Greg, bless him, agreed, tears streaming down his face, his shoulders shaking with sobs. "I don't know what I'm going to do without them, Leah. They were my only family growing up. Momma B is who I took Carly home to. She's the one who helped us plan our wedding. Jake was my brother, my best friend. How can I go on without them?"

My heart was breaking for my friend. The three of us hugged and cried as we came to grips with the fact that our lives had changed forever. We cried until there were no tears left.

That's when I took the opportunity to excuse myself, quickly making my way back to my suite. I was more than ready for some peace and quiet. As I got ready for bed I couldn't help but wonder how Elio Moretti was going to react to finding out he had a traitor in his midst. More than one if what we believed was true. The fact the two we suspected were closely related meant Elio would need to vet his organization to a man, or woman.

Whatever he ultimately did, I was going to push for the termination of anyone involved with Jake's death. If Elio wouldn't see to it, I know my brothers will, even if it means an all-out war between the families. I don't think Elio Moretti would let it come to that, but you never know. In families like ours, blood is thicker than water.

And speaking of blood, my personal cell phone is flooded with texts and voice mail messages from Jakes's three uncles, his aunt, and his cousin. Those five are blood-sucking leeches. I didn't even bother listening to the messages or reading the texts. I just shut the phone off, and crawled into bed.

Sleep was a long time coming.