______________________________________________________
Adam gazed softly down at his daughter as she slowly ate some of the chicken soup he'd made for her. A serenity he hadn't felt in days, even months, seemed to come over him as he sat there on the chair he'd pulled up to her bedside - it was nice, as though a huge, momentous weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
Mandy had slept for a good portion of the morning and early afternoon, and fortunately, her fever had dropped from 102 to just over ninety-nine. The blond man had been relieved as he'd checked the thermometer he'd had her keep under her tongue. He was still so new to this fatherhood thing, but the truth was, he'd been close to panicking when the girl's fever had been higher. And he'd absolutely refused to tell Amy anything about it out of fear he'd stress her out more than she was already stressed.
"Good soup?" he asked, a small smile touching his lips as his daughter scooped a hearty spoonful into her mouth. The bowl was resting on a tray, which was on her lap as her head was propped up by several pillows. She definitely seemed to be feeling a lot better.
Mandy nodded.
"I feel hot, Daddy." She pressed her tiny left hand to her forehead, brushing away a few stray strands of sweaty blonde hair.
"Well, you've had a fever, Blondie. It's good you feel hot."
The child seemed to forget about her soup as she turned her head to meet his eyes.
"Why?" she asked innocently.
Adam ran one large hand over her warm cheek.
"Because it means you're getting better," he told her. He winked, then gestured toward her tray. "Are you finished?"
Mandy ducked her head slightly, as though scared to answer the question. Her father was puzzled until she spoke again.
"Mommy wouldn't like to me leave anything over."
"Well, your Mommy isn't here right now," the tall blond man whispered playfully. Then, growing more serious, he went on, "And you're sick, honey - she would understand."
The little girl nodded.
Adam understood she was finally answering his question and stood up, taking the tray as he headed for the hallway.
Daddy?"
Mandy's small voice stopped him at the doorway.
"What, Blondie?"
"Would you read me a story?"
The Canadian smiled.
"Sure, kiddo... I'll be right back. If you're up for it, we can even play MarioKart." He winked at his daughter, and she laughed a little.
Adam felt his heartstrings tugging, a smile still present on his face as he strode down the hallway to the kitchen. Creampuff was right at his heels, the tiny Pomeranian his constant shadow as he placed the tray on the table, then carried the dishes to the sink. He began to wash the plate, bowl and spoon in succession when the phone suddenly rang, startling him from the task.
Quickly shaking his hands free of droplets of water, the tall blond man made his way to the wall phone several feet to his right and answered. He hoped the ringing hadn't disturbed Amy, as he knew his wife had fallen asleep less than an hour earlier in their bedroom.
"Hello?"
"Hello - Mr. Copeland?"
Adam squinted in confusion at the unfamiliar male voice.
"Yes?"
"Michael Warner here," the man said, and the blond man was still having trouble placing the voice and the name until the man continued. "I wanted to let you know, my partner and I have made an arrest concerning your daughter's kidnapping."
The Canadian was speechless... His breath was nearly lost as his mouth suddenly ran dry at the police officer's words. They made an arrest?
"Really, you have?" he asked, not knowing what else to say. His heart was suddenly pounding incredibly fast.
"Just this morning, in fact," Warner elaborated. "We got a warrant, trekked out to Cameron, North Carolina and questioned Hardy's brother... He hadn't seen him in nearly a week. At first, we thought he was trying to protect the brother, but he seemed genuinely surprised to see him."
"He... He was there?"
"Yes, he most certainly was," the officer replied. "Apparently, he returned home sometime during the night and didn't alert his brother of it. We caught him trying to sneak out his bedroom window. We got him."
"Wow..." Adam was shocked for some reason, as though he hadn't thought the police would really do anything. "... That's good news."
"You and your wife will have to come and identify Mr. Hardy."
The Canadian swallowed hard. He couldn't have Amy do any such thing, as it would be far too stressful for her. He hoped just himself would be sufficient for the police.
"Officer... That wouldn't be a good idea - for my wife to identify him, that is. She's pregnant, and she's been under a tremendous amount of stress," he explained. "So much so that her doctor has ordered her to stay in bed. So, I hope it would be enough to just have me do it."
"All right, Mr. Copeland - that would be fine."
"Great... When and where do you want me?" the blond man asked as he sat down on one of the kitchen chairs. He listened intently as the policeman began to answer.
The conversation soon came to a close, and Adam thanked the man again before they concluded, and he hung up. He stood there for a beat, thoughtful, his hand still lingering on the phone's receiver. Then, he left the kitchen to return down the hall. He poked his head into the doorway of Mandy's room first, noting the little girl had again fallen asleep since he'd left her. He decided he would read to her or play that game with her later, once she awoke again.
The blond man turned and entered his own bedroom, glad to note that the beautiful redhead in the bed was now awake. He stood just beyond the doorway, his head cocked as he gazed down at her with his heart in his eyes as she stretched sleepily. She was turned in the opposite direction from him, and apparently, she hadn't heard him come in. As it was, she surprised him.
"Hey, baby." Amy suddenly turned around to face him, a small smile on her lovely face. "I knew you were there," she said huskily.
"Hey, Sleeping Beauty." Adam approached the bed, his heart swelling with love as he drank in her pretty visage. He felt somewhat torn with emotion, though, as he wondered how she would take the news he had for her. He sat down on the edge of the bed, pulling his long legs up as he wrapped his arms around her. He kissed the redhead on the temple, then nuzzled her tenderly as he spoke again. "Ames, there's something I have to tell you."
She reached up with her right hand to caress his arm, then slid it up to his stubbled face.
"You sound serious," she said softly. "What's going on? Is it Mandy?" A hint of fear entered her voice.
"No... No, she's fine - I gave her some soup, and now she's sleeping again," he replied. "Actually, it's about Matt."
This time, the redhead pulled gently out of his loving grasp as she stared up into his face with anticipation and worry. She opted not to say a word and instead waited for her husband to continue.
"Officer Warner called - they arrested him."