Safe Harbour

“How is she?” he asked the nurse at the desk as he left. “Has anything changed?”

“She's holding her own,” the nurse reassured him. She was impressed that he and the child had been there all day and night. Things like that made a difference, and it always surprised her how many people didn't bother. But Pip and Matt had hardly moved, except for their brief trip home for less than two hours. And in the morning, when the shifts changed, they were still there. But Ophélie seemed a little better.

He took Pip home again, and told her he either had to buy some clothes or drive home to get his own. They discussed it over breakfast, and decided to stop at Macy's on the way back to pick up some things for him. It was obvious that Pip didn't want him to leave, so he didn't.

He finally got a minute to call Robert and tell him that morning, and made an arrangement with Alice to walk the dog regularly. He called Pip's school, and they assured him that she didn't need to come in. They were very sympathetic and hoped that Mrs. Mackenzie would be better soon. There had been several distressed calls from the Wexler Center, but he had no desire whatsoever to talk to them, and didn't.

And after a brief stop at Macy's, they went back to the hospital, and took up their vigil again at the ICU. And finally, by that night, Ophélie looked a little better. Bob, Jeff, and Millie had come by to see her, and noticed it too. And after they left, he was tucking Pip in with a warm blanket a nurse had given them, when she looked up at him from the couch.

“I love you, Matt.”

“I love you too, Pip,” he said quietly. He had bought enough clothes and underwear to keep him going for a week. Sooner or later, he'd have to go back to the beach, but he was planning to stay in the city with Pip for as long as he was needed. It didn't look like he'd be going home anytime soon.

“Do you love my mom too?” She'd never been exactly sure of what had gone on between them. They were both extremely discreet about it.

“Yes, I do.” He smiled down at her, and she smiled at him.

“Will you marry her when she gets better?” He liked the fact that she had said when and not if. He wanted to think of it that way too. “She needs you, Matt. And I need you too.” It almost made him cry listening to her, and he wasn't sure what to say to her. Before she'd been shot, Ophélie had been by no means sure of how she felt about him, or what she wanted to do about it, although he was totally sure of how he felt about her.

“I'd like to, Pip,” he said honestly. “I think we'd have to ask her, don't you?”

“I think she loves you too. She's just scared. My dad wasn't always so nice to her. He shouted a lot, mostly about Chad. Chad was pretty sick, and he did some pretty bad things, like try to kill himself. And my dad didn't think he was sick, so he shouted at my mom, and thought she was weird.” It was a fairly accurate account of what had happened, from what Matt knew too, although Pip had expressed it in her own terms. “I think maybe she's scared you might be mean to her too, although you've never been mean to us, but maybe she's afraid you would be if she married you. My dad was really grumpy and really smart, and maybe he wasn't as nice to her as he should have been… and she could be worried that you might die, because she really loved him, even though he was grumpy and mean and he never talked to us much. He was always busy, but I think he loved us anyway… do you think you could tell her that you'll be nice to us, and then she'll say yes. What do you think?” He didn't know whether to laugh or cry as he listened to her, and he leaned down and kissed her on the forehead instead.

“I think if she doesn't marry me, I should marry you. You make a lot of sense, Pip. That's what I think.”

She guffawed as she lay on the couch in the deserted waiting room. They were the only people there again that night, and she grinned at him. “You're too old for me, Matt, but you're pretty cute, for an old guy… like a father, I mean.”

“You're pretty cute too.”

“Will you ask her?” Pip looked anxious again. She had a lot on her mind.

“I'll do my best. I think we should wait till she feels better though, don't you?”

Pip thought about it, and then frowned at him. “I don't think you should wait too long. And it might make her feel better if you ask her to marry you. What do you think? It might help her feel a lot better, and give her something to look forward to.”

“It's a thought.” Or it might scare her to death. He knew there was that possibility, better than Pip. He remembered only too well the night in Tahoe when she had been too afraid to make love to him. Marriage may not have been the solution Pip hoped it would be. But as she did, he wished it would. She drifted off to sleep then, pleased about having spoken to him, and he sat there for a long time, watching her with a quiet smile.

He went to call Robert again then, he had promised he would, and reported what was happening. He had offered to come in from Stanford that morning. But Matt explained that Robert couldn't see her anyway, so he said he would call him to let him know how she was. And Robert was immensely relieved to hear from his father that at least she was still alive. He had been shocked when he first heard the news.

Ophélie's shooting was all over the eleven o'clock news that night. But the hospital had kept reporters away. And they reported with somber faces on the news that the volunteer from the Wexler Center who'd been shot was still in critical condition at San Francisco General, but still alive.

Jeff showed up at midnight then, to tell Matt the shooter had been caught. They spoke in whispers as Pip slept, and Jeff was pleased to be able to report that to him. He and the others had gone to the police station and identified mug shots of him. And he'd been apprehended completing a drug transaction only three blocks from Jesse, the alley where she'd been shot. The suspect still had the gun on him. They were going to try to identify him in a lineup the next day, but there was no question about who he was. And he was going to be sent away for a long time. He had a criminal record an arm long. So far, it was all good news. Except for her. Her life still hung in the balance and it was early days yet.

But when they saw her the next morning, she smiled at both of them, and asked when she could go home. They moved her from critical to serious condition, and the surgeon in charge said she was doing well. No one was more relieved than Pip, except Matt. And Ophélie herself told them both to go home and get some rest. She looked pale, but she was more coherent and seemed to be in less pain. Matt said he was going to take Pip home for a while, but they promised to come back that afternoon. And on their way out of the ICU, Pip looked at him conspiratorially and asked him if he thought he should talk to her mother now, about the matter they had discussed the night before.

“Now?” He looked startled. “Don't you think we should wait until she feels a little better? She might be more receptive if she's not in so much pain.”

“Maybe it would be better if you talk to her when she's still a little dopey and on drugs.” Pip was willing to resort to any means to get the desired results, and he laughed at her, as they left the hospital and headed for his car.

“Apparently you think she needs to be doped up to agree to marry me,” he said, feeling a lot more jovial than he had since Ophélie got shot. Things were starting to look a little less precarious, and the patient looked a lot better than she had. But he was still nervous and worried about her.

“Well, it might help,” Pip said, responding to his comment about Ophélie being sedated when he proposed. “You know how stubborn she is, and she's pretty scared of getting married again. She told me so.”

“Well, I won't shoot her at least. That ought to count for something,” he said with a grim look.

“It might,” Pip said, and laughed.

They went home, and Mousse was ecstatic to see them. He couldn't understand why everyone had abandoned him. Matt cooked for all three of them, and lay down for a little while. He'd been up for two nights straight. And Pip seemed in better spirits as she bustled around the house. She loved having Matt there, and he had promised to stay with her until Ophélie came home.

They went back to the hospital later than they'd planned, and Ophélie was having a rough night. The nurse said it was expected, postsurgery, after the trauma she'd had. She was in a lot of pain, and they had sedated her pretty heavily with morphine. But her condition was moved from serious to stable in spite of it. She was making a remarkable recovery, much to everyone's amazement, and that night Matt decided to take Pip home. He told her they could both use a night in a real bed, and reluctantly she agreed. She kissed her mother goodnight before leaving her, but Ophélie was sound asleep. And by nine o'clock that night, they were home, and half an hour later Pip was in a deep sleep in her own bed, and Matt was unconscious in Ophélie's.

Neither of them woke till morning, and they had breakfast before going to the hospital. And when they saw Ophélie, they were both immensely relieved. She had a little color in her face, and the nasogastric tube that had been bothering her had been removed. She was still listed in stable condition, and she was complaining about everything, which the nurse said was a good sign. And she smiled when she saw Matt and Pip walk in.

“What have you two been up to?” she asked as though she had been there for a rest and not three gunshot wounds, and both of her visitors beamed at her.

“He made French toast for breakfast, Mom. And he says he makes great pancakes.”

“Good. Bring me some,” she said, but they both knew that she was going to be on a liquid diet for a long time, and she was still on IVs. And then she turned to Matt with a serious look. “Thank you for taking care of Pip for me.” She had no one else to ask, which they both knew. Time and circumstances, and Ted, had isolated her from a lot of people. And she had no real relatives other than Pip. “I'm sorry all this happened. It was stupid of me, I guess.” But she had loved her work with the outreach team.

“I won't say I told you so, but you know how I feel. Jeff tells me they're not going to let volunteers do that work anymore, which seems right to me. It was a wonderful idea, but much too dangerous.”

“I know. It sure got out of hand fast that night. I didn't even know what had hit me when I went down.” It didn't bear thinking about what could have happened to her, and they talked about it for a while, while Pip gave him meaningful looks and he tried to keep a straight face. He discussed it with her again over lunch.

“I can't just ask her like that with you standing there.”

“Well, you'd better do it soon,” Pip threatened him, and he laughed.

“Why? She's not going anywhere. What's the rush?”

“Because I want you two to get married.” Pip looked like she was going to stamp her foot.

“What if she won't?”

“Okay, then I'll marry you, even if you are too old. Sheeshh… I've never seen anyone so slow!” she scolded him. And the next time he went in to see her, Pip sent him in alone with a stern look.

“I'm not promising anything,” he reminded her. “I'll see how she feels.” He hedged his bets, and didn't want to disappoint Pip any more than himself. He didn't want to push, no matter what Pip thought. He had to trust his own instincts, not those of a child of twelve, although she had the right idea and her heart was in the right place, and he loved her too.

“You're the biggest chicken I know!” she accused him, and he laughed on the way in, and when he got to the cubicle, he found Ophélie looking peaceful and then concerned.

“Where's Pip?”

“Asleep on the couch in the waiting room,” he lied, feeling ridiculous, and then suddenly he wondered if Pip was right. Maybe the shooting had changed everything. Life was short, and it was real, and they loved each other. Maybe it was time to put his heart on the line to her again. It was worth the risk.

“I'm sorry I've put everyone through this,” she said, looking guilty. “I never thought this would happen,” she said, looking tired. She still had a long way to go, and the doctor said it would be a long recovery, which was hardly surprising, given the damage the bullets had done. But it could have been a lot worse, and nearly was.

“I was always afraid it would happen,” Matt said honestly.

“I know you were. You were right,” she said, as he took her hand. He was standing next to her, and stroking her hair.

“I'm right about a lot of things sometimes, and wrong about others.”

“You haven't been wrong about much,” she said, looking up at him gratefully, which was comforting to hear.

“I'm glad you think so.”

“Thank God Pip picked you up on the beach,” she said, and they both laughed.

“As I recall, you weren't too thrilled about that.”

“I thought you were a child molester,” she said breezily. “Wrong again.” She smiled at him and closed her eyes, and then opened them again and looked at him. She seemed surprisingly at peace, given all she'd been through. She was a very brave woman, and he loved her with all his heart.

“And what do you think now?” he asked softly.

“About you? That you're the best friend I ever had… and I love you …” she added cautiously, looking into his eyes. “Very much, in fact.” More than she ever knew. He was almost more than she deserved, or so she thought, particularly after all the trouble she had caused Pip, him, and herself. It had been a hell of a jolt for all of them.

“I love you too, Ophélie …” He was afraid to ask her, and then thought of Pip berating him again, and the thought of it made him smile and drove him on. “Do you love me enough to marry me?” he asked her, and she looked up at him, shocked.

“Did you just say what I think you said, or is it the drugs?”

“Could be both. What did it sound like to you?”

Tears filled her eyes as she looked at him, and she was still scared, but not as much as she had been. She had nearly lost everything when she got shot. How much more could she lose? And she had everything to gain with him.

“It sounds good to me,” she said in a whisper, and a tear rolled down her cheek. “Just don't die on me. Please, Matt…I couldn't go through that again…”

“I won't,” he said as he bent down to kiss her. “Not for a long time at least. And I'd appreciate it if you'd make an effort not to get shot again. I'm not the one who nearly died here,” and then he added seriously, “…I would die if I lost you, Ophélie…I love you so damn much…”

“Me too,” she said, and then he kissed her, and as he did, the nurse appeared, and told them he had to leave again, their time was up. ICU patients couldn't have visitors for longer than five minutes, ten at the most, but it had been long enough to find out what they both needed to know.

“Is it official, then?” he asked her, before he left. “Will you marry me?” He wanted to hear it from her lips.

“Yes, I will,” she said softly but meant every word of it. She was ready. And it was time.

“Can I tell Pip?” he asked as the nurse waved him toward the door.

“Yes, you can,” she said, smiling from ear to ear as he left, and she looked up at the nurse with a grin. “I'm engaged.”

“I thought you were married,” she said, looking surprised.

“I am… but I'm not… well, I was…I almost am…I will be,” she explained. She was giddy, she was so excited. All it had taken was getting shot three times to figure it out. A small price to pay.

“Congratulations,” the nurse said, and took her temperature, just as Matt walked back into the waiting room, and Pip stared at him to try and figure out what he'd done.

“Did you chicken out?” she accused him with a worried look, and he shook his head, trying to conceal his excitement from her so he wouldn't give it away.

“No, I didn't.”

Her eyes opened wide. “Did you ask her?”

“Yes, I did.”

Pip could hardly contain herself and neither could he. “What did she say?” She was holding her breath, as he smiled and put his arms around her. She was almost his.

“She said yes,” he said, with tears in his eyes again. It had been a very emotional day.

“She did? OhmyGod! Wow!! We're going to marry you! OhmyGod! Matt!” She put her arms around him, and he swung her around the room. “You did it! You did it!”

“We did it! Thank you for the idea, and the courage, and the kick in the pants. If you hadn't pushed me, I probably would have waited another year.”

“Maybe it was a good thing she got shot, sort of, well… you know …” Pip said thoughtfully.

“No, I don't know. And if she ever does something like that again, I'm going to kill her myself.”

“Me too,” Pip agreed, as they sat side by side together, partners in crime. Everything had worked out exactly as planned, thanks to Pip. All they had to do now was pick a date.

27

OPHÉLIE WAS IN THE HOSPITAL FOR THREE WEEKS. AND Matt stayed at the house with Pip for the entire time. She went back to school after her mother had been in the hospital for a week, but she went to visit her every afternoon. Matt spent the mornings in the hospital with Ophélie, then picked Pip up at school, and would bring her to see her mother in the hospital after school. They settled into a routine for nearly three weeks. And when she came home, Matt carried Ophélie upstairs to her room. She had to take it easy for another six weeks.

They had saved the lung and repaired her stomach, and they said the intestines wouldn't be a problem. She could manage with one ovary, and even have more babies if she wanted to, and the appendix was gone for good. She had been unbelievably lucky, and Louise Anderson from the Center had come to apologize to her for letting her put herself at risk. But Ophélie reminded her repeatedly that it was what she had wanted to do. It had been her choice. But there were going to be no more volunteers on the outreach team, which was just as well, although Ophélie had loved working with them. And she promised to come back to work at the Center itself in a few months, if Matt agreed. He had a say in it now, and he was no longer sure. He thought she should stay home with Pip, and him.

He slept in Ted's old den after Ophélie got home. He wanted to be there in case she needed him, and she was happy to have him there. She still needed help, and it made her feel secure. And Pip was thrilled.

Their wedding plans were going forward, and they had agreed to get married in June, when Vanessa could be there too. Matt had called her in Auckland to tell her, and she was happy for him. And they told Robert when he came to the hospital to see Ophélie.

“We're going to be a family again,” Pip told her mother with a big grin when she got home. It was obvious that Pip loved the idea, but so did Ophélie. It had taken a lot to get her there, too much probably, but she felt comfortable with their decision, and she and Matt were talking about a honeymoon in France, and maybe even taking the kids. Pip loved that idea.

Ophélie was resting quietly on her bed one afternoon, while Matt went to get Pip in school. It was six weeks after the shooting, and she was feeling stronger, but she couldn't drive yet, and she had only been out of the house a few times. She was excited about being able to go downstairs for dinner.

The outreach team had visited her at home several times too. She was thinking about them, when the phone rang and she answered it. The voice at the other end was familiar, but not welcome, and sounded very weak. It was Andrea, and Ophélie thought about just hanging up. But Andrea sensed that, and begged her not to before she could.

“Please… let me just talk to you for a minute… it's important.” She sounded strange and said she'd heard about the shooting and had been horrified. “I wanted to write to you, but I was in the hospital too.” The way she sounded made Ophélie keep listening.

“Did you have an accident?” she asked coolly, but nonetheless concerned. They had been such good friends for so many years.

“No,” Andrea hesitated, “I'm sick.”

“What do you mean, sick?”

There was an endless pause. Andrea had wanted to call her for months, but she didn't dare. And she had to know. “I have cancer,” she said quietly. “They discovered it two months ago. They think I've had it for a long time. I had stomach pains for about a year, and I thought it was just nerves. It started as ovarian, supposedly, but it's in my lungs, and now my bones. It's moving pretty fast.” She sounded almost resigned, but sad. And Ophélie was shocked. No matter how angry she was at her, she didn't want this for her, and it brought tears to her eyes.

“Have you had chemo?”

“Yes, I'm still doing it now. I've had two surgeries, and they'll do radiation after the chemo, but I don't think…I don't think I'll make it that far,” she said honestly. “It looks pretty bad…I know you probably don't want to see me, but I need to know something… will you take Willie for me?” They were both crying by the time she asked.

“Now?” Ophélie sounded stunned.

“No,” she said sadly, “when I die. I don't think it's going to be too long. Maybe a few months.” Ophélie was sobbing by then. Life was so unpredictable, so unfair, so wrong. How did this happen to people? To Ted, to Chad… and now to her. Thinking about it made her all the more grateful for Matt. But she was still shaken by all that she had just heard. No matter what Andrea had done to her, she didn't deserve this, but apparently she didn't agree. “Maybe this is God's punishment for what I did to you, Ophélie. I know ‘sorry’ doesn't begin to cover it, but I am. I've had a lot of time to think about it… I'm so sorry… will you take Willie?” she asked again, and Ophélie just cried. It was all so cruel.

“Yes, I will,” she said through her tears. All she could think of was what Matt had done for her with Pip, and she had only known him for eight months, nearly nine. She knew that Andrea had no one else, and no other choice. She was his godmother, it was right, even if he was Ted's child. It wasn't the baby's fault. “Where is he now? Has someone been helping you take care of him?”

“I hired an au pair,” Andrea said, sounding tired again. “I want him here with me, till the end.” She spoke of it as a sure thing. It was terrible. So unbelievable. She was forty-five years old, and her son would never know either of his parents.

Matt walked in while Ophélie was still talking to her, and he looked puzzled. He could see that Ophélie had been crying, and he walked out of the room again. He didn't want to intrude. He assumed she would tell him about it later.

“Is there anything I can do for you now?” Ophélie asked sadly. She didn't want to leave any bad blood between them, especially now, although she knew that it would have been hard to bridge the chasm that had formed between them.

“I'd like to see you again,” Andrea said, sounding weak. “But I feel sick most of the time. The chemo is pretty awful.”

“And I can't go out yet. As soon as I can, I'll come over.”

“I'm going to have a new will drawn up, if it's okay with you, leaving Willie to you. Are you sure you can handle it, and you won't hate him for what I did?”

“I don't hate you,” she said calmly, “I'm just sad. I was hurt.” But just listening to her, she knew she had forgiven her. And she hadn't done it alone. Ted had been part of it too. That had been the hardest part of it for her. But so much had happened since.

“I'll stay in touch and let you know how I'm doing,” Andrea said practically. “I'll put your number on my emergency forms.” It had been there before, but after what had happened between them, she had taken it off. “And I'll give it to the au pair, in case something happens and I don't get a chance to call.”

“You have to hold on, Andrea. You can't give up.” She was feeling deeply affected by all she'd heard and the way Andrea sounded, and she was sorry that she couldn't get out yet. She knew that seeing Andrea again would be stressful for her. It was still too soon after all she'd been through herself. “I'll call you. Let me know how you are.”

“I will,” she said, crying openly. “Thank you. I know you'll take good care of him.”

“I promise you I will,” and then she decided to tell her about Matt. She had a right to know now. “I'm getting married in June. To Matt.”

There was a long silence, and a slow sigh. As though she felt absolved somehow, and she hadn't totally destroyed Ophélie's life, which she hadn't. “I'm so glad. He's a nice guy. I hope you'll both be happy,” she said peacefully.

“Me too. I'll call you soon. Take care, Andrea.”

“I love you… and I'm sorry,” she said in a whisper, and hung up. Ophélie set the phone down gently, as Matt came back into the room.

“What was that about?” he asked, looking concerned. Ophélie was obviously upset.

“Andrea,” she said, looking straight at him.

“Is this the first time you heard from her?” She nodded.

“Was she begging your forgiveness? She damn well should.” He was still outraged over what she and Ted had done, and then Ophélie realized suddenly that she should have asked him about the baby. But how could she refuse? She didn't think she could, nor should. He was, after all, Pip's half brother, and Ted's child.

“She's dying.”

“When did that happen?” He looked stunned.

“She found out two months ago. She has ovarian cancer, and it metastasized to her lungs and bones. She doesn't think she has more than a few months. She wants me to take the baby. Us …” She decided to make a clean breast of it immediately. “I said yes. How do you feel about that? I told her we were getting married, and I can tell her we can't, if you don't want to. But she doesn't have anyone else. How do you feel about it?” He sat at the foot of her bed for a minute and thought about it. It was certainly a major addition to their life, and not one he had expected, but he could see her point. It would be hard to refuse, and in some ways harder still for her, because the baby was Ted's, and Pip's half brother. It was a very peculiar situation.

“Our family seems to be growing exponentially, doesn't it? I don't see how you can't take him. Do you really think she'll die?”

“Sounds like it. She sounded pretty bad.”

“I don't think we have much choice. At least he's cute,” he said, leaning over to kiss her. He was an incredibly good sport. And they agreed not to tell Pip about it for the time being. It was too depressing, and she had been through enough trauma with her mother over the past six weeks. She didn't need to know Andrea was dying. It was just too much.

Ophélie got a note from Andrea, thanking her, a few days later, and she didn't call after that. Ophélie was going to call her, but she was so tired and weak herself, she kept putting it off and it still upset her. Matt drove her to the beach two weeks later, with Pip and the dog. They took a short walk, and sat in the sunshine. It already felt like summer, and was only March. They talked about their wedding plans. They had decided to do it quietly at the beach, with just their children present, and a priest Matt knew in Bolinas. It sounded just right to them. Neither of them wanted a fancy social event.

And two days after they'd taken Pip to the beach, they went back out together on a brilliantly sunny day. She said that she thought the sea air had been good for her, and he agreed, but he had something else in mind. They packed a picnic lunch in the city, since he had nothing to eat out there. And as soon as they got to the house in Safe Harbour, he set the basket on the table, and put some music on. She had a fair idea of what he was thinking, and she was ready this time. They had waited a long, long time for this. It was what should have happened in Tahoe, and didn't.

As soon as they walked in, he put his arms around her and kissed her, and she looked up at him. Long before he ever touched her, she was already his, and wanted to be. She followed him into his bedroom, and he took her clothes off gently and laid her down on his bed, and then he joined her, and they cuddled quietly under the sheets, until passion overtook them, and swept them away on a gentle sea. It was the joining of two lives, two people, two hearts, two worlds, and was all they wanted it to be. It was what they had both hoped for and had only dreamed. And together in each other's arms, at Safe Harbour, the dream came true at last.

28

OPHÉLIE HAD BEEN PLANNING TO CALL ANDREA EVER since she'd heard from her two weeks before. But she'd been overwhelmed, trying to catch up on things that had piled up when she was sick. She had to go to a suppression hearing in the case against her assailant, because the defense wanted to suppress her testimony and prevent her from testifying at the trial. After an exhausting morning in court, which Matt attended with her, the defense's motion was denied. And she was still tired. Something always seemed to stop her when she was going to call Andrea. She had promised herself finally that she was going to call that afternoon, before Pip came home. She was about to dial the number, when Andrea's au pair called.

“I was just going to call her,” Ophélie said pleasantly. “How is she? I'm glad you called.”

The voice at the other end sounded uncomfortable, and hated to tell her the news. “She died this morning, just before noon,” she said, and Ophélie felt as though she'd been hit by a brick.

“Oh my God… I'm so sorry…I didn't know…I thought… she told me it would be a few months …I had no idea it would be so soon.” Death didn't always come on schedule, or as planned. In fact, it never did. And all she could think of as she sat there was of having been at the delivery with her, less than a year before. It had been so exciting and so joyful, and so moving, and as she thought of it, she realized that that was how she would remember her. And suddenly she was glad that she hadn't seen her when she was sick. After nearly twenty years of friendship, their lives had become unhooked, but maybe it was meant to be that way. Andrea had a path to follow that no longer included Ophélie. She had made a terrible mistake that had hurt Ophélie terribly, but a child had come of it, and now he was coming home to her. All of life's strange twists and turns never led where you expected them to. It was impossible to even guess at one's destiny.

“Is there a funeral?” Ophélie asked her, wondering if she was supposed to organize it. How odd that was too, they had always talked about weddings and affairs, and Ophélie had given a christening party for Willie because she was his godmother. And now they had to have a funeral for his mother. But the au pair explained that that wasn't what Andrea had wanted. They had already come to get her, she wanted to be cremated and sprinkled at sea. No service, no memorial, no mourners, no tombstone anywhere, just peo-ple's memories. It seemed cleaner to her that way, and for once Ophélie agreed. Under the circumstances, it was going to be less painful for everyone that way.

She had made her own arrangements to get rid of her apartment, and her things. All that was left was Willie. The au pair offered to bring him over later that day. Which meant that Ophélie had to tell Pip.

She was waiting for her in the kitchen when she came home from school with Matt. And Pip instantly reacted to the look on her mother's face. Matt already knew. She had called him in the car while he was on the way to school. And he had said he would do everything he could to support her, and Pip.

“Is something wrong?” Pip still remembered the last time she had seen her mother look like that, it had been a lot worse, but it frightened her anyway. She was afraid she was going to tell her that she and Matt had decided not to get married, but Ophélie instantly assured her that everything was all right, but she had sad news.

“Is it Mousse?” He was out in the garden and she hadn't seen him, and Ophélie smiled at her. Other than Matt, they had no one else left.

“No, it's Andrea. She died today.” Pip looked shocked at first and then sad. “She was very sick. She called me over two weeks ago, but I didn't want to tell you for a while.”

“Were you still mad at her?” Pip asked, watching her mother's face.

“Not really. We kind of made up when she called and told me she was sick.”

“What did she do to you?” Ophélie exchanged a look with Matt and he wondered what she would say, and he approved of what she did say to Pip.

“I'll tell you all about it one day, when you're grown up, but not till then.”

“It must have been very bad,” Pip said solemnly. She knew her mother well enough to know that she would have forgiven Andrea sooner otherwise, and seen her again.

“I thought it was.” But Pip also needed to know that Willie was her half brother one day.

“What's going to happen to Willie?” Pip asked sadly. He was an orphan now. It was a terrible thought, even to her.

“He's coming to live with us,” she said calmly, and Pip's eyes grew wide.

“He is? Now?”

“Today.” Pip looked pleased, and Matt smiled. It was a strange turn of events certainly, but like everything else, meant to be, if it happened that way. It made him realize again how odd life was. If things had turned out differently, Ophélie might have died of her gunshot wounds. Instead, they were getting married, and another woman's baby, who was also Ted's, was coming to live with them. Life and its extraordinary and often complicated and unexpected turn of events.

The au pair brought Willie over with all his belongings late that afternoon, and Ophélie and Pip were waiting for him when he arrived. It was an emotional moment for Ophélie, because the baby was not only Ted's, but Andrea's, and they had been friends for eighteen years. He had grown a lot, they hadn't seen him in four months, and Ophélie asked the woman if she would be willing to stay and work for them, and she agreed. The household was getting busier and more crowded by the minute. But Ophélie wasn't up to taking care of him herself yet. And it would have been a full-time job. For Pip and Matt's sake, she wanted help with him, or she wouldn't have enough time or energy for them.

She did some quick thinking and spoke to Matt for a few minutes, and he was willing, if she thought it would be all right with Pip, which she was sure it would be. She asked him to move into her bedroom, since they were getting married anyway. And she gave Ted's den, where Matt had been sleeping, to the baby and the au pair. It worked for the time being. Chad's room was still considered sacred ground and offlimits. But she had to agree with Matt, they were going to need a new house soon. She wanted to have guest rooms too for Robert and Vanessa. As things were now, Vanessa would have to sleep with Pip when she came to visit, which delighted Pip, and was certainly possible. But they were beginning to burst at the seams. And the house at Safe Harbour, with its single bedroom and cozy living room, was only going to work for Matt and Ophélie as a romantic retreat, which didn't seem like such a bad idea.

By late that night, once the baby and au pair were settled, and Pip was asleep in bed with Mousse at her feet, Matt was in bed next to Ophélie, and he turned to her with a grin.

“Things are certainly changing around here quickly, aren't they, my love?”

“You can say that again. Imagine if I get pregnant!” She was only teasing him. With Willie's arrival, their family seemed big enough, and she had no intention of adding to it, now or later. Before they fell asleep, she thanked Matt for what a good sport he'd been about everything.

“You never know what's going to happen around here from one day to the next,” he said happily. “I'm beginning to enjoy it.”

“Me too.” She snuggled down next to him as she said it. And a few minutes later, all the residents of the house on Clay Street were sound asleep.

29

THEIR WEDDING DAY IN JUNE DAWNED BRILLIANTLY sunny. It was a perfect day, with bright sun and a gentle breeze. There were little fishing boats on the horizon, and the beach looked swept clean. Safe Harbour had never looked better.

The priest had arrived at eleven-thirty, and the wedding was set for noon. Ophélie was wearing a simple white lace dress, to her ankles, and carrying a bouquet of tuberoses, and Vanessa and Pip were wearing white linen dresses. Matt and Robert were wearing slacks and blazers. And Willie, in the nanny's arms, was wearing a little blue and white sailor suit. He had just started walking and was wearing his first pair of shoes. And Ophélie couldn't help noticing he looked just like his mother, which was something of a relief. The alternative would have been harder to explain, although he did look a little like Pip. There was a definite family air. And when people commented on it, Pip was pleased. She had no idea, and wouldn't for a long time, her mother hoped, that it was true, that Willie was in fact her family, although not Ophélie's.

They were all in good spirits, and they were leaving for France the next day. They were going to spend a week in Paris, and then two in Cap d'Antibes, at the Eden Roc. It was an extravagant honeymoon that Matt had insisted on treating them all to, but he said he had hardly spent a penny in years. And they were all looking forward to it. And as soon as they got back, Ophélie and Matt had agreed to look for a new house. The house on Clay Street was about to burst at the seams.

Robert was his father's best man, and Vanessa the maid of honor, Pip the official bridesmaid. They had thought of using Willie as a ring bearer, but he was teething again, and they were afraid he'd swallow the rings.

The priest spoke briefly and touchingly about bringing lives and families together, about the resurrection of the spirit, and the sorrows of past lives being healed. He spoke of hope and joy and sharing and family, and the kind of love and blessings that brought and kept families together. And as Ophélie listened to him, her eyes drifted down to the beach, to precisely the place where Matt had been working when Pip must have found him almost exactly a year before. It was impossible not to think of the serendipity and good fortune and blind luck that had brought them together. All because of one little girl walking down the beach with her dog.

Matt saw Ophélie's eyes wander toward the beach, and thought of exactly the same thing, and as he looked at her, she looked back at him and their eyes met and held. It had been remarkable good fortune that had brought them together. But it had taken more than luck and happy accidents or even love. It had taken wisdom and courage to put their lives back together, and to have the sheer grit it took to reach out and hold on tight. It would have been so much easier to never try, to never touch at all, to run away and hide, while protecting old wounds. Instead, they had dared, they had danced, they had trudged on through the dark and the cold, defied the demons, faced the terrors, and refused to run away. It was more than just an act of love they were celebrating that day, it was an act of courage, and of faith, and hope and belief. All the bits and pieces had come together, the tiny threads, loosely bound at first, and now carefully threaded and woven into the fabric of their new life. It was above all a choice they had made, not to give in to death, but to embrace life. A choice not so easily made. It was a tightrope Ophélie and Matt had walked, a delicate balance to reach safety on the other side. They had found what they wanted, and fought for it, until they reached safe harbor, and escaped the storms at last.

And when the priest asked Ophélie if she took this man for the rest of her life, Pip spoke up softly and whispered in unison with her mother, “I do.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DANIELLE STEEL has been hailed as one of the world's most popular authors, with over 530 million copies of her novels sold. Her many international best-sellers include Second Chance, Ransom, Safe Harbour, Johnny Angel, Dating Game, Answered Prayers, Sunset in St. Tropez, The Cottage, The Kiss, Leap of Faith, and other highly acclaimed novels. She is also the author of His Bright Light, the story of her son Nick Traina's life and death.

Visit the Danielle Steel Web Site at

www.daniellesteel.com.

a cognizant original v5 release october 16 2010

SAFE HARBOUR

A Dell Book

Published by

Bantam Dell

A Division of Random House, Inc.

New York, New York

This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved

Copyright © 2003 by Danielle Steel

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2002071585 No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher, except where permitted by law. For information address:

Delacorte Press, New York, New York.

Dell is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc., and the colophon is a trademark of Random House, Inc.

eISBN: 978-0-307-56678-2

v3.0

Table of Contents

PRAISE FOR DANIELLE STEEL

PRAISE FOR THE RECENT NOVELS OF DANIELLE STEEL

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR