The Fate of Destiny Part 135
When Beth woke up, it was to find her father asleep in a chair at the end of the bed. He didn’t look at all comfortable but apparently he hadn’t considered taking her bed in the other room. She rolled over and found that Will had waken and gone some time ago. “Dad.”
“What?” Max’s head snapped up. He nearly fell on the floor he woke so abruptly.
“Dad, you don’t look comfortable. Lay down or something.”
It took him a minute to get his bearings. “Where’s Will?”
“Don’t know. I just woke up and he was gone.”
“How did you feel yesterday?” Max glanced at his watch and then whipped back to blink at it more closely before getting to his feet and sitting next to Beth.
“I didn’t throw up again. I ate mostly soup… but cold ones because the hot ones made me feel like I was gonna be sick.”
“Okay.” Max nodded. “How are you feeling now?” He placed his hands on her and she felt normal. He played with a few strands of gray hair and tucked them behind her ear.
“Okay, I guess. Still tired though. Do you think it’s all out?”
“We’ll have to go in and run some tests. Are you up for that today?”
“No.”
“Maybe tomorrow then.”
“Where did you go, yesterday?”
“I had some things to do. Some math and biology.”
“You’re lying.”
Max’s lips turned upward. He was lying. “My aura?”
“No. You’re a bad liar. You always look guilty when you lie.” She sighed and let him take her pulse and blood pressure. “I told you I was fine.”
“Well, you’re a better liar than I am, so I need to check for myself.” As he put away instruments, he took a deep breath. “When you… did that retro-cognition thing… how did you do it?”
“I… spent a couple of days doing some intensive bodily cleansing and then I sat on that… spot where you got the vision of Mom and Michael. It took a long time.”
“Do you have to touch something connected to what you want to remember? Like the carpet?”
“I think so. I think it helped. I can… clarify my memories sometimes but it takes a lot of energy. It’s just easier to hold onto something I was touching when it first happened… or that was there when whatever happening.” She watched his face for a minute. “What are you trying to remember?”
He shrugged and laughed a little. “Zan’s life.”
“Is that how you think of it?” she sat up to look him in the eye. “He’s you. He’s not some other person. They’re not his memories, they’re yours. You can’t reach out, you have to reach in.”
“You sound like you know what you’re doing.”
“How do you know I don’t?” She tried to tease back. “Daddy, can you not go today? I completely flipped out on Will yesterday and…”
“Sh… okay. I won’t go anywhere.” Max moved around to the other side of the bed to lay down and grab the phone. He ordered them some lunch and then grabbed his cell to call home. He held his daughter against him as she slipped back into sleep. “Hi, Liz.”
“Where were you yesterday?” Liz wiped at her nose and walked away from her parents’ table to talk to her husband. “I called and Will tried to lie and tell me everything was okay but she was sick all day and you weren’t there.”
“I… took a meeting with Kal. I was here for the worst of it, Liz. She mostly slept all day after that.”
“I’m coming.”
“No… if you come… wait until after David’s party. I just… want him to feel like his world is not revolving around Beth, right now.”
“Don’t put her back in there, Max.”
“I hope we won’t have to. In a couple of days, we’ll do another scan. She’s doing a lot better today.”
“I can’t just sit here and do nothing.” Liz sank down onto the couch. “Can I talk to her?”
“Hold on.” Max peered down at his daughter. She looked like she was sleeping. She sounded like she was sleeping. “Beth? Sweetie?”
“Hmm?”
“Mom wants to talk to you.”
Without even looking, she reached for the phone and put it to her ear. “Hi Mom… I’m doing better. I haven’t had a tickle since yesterday morning… I know… I love you too… Okay… okay… okay… no, you don’t have to come… but one more episode like yesterday and Dad will make you come… I’d rather have you get me into a bath than Dad is why… okay… okay… I love you, too… OKAY… Mom… Mom… it was just a little setback and it probably means I’m going to get better sooner.” Beth finally opened her eyes. “Okay… I will… want to talk to Dad? … Okay, it was just a question. Bye, Mom.” She folded up the cell and handed it back. “You’re in the doghouse… and you’d probably fit in the one Davey built.”
Max took the phone back and set it on the nightstand. “Do you want her to come?”
“Yes… but… if she comes, she’d going to get crazier than she is now.”
--
Lauren grabbed her things as the relief came on shift. She was almost out the door when Serena stopped her. “Wait, I said.”
“What?” Lauren saw the envelope in her face and just blinked at it.
“Road trip money.”
Right, she had lied about wanting to donate blood. “Thanks.” She stood there for a moment, her book bag over her shoulder. “I appreciate it but I could have just… donated a pint and been on my way.”
“Don’t sell your blood. You don’t know who’s gonna get it.”
That stung. Lauren just shook her head. For a grown woman, Serena was pretty immature. “Right. Wouldn’t want to accidentally give life to someone who deserves it more than I do. I’m just a test tube mistake.” She shoved her way out the doors, amid a bunch of biologists and headed straight home. She hadn’t actually planned to go out of town but now, she definitely needed it. Santa Fe was just too small at the moment. She tossed a bunch of clothes into a duffel and stopped to look at the bottom drawer of her dresser. She hesitated, not knowing if she really wanted to know, but retrieved the folder of numbers and shoved it into her bag. Locking up the apartment as well as she could, leaving a note for her roommate and she headed to the bus station. She’d figure it out when she got there.
--
Sebastien sat there waiting. Donna Jo had said she was just going to be a minute but that was fifteen minutes ago. He flipped a few more channels on her living room TV and waited some more. When she finally returned, she had changed her outfit from the workout clothes she had been in before. “Sorry, I took so long. I was just gonna change and then I saw the message light blinking and it was my parents, so I had to call them back. Are you hungry?”
He blinked at her. She talked so fast. “Um, sure. Come to think of it, I haven’t eaten today.”
“Sebastien… it’s two o’clock. You didn’t eat breakfast?” She pulled him up to lead him into the kitchen. “What do you feel like eating? Chances are Mom left plenty prepared with oven instructions in either the fridge or freezer.”
“With post-its or printed labels?” He grinned.
“Post-its… why would she print out labels for stuff I gotta wash?”
“Isabel prints them out on these removable stickers so that the instructions are clear whether you read them on her message pad or on the bowl itself. She’s a little…”
“Who’s Isabel?”
“Dad’s girlfriend. She’s nice but she gets a little crazy sometimes.” He shrugged and watched her move around the kitchen getting glasses and pouring water. “So, what’s on the day’s menu?”
“I don’t know about you but I’m in the mood for something substantial. I just worked off like… a thousand calories or something and I think that either chicken casserole or some rinky dink pizza that my dad likes…”
“Hmm… that pizza doesn’t sound very good. I think the chicken casserole will do just fine.” He teased and tried not to laugh too hard when her stomach grumbled. “Starving?”
“A little.” She blushed and pulled the casserole and turned on the oven. “It’s gonna take like… half an hour or something. You don’t mind waiting?”
“We’ll just have to find something to occupy our time until lunch is served.”
--
Michael backed away from the bike slowly and watched his son take off, wobbling this way and that. Then Matthew had to open his mouth. “Daddy’s not holdin’ on!”
Stephen’s head whipped around and then the whole bike just tipped over. Michael motioned for Matthew to stay where he was as he raced to check for skinned hands and knees. “You were doing good, kid.”
“You let go.” Stephen pouted and examined the gravel biting into his palm.
“It’s okay. You’ll be okay. Just… get up and try again.”
“I can’t do it.”
“Yeah you can, you were doing it for five yards before you noticed I wasn’t holding on. I fell more than a few times learning to ride too.” He caught the skeptical look on his son’s face. “Well, I did. Plenty of times. Got cuts and bruises on my hands, my knees and one time on my head… One time, I didn’t know how to work the brakes and I flipped over a guard rail, nearly ripped open my arm.” He showed him the scar on the inside of his bicep. “Then when I was learning to ride my first dirt bike… I came home bleeding all the time.”
“Did your daddy take care of your cuts?” The question was innocent enough but it stung all the same. Michael didn’t know how to answer that question as he carefully brushed out the gravel. “Is it bleeding?”
“No, just a scratch. How’s the knee?”
“Squishy.” Stephen grimaced as he bent it so he could roll up his jeans. There at the knee was a patch of blood… but nothing fatal. “Am I gonna bleed to death?”
“Only if you managed to become hemophiliac since birth. It’s okay. You want to keep trying?”
“Did he fall?” Came the call from the house.
“I’m okay!” Stephen got to his feet and called back.
“Michael! Matthew’s too close to the street!”
“I know where he is!” Michael called back and set the bike back on its tires. “So… want to try to ride it back?”
“But you have to hold on this time.”
--
Beth actually enjoyed her lunch and felt stronger than she had in a few days. She watched her father flip through the channels and grunt occasionally about the number of channels versus the watchable programming. “If you didn’t have to drag me around, what would you do with a few days in L.A.?”
Max turned at the question and had to wonder how her mind worked. “I don’t know. Why?”
“Cause you took me to all those places that I wanted to go but those are my things. What are your things?” She took a breath and blinked at him in a way that distinctly reminded him of Liz. “You’re not a doctor and a father foremost. You are Max Evans and aside from being an alien king, you’re a person and I was wondering what that person likes to do when he’s not being any of those three things.”
“Well, I like to watch basketball… and the Simpsons reruns. I like a juicy steak prepared just right… Um… I like to take long naps on my days off. I used to work out but ever since Kathy and Danny moved away… I haven’t kept up.”
“What kind of music are you in the mood for?”
“Right now?”
“Yeah.”
“Some Crows I guess.”
“Come on, Dad, you’re not that sad, are you?”
“Who have you been talking to?”
“Danny. He said when you’re sad, you listen to Counting Crows… that’s what Michael told him.”
“Honestly, I don’t think I’ve listened to them in years.” Max shook his head and pushed his plate away. “In high school… I definitely listened at least once a week, at least twice at a sitting.”
“Is everyone tortured in high school?”
“I think it’s a rite of passage.”
“Really, Dad, if you had a choice about what you were going to do while in L.A…. aside from griping at the TV.”
“I’d take Mom someplace nice.”
“Dad. Think of yourself.”
“Nothing makes me happier than seeing your mother happy.”
--
The Fate of Destiny Part 181E CC/UC ADULT 09/02/10 COMPLETE
Moderators: Anniepoo98, Itzstacie, truelovepooh, Erina, Forum Moderators
--
Will felt like his attention was wavering. “So, what did you do last night?”
“Stayed in. Jilled for a while.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Thought of you while I did it.”
“Oh… you’re pure evil.” He breathed out when he connected the dots.
“What did you do last night?”
“Stayed in. Slept with a pretty brunette.”
“You had better be talking about my little sister.”
Will burst out laughing. “Okay. What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing.”
“Do you have any idea how absurd that just sounded?”
“What did you and Beth do last night?”
“Nothing. She wasn’t feeling good. I got out of there this morning. I’m just glad your dad knows about us or else it’d be twice in two weeks he’s found me in bed with one of his daughters.”
“Will Goldblum… how did you know about Dr. West and Lauren Allison?”
“Beth mentioned something… I didn’t want to tattle but I figured you’d want to know.”
“It is interesting.”
“What are you going to do today?”
“More of what I did last night. Want to join me?”
“I… uh… would love to… but… Your dad could call me at any minute and I don’t want to be in the middle of phone sex when he does.”
--
Sebastien poked at his chicken casserole and felt nothing but awkward. Donna Jo looked like she was going to cry. “I didn’t mean it the way it sounded but you should have told me... before." He took a deep breath and looked at her, not the seducer she had been before but fragile. “I could have made it better.”
“I just… wanted you to be my first.”
“But you gotta tell a guy that, Donna Jo. If he gets scared off, he’s…” Sebastien shut his eyes because he was an asshole. He was looking for a lay and he found one… royally screwing over a girl who was obviously infatuated in the process. “That’s it. I’m declaring a do-over.”
“A do-over? We’re not five and… you can’t do-over a first time.” Donna Jo found a little of her backbone.
“I don’t care. Let’s go back in there and do it right.” Sebastien got to his feet and pulled off his shirt once more. “I’m talking the works. Foreplay, cunnilingus… everything.”
“Sebastien…”
“I’m serious. Get your clothes off. We’re doing this right.”
--
Liz welcomed home her son, who looked dirty and happy. “So… how’d it go?”
“I shot two rabbits… they tasted all right, I guess.” He shrugged and reached back to grab a bag to put away for his grandfather. “The first time… I kind of zoned out but the second time…”
“Ah… so… now that you’ve shot and eaten a rabbit, you think you can dance with a girl without getting weak in the knees and swooning?”
“I never swooned.” He protested and nodded to the tupperware in the passenger seat. “I’m hungry but not that hungry.”
“Those aren’t for you.” She ruffled his hair. “After you shower, I’m taking you out to eat. First, we’re making a stop.” She turned and hugged her Dad. “Have fun?”
“It’s easier on the old bones when you have a mule to do all the heavy lifting.” Jeff kissed her cheek. “Have you heard?”
“It’s not… She’s okay but it’s tough.” Liz nodded and hugged her baby closer. “It just kills me that I’m not there.”
“Go, we’ll take care of Davey for you.” Jeff ruffled the boy’s hair.
“I want to go but… Max keeps finding excuses to keep me here.” Liz sighed but she couldn’t get angry just now. “He’s… come into some sensitive information that he doesn’t want Beth to know and… She reads me loud and clear as if… I don’t know… we both agree that she shouldn’t know just now.”
“If you decide you need to go…”
“Yeah, Mom… I can stay here.” Davey piped up.
“I’ll think about it. Come on.” Liz turned and opened the door so David could greet his puppy where he panted happily in a box in the back of the van. “Dad, thank you for taking him. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Bye sweetie.” He kissed her cheek again. Then he waved to David as the boy climbed into the van. “Remember our talk. Just be you. Just David.”
“Thanks, Grampa.”
“Bye, Dad.” Liz climbed in and steered them over across town. “So… ho w was it really?”
“It was fun… hey mom.” David paused in his attentions to Sterling to lean forward to see his mother’s face. “Has Dad ever been hunting?”
“No… not hunting… He’s been fishing. He used to go with his dad sometimes.” She watched his face in the rearview. “What’s wrong?”
“Mr. Valenti was saying that… never mind.”
“Go on. Ask me.”
“If… how… He says that Dad is probably the most dangerous person he’s ever met but that he’s also the most harmless and I don’t understand how that is. He says I’m just like dad.”
“Oh, I see.” Liz pulled into a parking spot and turned to face her son. “Dad’s pretty powerful. He could kill someone just by touching them… I’m not all that certain he would need to touch them at all if he wanted them dead.” She touched his face. “But Dad doesn’t work that way. In high school… A bunch of guys beat him up. He didn’t even fight back. Not once and you know he was scared. He was probably out of his mind with fear but he didn’t use his powers on them… because they could get hurt.”
“But… not even to get away?”
“No.”
“But… Mr. Valenti said that Dad killed something. He hunted something in the woods.”
“Oh…” Liz nodded. “It was a bad guy. He had been stalking us. Something had to be done. Dad and Michael and Mr. Valenti went out into the woods looking for it. They killed it but… Dad got hurt. He hesitated because… the bad guys… they don’t wear black hats and carrying evil looking guns. They look just like regular people. Dad is a healer. He doesn’t misunderstand his place on this earth. He’s here to help. So… even though he has the power, in his hands, to make people afraid of him, he chooses to befriend and gain their trust... because he's’a good man... and someday you’ll be just like him.” He just nodded. “You think that over… I’ll be right back.”
Liz hopped out of the van and tried to balance her purse and the tupperware as she made her way through the complex to the number she had memorized that morning. Knocking, she was greeted by three pairs of eyes peering out of a window. “Hi.” She called in through the screen. “I’m Mrs. Evans, Beth’s mom… Is Gabriel home?”
“What are you guys doing? Get away from there. You creep people out when you do that.” A deep voice came from inside before the wood door opened to reveal a sleepy young man. “Mrs. Evans?”
“Hi, can I come in?”
“Is everything ok?” He unlatched the screen door and let her in. “Don’t mind the mess. I’ve been sleeping all day and the kids have been running wild.”
“Have they been working you hard?”
“Got a shipment in yesterday and the orders were big. Everyone came to collect at the same time. No one got a break.” He motioned her to sit at the kitchen table while he cleared off his papers. “I was working on my column until deadline.”
“So, until three?” Liz gave him a tight smile.
“Pretty much.” He shrugged and took a seat. “I may have to quit when classes start up.”
“The lumberyard or the paper?”
“The paper.”
“Max worked at the lumberyard when we first got married. Long hours but the pay was worth it for a while.”
“Just a while?”
“He missed a lot of the little things when Danny and Kathy were little. He did it for a year and a half. It was hard… on all of us.” Liz set the tupperware on the table. “Everyone was gone this weekend. I got to cooking and there’s no way Davey and I can eat all the leftovers by ourselves. There’s a spinach lasagna and one with a meat sauce… if they…” She gestured to their audience.
“Thanks… you didn’t have to.” Gabriel nodded to his hands, for the first time in his recollection feeling like he had something to hide, like he was lacking in some way. “The boys are carnivores. Eva and I are the only herbivores in this house.”
“There’s also a jello salad in one of those.” Liz cleared her throat and reached for her purse. “Beth is… on a break from her treatments. Max says they’re going to wait a few days to do some tests to see if she needs more but… um… he’s been running around himself…” She dug through to find the envelope she had prepared that morning. “It’s the number for the hotel and some, um… calling cards cause I know the calls are expensive…”
“Is she okay?”
“She’s been sick but… um… I think it would do her some good to hear from someone other than her mother.” Liz knew she was tearing up but she figured if she didn’t wipe her eyes, he wouldn’t know. “She was feeling better when I talked to her earlier."
“Thanks. I appreciate this, really.” He took the envelope, his fingers already itching to dial. “When do they think…”
“They have to wait on the next round of tests and Max doesn’t want to put her through them until she’s stronger… yesterday was… a rough day.”
“I’ll call her later… and thanks… again… for the food. I’m not the best cook and they might riot after they find out what other people get to eat.” Gabriel passed off the containers to his brothers who were impatient to eat something that didn’t involve powder packets and microwaves.
“You know… if you need some help, just ask. I’m sure we could work something out… so maybe you don’t have to quit your job at the paper, too.” Liz stood up. “I have to go. I left David in the car.”
“Thanks, again.” He rose to see her to the door and touched her shoulder before she turned. “Thanks for giving me another chance.”
“I… lost contact with my parents when I chose my husband over their advice… and I don’t want that to happen to me and Beth. So, it’ll be worth it if I feel that you realize what it is I’m asking of you.”
“If I break her heart… I’ll hand you the sword to cut off my head.”
--
“Hello?” Max answered his phone. “Who?” He handed the phone to Beth. “Are you giving out my number?”
“Hello?” She slipped the phone between her ear and shoulder while she tied her new Chucks, courtesy of Will.
“Hey there, wild child.”
“Lauren? Is that you?”
“Yeah. I’m taking a sabbatical from my life and I ended up on a bus to L.A. Now… I’m walking down a strip with no clue where I’m going but I know you said you were staying somewhere in the city. Mind if I crash?”
“Hold on.” She picked up her head. “Hey Dad. Can I have a roommate for a few days?”
“Are you inviting strangers over?” Max groaned and ran a hand over his face.
“Please? I need girlfriend time, no offense to the two of you but…”
“Do I know this person?”
“You don’t but Will met her. Come on. Now you won’t have to worry that I’m bored and sleeping all day if there’s someone to entertain me while you’re off on all your meetings.” She pleaded.
“Fine. But I get to grill her first. If I feel… it’s too risky…”
“It’s cool.” Beth spoke into the phone. “And he’s not crazy, he’s just overprotective.”
“How’s that?”
“You’ll see when you get here. Let me get Will to give you directions.” Beth handed off the phone with a big cheesy grin.
“She’s in a better mood already. I think I like this Lauren person.” Max mused aloud.
“You think you could handle two of these?” Will pointed to the bouncing Beth on the couch.
--
Sebastien rested his head in Donna Jo’s neck while he caught his breath. She just kept whispering over and over, her chest heaving beneath his. Her hands slid up his back and down his arms. “Oh… my… Oh… my… Sebastien… oh… holy… I could’ve had that… an hour ago?”
“Yeah…” Sebastien carefully moved off of her to stretch out beside her.
“No… don’t go…”
“I’m right here.” He looked over her naked, sweaty body. If only he could get a guarantee that Cambridge girls would be built like this. “Now… we can go eat that… chicken thing.”
Before he could move a muscle, she was kissing him desperately. And damn if she could kiss.
--
Jesse paced the living room. “He made breakfast this morning and disappeared before I got there. He hasn’t been home all day. His phone is off and I had three girls calling the house in tears looking for him.”
“He’s a young man. They break hearts.” Jim tried to help.
“It’s been stressful these past few days.” Isabel tried to explain. “Sebastien hasn’t spoken to Jesse in days. He’s just… really upset.”
“I don’t want him leaving like this.” Jesse sank into a chair.
Berty cleared her throat. “What happened?”
--
Beth got up to hug Lauren when Will let her in. “Hi.”
“Hi… oh my god…” Lauren looked her over. She did not look like the girl she had met a week ago. “Are you okay?”
“Just tired. A little weak but okay.” She turned to her father. “Lauren Allison, Max Evans. Meet.”
“Nice to meet you.” Lauren held out her hand.
“Pleasure.” Max shook it. “I’m going to grab us some dinner.”
“And I’m going with him.” Will pointed to the door. “Don’t… burn down the hotel.”
“Go away.” Beth tossed a pillow at him. “So… what’s going on? Why’d you run away?”
TBC
Will felt like his attention was wavering. “So, what did you do last night?”
“Stayed in. Jilled for a while.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Thought of you while I did it.”
“Oh… you’re pure evil.” He breathed out when he connected the dots.
“What did you do last night?”
“Stayed in. Slept with a pretty brunette.”
“You had better be talking about my little sister.”
Will burst out laughing. “Okay. What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing.”
“Do you have any idea how absurd that just sounded?”
“What did you and Beth do last night?”
“Nothing. She wasn’t feeling good. I got out of there this morning. I’m just glad your dad knows about us or else it’d be twice in two weeks he’s found me in bed with one of his daughters.”
“Will Goldblum… how did you know about Dr. West and Lauren Allison?”
“Beth mentioned something… I didn’t want to tattle but I figured you’d want to know.”
“It is interesting.”
“What are you going to do today?”
“More of what I did last night. Want to join me?”
“I… uh… would love to… but… Your dad could call me at any minute and I don’t want to be in the middle of phone sex when he does.”
--
Sebastien poked at his chicken casserole and felt nothing but awkward. Donna Jo looked like she was going to cry. “I didn’t mean it the way it sounded but you should have told me... before." He took a deep breath and looked at her, not the seducer she had been before but fragile. “I could have made it better.”
“I just… wanted you to be my first.”
“But you gotta tell a guy that, Donna Jo. If he gets scared off, he’s…” Sebastien shut his eyes because he was an asshole. He was looking for a lay and he found one… royally screwing over a girl who was obviously infatuated in the process. “That’s it. I’m declaring a do-over.”
“A do-over? We’re not five and… you can’t do-over a first time.” Donna Jo found a little of her backbone.
“I don’t care. Let’s go back in there and do it right.” Sebastien got to his feet and pulled off his shirt once more. “I’m talking the works. Foreplay, cunnilingus… everything.”
“Sebastien…”
“I’m serious. Get your clothes off. We’re doing this right.”
--
Liz welcomed home her son, who looked dirty and happy. “So… how’d it go?”
“I shot two rabbits… they tasted all right, I guess.” He shrugged and reached back to grab a bag to put away for his grandfather. “The first time… I kind of zoned out but the second time…”
“Ah… so… now that you’ve shot and eaten a rabbit, you think you can dance with a girl without getting weak in the knees and swooning?”
“I never swooned.” He protested and nodded to the tupperware in the passenger seat. “I’m hungry but not that hungry.”
“Those aren’t for you.” She ruffled his hair. “After you shower, I’m taking you out to eat. First, we’re making a stop.” She turned and hugged her Dad. “Have fun?”
“It’s easier on the old bones when you have a mule to do all the heavy lifting.” Jeff kissed her cheek. “Have you heard?”
“It’s not… She’s okay but it’s tough.” Liz nodded and hugged her baby closer. “It just kills me that I’m not there.”
“Go, we’ll take care of Davey for you.” Jeff ruffled the boy’s hair.
“I want to go but… Max keeps finding excuses to keep me here.” Liz sighed but she couldn’t get angry just now. “He’s… come into some sensitive information that he doesn’t want Beth to know and… She reads me loud and clear as if… I don’t know… we both agree that she shouldn’t know just now.”
“If you decide you need to go…”
“Yeah, Mom… I can stay here.” Davey piped up.
“I’ll think about it. Come on.” Liz turned and opened the door so David could greet his puppy where he panted happily in a box in the back of the van. “Dad, thank you for taking him. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Bye sweetie.” He kissed her cheek again. Then he waved to David as the boy climbed into the van. “Remember our talk. Just be you. Just David.”
“Thanks, Grampa.”
“Bye, Dad.” Liz climbed in and steered them over across town. “So… ho w was it really?”
“It was fun… hey mom.” David paused in his attentions to Sterling to lean forward to see his mother’s face. “Has Dad ever been hunting?”
“No… not hunting… He’s been fishing. He used to go with his dad sometimes.” She watched his face in the rearview. “What’s wrong?”
“Mr. Valenti was saying that… never mind.”
“Go on. Ask me.”
“If… how… He says that Dad is probably the most dangerous person he’s ever met but that he’s also the most harmless and I don’t understand how that is. He says I’m just like dad.”
“Oh, I see.” Liz pulled into a parking spot and turned to face her son. “Dad’s pretty powerful. He could kill someone just by touching them… I’m not all that certain he would need to touch them at all if he wanted them dead.” She touched his face. “But Dad doesn’t work that way. In high school… A bunch of guys beat him up. He didn’t even fight back. Not once and you know he was scared. He was probably out of his mind with fear but he didn’t use his powers on them… because they could get hurt.”
“But… not even to get away?”
“No.”
“But… Mr. Valenti said that Dad killed something. He hunted something in the woods.”
“Oh…” Liz nodded. “It was a bad guy. He had been stalking us. Something had to be done. Dad and Michael and Mr. Valenti went out into the woods looking for it. They killed it but… Dad got hurt. He hesitated because… the bad guys… they don’t wear black hats and carrying evil looking guns. They look just like regular people. Dad is a healer. He doesn’t misunderstand his place on this earth. He’s here to help. So… even though he has the power, in his hands, to make people afraid of him, he chooses to befriend and gain their trust... because he's’a good man... and someday you’ll be just like him.” He just nodded. “You think that over… I’ll be right back.”
Liz hopped out of the van and tried to balance her purse and the tupperware as she made her way through the complex to the number she had memorized that morning. Knocking, she was greeted by three pairs of eyes peering out of a window. “Hi.” She called in through the screen. “I’m Mrs. Evans, Beth’s mom… Is Gabriel home?”
“What are you guys doing? Get away from there. You creep people out when you do that.” A deep voice came from inside before the wood door opened to reveal a sleepy young man. “Mrs. Evans?”
“Hi, can I come in?”
“Is everything ok?” He unlatched the screen door and let her in. “Don’t mind the mess. I’ve been sleeping all day and the kids have been running wild.”
“Have they been working you hard?”
“Got a shipment in yesterday and the orders were big. Everyone came to collect at the same time. No one got a break.” He motioned her to sit at the kitchen table while he cleared off his papers. “I was working on my column until deadline.”
“So, until three?” Liz gave him a tight smile.
“Pretty much.” He shrugged and took a seat. “I may have to quit when classes start up.”
“The lumberyard or the paper?”
“The paper.”
“Max worked at the lumberyard when we first got married. Long hours but the pay was worth it for a while.”
“Just a while?”
“He missed a lot of the little things when Danny and Kathy were little. He did it for a year and a half. It was hard… on all of us.” Liz set the tupperware on the table. “Everyone was gone this weekend. I got to cooking and there’s no way Davey and I can eat all the leftovers by ourselves. There’s a spinach lasagna and one with a meat sauce… if they…” She gestured to their audience.
“Thanks… you didn’t have to.” Gabriel nodded to his hands, for the first time in his recollection feeling like he had something to hide, like he was lacking in some way. “The boys are carnivores. Eva and I are the only herbivores in this house.”
“There’s also a jello salad in one of those.” Liz cleared her throat and reached for her purse. “Beth is… on a break from her treatments. Max says they’re going to wait a few days to do some tests to see if she needs more but… um… he’s been running around himself…” She dug through to find the envelope she had prepared that morning. “It’s the number for the hotel and some, um… calling cards cause I know the calls are expensive…”
“Is she okay?”
“She’s been sick but… um… I think it would do her some good to hear from someone other than her mother.” Liz knew she was tearing up but she figured if she didn’t wipe her eyes, he wouldn’t know. “She was feeling better when I talked to her earlier."
“Thanks. I appreciate this, really.” He took the envelope, his fingers already itching to dial. “When do they think…”
“They have to wait on the next round of tests and Max doesn’t want to put her through them until she’s stronger… yesterday was… a rough day.”
“I’ll call her later… and thanks… again… for the food. I’m not the best cook and they might riot after they find out what other people get to eat.” Gabriel passed off the containers to his brothers who were impatient to eat something that didn’t involve powder packets and microwaves.
“You know… if you need some help, just ask. I’m sure we could work something out… so maybe you don’t have to quit your job at the paper, too.” Liz stood up. “I have to go. I left David in the car.”
“Thanks, again.” He rose to see her to the door and touched her shoulder before she turned. “Thanks for giving me another chance.”
“I… lost contact with my parents when I chose my husband over their advice… and I don’t want that to happen to me and Beth. So, it’ll be worth it if I feel that you realize what it is I’m asking of you.”
“If I break her heart… I’ll hand you the sword to cut off my head.”
--
“Hello?” Max answered his phone. “Who?” He handed the phone to Beth. “Are you giving out my number?”
“Hello?” She slipped the phone between her ear and shoulder while she tied her new Chucks, courtesy of Will.
“Hey there, wild child.”
“Lauren? Is that you?”
“Yeah. I’m taking a sabbatical from my life and I ended up on a bus to L.A. Now… I’m walking down a strip with no clue where I’m going but I know you said you were staying somewhere in the city. Mind if I crash?”
“Hold on.” She picked up her head. “Hey Dad. Can I have a roommate for a few days?”
“Are you inviting strangers over?” Max groaned and ran a hand over his face.
“Please? I need girlfriend time, no offense to the two of you but…”
“Do I know this person?”
“You don’t but Will met her. Come on. Now you won’t have to worry that I’m bored and sleeping all day if there’s someone to entertain me while you’re off on all your meetings.” She pleaded.
“Fine. But I get to grill her first. If I feel… it’s too risky…”
“It’s cool.” Beth spoke into the phone. “And he’s not crazy, he’s just overprotective.”
“How’s that?”
“You’ll see when you get here. Let me get Will to give you directions.” Beth handed off the phone with a big cheesy grin.
“She’s in a better mood already. I think I like this Lauren person.” Max mused aloud.
“You think you could handle two of these?” Will pointed to the bouncing Beth on the couch.
--
Sebastien rested his head in Donna Jo’s neck while he caught his breath. She just kept whispering over and over, her chest heaving beneath his. Her hands slid up his back and down his arms. “Oh… my… Oh… my… Sebastien… oh… holy… I could’ve had that… an hour ago?”
“Yeah…” Sebastien carefully moved off of her to stretch out beside her.
“No… don’t go…”
“I’m right here.” He looked over her naked, sweaty body. If only he could get a guarantee that Cambridge girls would be built like this. “Now… we can go eat that… chicken thing.”
Before he could move a muscle, she was kissing him desperately. And damn if she could kiss.
--
Jesse paced the living room. “He made breakfast this morning and disappeared before I got there. He hasn’t been home all day. His phone is off and I had three girls calling the house in tears looking for him.”
“He’s a young man. They break hearts.” Jim tried to help.
“It’s been stressful these past few days.” Isabel tried to explain. “Sebastien hasn’t spoken to Jesse in days. He’s just… really upset.”
“I don’t want him leaving like this.” Jesse sank into a chair.
Berty cleared her throat. “What happened?”
--
Beth got up to hug Lauren when Will let her in. “Hi.”
“Hi… oh my god…” Lauren looked her over. She did not look like the girl she had met a week ago. “Are you okay?”
“Just tired. A little weak but okay.” She turned to her father. “Lauren Allison, Max Evans. Meet.”
“Nice to meet you.” Lauren held out her hand.
“Pleasure.” Max shook it. “I’m going to grab us some dinner.”
“And I’m going with him.” Will pointed to the door. “Don’t… burn down the hotel.”
“Go away.” Beth tossed a pillow at him. “So… what’s going on? Why’d you run away?”
TBC
Part 136
The Fate of Destiny Part 136
Serena closed her eyes and let Gia brush her hair out. Gia had been chattering on and on about something or other for ten minutes while she worked. Serena was just worried about what Lauren had said the morning before. She hadn’t meant to imply that Lauren was a mistake because of all the mistakes that were made in getting her into this world. If only the girl was able to grasp how important it was to keep herself untainted and out of the college’s system.
“So I told him, to his face this time and I think it sunk in. I said it loud and clear so the whole bar knew what was going on. ‘Daddy, I am a lesbian. I am becoming a very good chef. I am in love with a doctor of microbiology at the university and as soon as it’s legal… I hope to be married.’ That’s no pressure on you but I had to make him see that this isn’t just a college thing for me.” Gia chattered on and on, brushing out all the kinks in Serena’s hair from having it pulled back all day. “’A doctor, you say?’ That’s what he said to me. Once I had made my statement, he wanted to know all about you. Your specialty, where you grew up, how you got along with your co-workers. I think he’s ready to accept me in a relationship with a woman now. I bet if I had said that you were a tattoo artist or that you were a teacher or a singer-song-writer, he would have thrown a fit.”
“Did you tell him about Lauren?” She didn’t even think about the question as it passed over her lips. She just felt so relaxed after such a long and exhaustive day. Her eyes still burned from staring at numbers and cells all day.
“No, you told me not to. I don’t understand what the big deal is. So you have a kid. So you came by her in an unconventional manner. It’s okay. You don’t get along but there are so many factors. The manner by which she was conceived, your surprise when she showed up. Coming from that hellhole right before she ended up here… and her biological mother is dating a woman just a few years older than she is. I can see why Lauren is being the way she is. She needs to rebel against something and you’re the closest to a parent that she’s got. I mean… I bet she’s off having an orgy or something. Lying about road-tripping with Audry and Denise and all.”
“Lying?” Serena sat up straight.
“She didn’t go. I saw them at the theater before I came home. They haven’t seen her since last weekend. I bet she’s got a boyfriend or something she’s hiding.”
“She didn’t go with them?” Serena turned around. “I gave her money to go and she…”
“Ida and Mitchell saw her heading to the bus depot. She’s probably going to be back before the semester. Mitchell says she’s got a rare talent. That he’s only seen acting like that in boardrooms.” Gia leaned in to kiss her lips. “You’ll see. She’ll be famous and you’ll be the mother of the famous Lauren Allison. She even has a movie star name, don’t you think?”
--
“And you turned it down? Have you any idea who he is?” Lauren exclaimed and dropped her slice of pizza onto her plate before reaching for the remote. “Look at this.” She flipped through prime time programming. “Kal Langley. Kal Langley. Kal Langley. It would so be my dream to work on one of his projects.”
“I was really gonna be in a music video. With my hair turning gray and the puking every five minutes.” Beth shook her head. “Real sexy.”
“You haven’t vomited once since I’ve been here.” Lauren pointed out.
“I think it was an aftereffect of the treatment.” She shrugged. “It was pretty gross.”
The door opened, admitting Max too the sitting around and he had to look twice. “It’s starting to look like your room in here.”
“We’ll clean it up, I promise.” Beth flashed him her teeth. “Whatcha got behind your back?”
“Oh um… I was talking to your mother and apparently, this is a must.” He pulled a quart of ice cream out and set it on the table.
“You’re the best, Mr. E.” Lauren sat up to discard her pizza crumbs. “No need for bowls. Just a couple of spoons.”
“It’s eerie how she knew you two would say that.” He narrowed his eyes at her as he pulled the plastic spoons from his pocket. “Is there a handbook for girls? Because that’s not fair. I had to learn everything in the locker room.”
The phone rang and it was up to Max to answer it because the girls were still gabbing. “Yeah?”
“Um… Hi, Dr. Evans. This is Gabriel Silerio. I was wondering if Beth might… be able to talk on the phone.”
“Yeah, Gabe, hold on.” Max held out the phone to his daughter. “Some kid wants to talk to you.”
“Some kid?” Beth scrunched up her face, her mouth full of ice cream.
“I don’t know. Gabe something.” He shrugged and was almost bowled over when she raced for the phone.
“Gabriel?” She gasped into the phone. That little run from the couch to the phone was tiring in her weakened state.
“Don’t be too long.” Max pat her back and sat on the far end of the couch. He and Lauren sat in silence for a couple of minutes. “She could be awhile.”
“I’ll bet.” Lauren nodded. “She thinks that guy hung the moon or something.”
“It’s kind of gross… and I think I used to be like that in high school… I think I know how my friends felt now.” Max scooped some ice cream into a bowl for himself. “How did you meet Beth again?”
“I was carrying too many books and I couldn’t see. She was walking and wasn’t paying attention. I almost broke her nose.” She nodded to the carton.
“What’s your major?”
“Drama.”
“Do you listen to all the same crap she listens to?”
“And more. I actually like contemporary music.” She smiled, her eyes flicking to the disc-notebook open on the coffee table amidst paper plates, napkins and pizza crusts.
Max had to snicker at that. “She is weird.” He watched his daughter, so animated one moment and shy the next. “But she’s mine.”
“My dad used to say that.” Lauren had found herself missing her father in the past 24 hours while watching Dr. Evans and Beth interact.
“What does he do?”
“He was a teacher. So was my mom. They passed away a while back.”
“I’m sorry.”
“They wanted me to be a teacher but…”
“My father wanted me to be a lawyer.” Max shook his head. “He was disappointed but he got used to having a doctor for a son.” He looked at her and that sad look in her eyes that he knew he had himself from time to time. “They’d be proud so long as you’re happy.”
“That’s what Gia says.” She caught his look. “My biological mom’s girlfriend. She’s nice… a little… jejune.” She winced when he nodded. “She was obviously selected for her looks as opposed to her personality.” She shrugged. “Serena is like… your age and Gia is… I think she was my senior. A paltry three years age difference. It’s a little sickening.”
“My daughter, the older one, is dating a man ten years her senior but I think your mom wins that one.”
She nodded to herself and glanced at Beth who was still cooing into the phone. “So… is she really okay?”
“We’ll see. I think tomorrow is the day for the scans.” He let a spoonful of ice cream melt in his mouth. “Um… so, Beth said you ran away?”
“It’s a long story and I don’t feel like telling it again.” Lauren evaded the question but thought about all the reasons she had taken off. “I was wondering, and I think you’re probably not the one to ask but… how could someone go about finding their biological parents? It’s just… I’d like to know who my real father is.”
“You know who that guy is. He’s the one who raised you.” Max smiled sadly to himself. “I know what it’s like to not know where you come from. Sometimes it’s better just knowing where you are.”
“Oh… I… Beth didn’t say anything.” Lauren shook her head.
“Because the Evans weren’t just my adoptive parents. They were all I ever knew.”
“Did you know that you were adopted?”
“Yeah… we were six, my sister and I, when we were adopted.”
“I wish I had known.”
“I don’t think you do. I wasted some time with them wondering if they were just putting up with me because they got me and I wasn’t what they expected. That wall I put between us, hurt us both.” He watched her nod silently. “I was afraid to love them.” Tears filled his eyes for a moment. “Beth and I hit a rough patch and she pulled away from me and it near killed me. I can’t imagine what my parents must have felt.”
“I was 12 when I found out.” Lauren wiped at her eyes. “They were already dead when the lawyers placed me in a foster home because they didn’t know where I was supposed to go. I spent six years with abusive… assholes and then the woman who lent her DNA to me, didn’t want me and neither did the woman who carried me for nine months.”
“But the Allisons did. They wanted you. They loved you. They didn’t abandon you.” Max couldn’t believe her story. It was just… too close to home. This one girl had managed to live both the dream and the nightmare.
“But it means that I don’t have a family anymore. My biological mom puts up with me because I forced her to allow me into her life. I was just… I know I’m 21 and I should be getting myself a career and a life but… My other mom and dad, the ones who were caring for me for nine months and decided they didn’t want me because of a mistake in a lab somewhere… what if they’ve changed their minds in the last three years?”
“I suppose it’s always a possibility.”
“That’s what the case worker said when I asked her if they’d change their minds in the future.” Lauren shook her head. “I didn’t mean to unload on you. You remind me of my dad.”
“Thank you. I’ll take that as a compliment.”
--
Will sipped his scotch. “I don’t miss being married to her. Our marriage was awful.” He winced just remembering it. He didn’t often reveal so much about himself but being away from Kat, Beth’s stuff and the booze did a lot to free his lips. “Granted, some of it was beyond our control but that experience alone could turn me off of marriage for good.”
“Being single forever doesn’t appeal to me. Mom was alone my whole life, like she was paying penance or something.” Genevieve stretched her arms up over her head. “I hate flying so much.”
“Unusual circumstances.” He shrugged off her remark. “What about your dad?”
“Never met him. Mom never showed me a picture. Never told me his name. I don’t even know if she hated him.”
“You didn’t try to find him yourself?”
“I’m a federal agent, aren’t I? Closest I can figure, he was married. My family is wealthy. They like to cover up their errors and those are damn hard to find, even with the right resources. I’m lucky that I wasn’t shipped off to a relative’s to be raised in a bigger lie.”
“That… sucks. Money always leaves a trail, though, somewhere.” Will agreed. “It’s stuff like that which makes me appreciate what an honest and open man Dr. Evans tries to be. Dr. Evans, the younger, has always known, I think. Since she was pretty young anyway that she wasn’t… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be telling you this.”
“She wasn’t what?”
He took a breath and shook his head, his brain fuzzy with alcohol. “It’s not a big deal. I mean, what is these days. The Evans make no big secret of it but Mrs. Evans is not Dr. Evans’s mother. Her birth mother died, well, at birth. They never hid it from her. She is… so well adjusted. She amazes me.”
“It’s not healthy to crush on your charges, Agent Goldblum, nor is it wise.”
“You can say that again.” He muttered as he downed another shot.
--
Sebastien wandered the party, bleary-eyed and buzzing. Running his hand along the walls, he managed to find his way to a vacant room to crash on the bed. It felt good to be unable to think. A few minutes later, Donna Jo found him. She straddled his waist and lay atop him, whispering reminders of their day at her house. A few minutes after that, he was experiencing the best blowjob he had ever had. For the second time that week, he found himself regretting his decision to go away to school.
When she was done with him, she bid him a sweet goodbye and left him on that strange bed to recover. He had no clue how much time he had spent on that bed while trying to get himself up and out the door to follow her home. When he felt a pair of hands on him, he didn’t think about it. It wasn’t until he was inside her that the fog began to clear and he realized it wasn’t Donna Jo on top of him. It took all his power, all his strength to extricate himself before he came inside her. Rage and shame built up in his chest. How could she think he could do that with her after everything?
“Sebastien…” Dana groaned in disappointment. “You’ve never left me hanging before.”
“What do you think you were doing?” He tried to catch his breath but his face was so hot and he felt so wrong.
“Oh come on… for old time’s sake?” Her hand slid up his back, her foot rubbing against his leg.
“That’s what the other day was for. I’m done with you.” He jerked his clothes back into place. All the good feelings Donna Jo had left him with were gone. The night, while not great to begin with, was tainted. He needed a shower… or another beer. “Just leave me alone.”
“Why do you have to be such a dick?”
“Why are you the biggest bitch I’ve ever met?” He called back and pushed his way out of the room and to the keg… which was empty. “What the hell is wrong with the world?”
“It’s just a beer man. Let’s go on a run.” Nicky pulled him towards the door. “So you made up with Dana?”
“No.” Sebastien grabbed someone’s beer on the way out, trying to wash the taste of her out of his mouth. He swished and spit it out the second he was out of the house. “I’m not going man. I’m heading home.”
“Did you tap her or not?”
“Doesn’t fucking matter. Take me home.” Seb reached for Nicky’s keys but Nicky was more sober and more coordinated.
“If I take you home like this, your grandma is gonna tell my grandma and we’re both dead.” Nicky pointed to the passenger seat. “Am I taking you to Isabel’s?”
“No. He’s there.” Seb shook his head and sank into the passenger seat. “You know where Donna Jo lives?”
“No.”
“Head toward Isabel’s.”
--
Kathy examined the samples by hand while Greg watched the door. “Am I going to get in trouble for this?” She didn’t answer him. “I just got my application in and if I don’t get my grant because of this.”
“Chill, it’s all on the razor’s edge. You could even get an extension on it if you play your cards right.”
Greg stared into the microscope and groaned. “So what are we looking for?”
“There are some markers in these samples. These two are simple. We need for them to have the same markers. They should.” She pointed to the print out. “It’s a basic genetic comparison. This sample is the grandparent of this sample.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Greg nodded as his lessons were being played out before his eyes.
“I’m done with that. I knew they’d match anyway. These on the other hand… Tell me what you see.”
“This is the parent.” He slid one finger to a sample then marked it with his pen. “This is the child… this is another child… another child but a different second parent. This one is… yet… hold on… This one and this one have really strange markers.” He glanced back at the first sheet of paper. “There are similar markers in all of these but this one… has the marker from two parents instead of one like these others.”
“You’re going to go far, Gregg but there’s something else here.”
“An unquantified gene? In two of the samples.”
“Right.”
“But… it’s… not a gene, exactly.”
Kathy nodded. She had seen it but she hadn’t believed it. “I have to confer with Dr. West on these but don’t talk to her until after you talk to me.”
--
Serena waited and waited. Eventually, Gia’s breathing evened out and her arm relaxed around Serena’s middle. Two minutes later, Gia rolled over and scratched at her belly button ring before her hand came to rest under her chin. The young woman did the same thing every night. As soon as the slender figures relaxed, Serena had picked up the phone and hit speed dial. “Jo, I know it’s late but we have a situation… I don’t know… Lauren told me she was going on a road trip and was going to donate plasma… I did stop her… I gave her the money but she lied to me… I don’t know where she is… Gia’s drama people said they saw her at the bus station… I know that… She can’t know what she can’t do if no one tells her, Jolene… and I agree.”
Serena listened for a moment, her eye on her lover for signs of waking. “Not to my knowledge… No, I didn’t. I have to draw the line somewhere and bugging her is the line… You don’t know how I feel. She’s most likely the only offspring I’ll ever have and possibly the biggest breakthrough on my work but I’ll never exploit that… I understand but… Jolene… No, she didn’t tell her friends where she was going… well, she’s a better actress than I ever gave her credit for.”
--
Liz scoffed into the phone. “You just let a strange girl into the room?”
“You should have seen the look in her eyes… and she’s doing a lot better… and your ice cream thing… How did you know?”
“They’re girls. We like bonding and ice cream. How long has Beth known her?”
“A couple of weeks. She’s a nice girl. She’s had a rough time.”
“Okay. How are you doing?”
“Not so good. Nothing seems to be working.”
“Is it because you’re scared?”
“It could be… I just… I don’t feel comfortable exploring that here. There are too many people and I trust Will but… I just… I am afraid… what if remembering changes me?”
“Are you willing to take the chance that you’re strong enough? I trust that you are.”
“I’m only going to make her do it one more time. I can’t do that again. I can’t watch her so weak. I know she’s the strongest of my children but to see her so…”
“Max, it’ll all be okay.”
“You’re just saying that to calm me down.”
“Maybe, but you need to hear it and I need to say it and… Max, we need her better.”
TBC
Serena closed her eyes and let Gia brush her hair out. Gia had been chattering on and on about something or other for ten minutes while she worked. Serena was just worried about what Lauren had said the morning before. She hadn’t meant to imply that Lauren was a mistake because of all the mistakes that were made in getting her into this world. If only the girl was able to grasp how important it was to keep herself untainted and out of the college’s system.
“So I told him, to his face this time and I think it sunk in. I said it loud and clear so the whole bar knew what was going on. ‘Daddy, I am a lesbian. I am becoming a very good chef. I am in love with a doctor of microbiology at the university and as soon as it’s legal… I hope to be married.’ That’s no pressure on you but I had to make him see that this isn’t just a college thing for me.” Gia chattered on and on, brushing out all the kinks in Serena’s hair from having it pulled back all day. “’A doctor, you say?’ That’s what he said to me. Once I had made my statement, he wanted to know all about you. Your specialty, where you grew up, how you got along with your co-workers. I think he’s ready to accept me in a relationship with a woman now. I bet if I had said that you were a tattoo artist or that you were a teacher or a singer-song-writer, he would have thrown a fit.”
“Did you tell him about Lauren?” She didn’t even think about the question as it passed over her lips. She just felt so relaxed after such a long and exhaustive day. Her eyes still burned from staring at numbers and cells all day.
“No, you told me not to. I don’t understand what the big deal is. So you have a kid. So you came by her in an unconventional manner. It’s okay. You don’t get along but there are so many factors. The manner by which she was conceived, your surprise when she showed up. Coming from that hellhole right before she ended up here… and her biological mother is dating a woman just a few years older than she is. I can see why Lauren is being the way she is. She needs to rebel against something and you’re the closest to a parent that she’s got. I mean… I bet she’s off having an orgy or something. Lying about road-tripping with Audry and Denise and all.”
“Lying?” Serena sat up straight.
“She didn’t go. I saw them at the theater before I came home. They haven’t seen her since last weekend. I bet she’s got a boyfriend or something she’s hiding.”
“She didn’t go with them?” Serena turned around. “I gave her money to go and she…”
“Ida and Mitchell saw her heading to the bus depot. She’s probably going to be back before the semester. Mitchell says she’s got a rare talent. That he’s only seen acting like that in boardrooms.” Gia leaned in to kiss her lips. “You’ll see. She’ll be famous and you’ll be the mother of the famous Lauren Allison. She even has a movie star name, don’t you think?”
--
“And you turned it down? Have you any idea who he is?” Lauren exclaimed and dropped her slice of pizza onto her plate before reaching for the remote. “Look at this.” She flipped through prime time programming. “Kal Langley. Kal Langley. Kal Langley. It would so be my dream to work on one of his projects.”
“I was really gonna be in a music video. With my hair turning gray and the puking every five minutes.” Beth shook her head. “Real sexy.”
“You haven’t vomited once since I’ve been here.” Lauren pointed out.
“I think it was an aftereffect of the treatment.” She shrugged. “It was pretty gross.”
The door opened, admitting Max too the sitting around and he had to look twice. “It’s starting to look like your room in here.”
“We’ll clean it up, I promise.” Beth flashed him her teeth. “Whatcha got behind your back?”
“Oh um… I was talking to your mother and apparently, this is a must.” He pulled a quart of ice cream out and set it on the table.
“You’re the best, Mr. E.” Lauren sat up to discard her pizza crumbs. “No need for bowls. Just a couple of spoons.”
“It’s eerie how she knew you two would say that.” He narrowed his eyes at her as he pulled the plastic spoons from his pocket. “Is there a handbook for girls? Because that’s not fair. I had to learn everything in the locker room.”
The phone rang and it was up to Max to answer it because the girls were still gabbing. “Yeah?”
“Um… Hi, Dr. Evans. This is Gabriel Silerio. I was wondering if Beth might… be able to talk on the phone.”
“Yeah, Gabe, hold on.” Max held out the phone to his daughter. “Some kid wants to talk to you.”
“Some kid?” Beth scrunched up her face, her mouth full of ice cream.
“I don’t know. Gabe something.” He shrugged and was almost bowled over when she raced for the phone.
“Gabriel?” She gasped into the phone. That little run from the couch to the phone was tiring in her weakened state.
“Don’t be too long.” Max pat her back and sat on the far end of the couch. He and Lauren sat in silence for a couple of minutes. “She could be awhile.”
“I’ll bet.” Lauren nodded. “She thinks that guy hung the moon or something.”
“It’s kind of gross… and I think I used to be like that in high school… I think I know how my friends felt now.” Max scooped some ice cream into a bowl for himself. “How did you meet Beth again?”
“I was carrying too many books and I couldn’t see. She was walking and wasn’t paying attention. I almost broke her nose.” She nodded to the carton.
“What’s your major?”
“Drama.”
“Do you listen to all the same crap she listens to?”
“And more. I actually like contemporary music.” She smiled, her eyes flicking to the disc-notebook open on the coffee table amidst paper plates, napkins and pizza crusts.
Max had to snicker at that. “She is weird.” He watched his daughter, so animated one moment and shy the next. “But she’s mine.”
“My dad used to say that.” Lauren had found herself missing her father in the past 24 hours while watching Dr. Evans and Beth interact.
“What does he do?”
“He was a teacher. So was my mom. They passed away a while back.”
“I’m sorry.”
“They wanted me to be a teacher but…”
“My father wanted me to be a lawyer.” Max shook his head. “He was disappointed but he got used to having a doctor for a son.” He looked at her and that sad look in her eyes that he knew he had himself from time to time. “They’d be proud so long as you’re happy.”
“That’s what Gia says.” She caught his look. “My biological mom’s girlfriend. She’s nice… a little… jejune.” She winced when he nodded. “She was obviously selected for her looks as opposed to her personality.” She shrugged. “Serena is like… your age and Gia is… I think she was my senior. A paltry three years age difference. It’s a little sickening.”
“My daughter, the older one, is dating a man ten years her senior but I think your mom wins that one.”
She nodded to herself and glanced at Beth who was still cooing into the phone. “So… is she really okay?”
“We’ll see. I think tomorrow is the day for the scans.” He let a spoonful of ice cream melt in his mouth. “Um… so, Beth said you ran away?”
“It’s a long story and I don’t feel like telling it again.” Lauren evaded the question but thought about all the reasons she had taken off. “I was wondering, and I think you’re probably not the one to ask but… how could someone go about finding their biological parents? It’s just… I’d like to know who my real father is.”
“You know who that guy is. He’s the one who raised you.” Max smiled sadly to himself. “I know what it’s like to not know where you come from. Sometimes it’s better just knowing where you are.”
“Oh… I… Beth didn’t say anything.” Lauren shook her head.
“Because the Evans weren’t just my adoptive parents. They were all I ever knew.”
“Did you know that you were adopted?”
“Yeah… we were six, my sister and I, when we were adopted.”
“I wish I had known.”
“I don’t think you do. I wasted some time with them wondering if they were just putting up with me because they got me and I wasn’t what they expected. That wall I put between us, hurt us both.” He watched her nod silently. “I was afraid to love them.” Tears filled his eyes for a moment. “Beth and I hit a rough patch and she pulled away from me and it near killed me. I can’t imagine what my parents must have felt.”
“I was 12 when I found out.” Lauren wiped at her eyes. “They were already dead when the lawyers placed me in a foster home because they didn’t know where I was supposed to go. I spent six years with abusive… assholes and then the woman who lent her DNA to me, didn’t want me and neither did the woman who carried me for nine months.”
“But the Allisons did. They wanted you. They loved you. They didn’t abandon you.” Max couldn’t believe her story. It was just… too close to home. This one girl had managed to live both the dream and the nightmare.
“But it means that I don’t have a family anymore. My biological mom puts up with me because I forced her to allow me into her life. I was just… I know I’m 21 and I should be getting myself a career and a life but… My other mom and dad, the ones who were caring for me for nine months and decided they didn’t want me because of a mistake in a lab somewhere… what if they’ve changed their minds in the last three years?”
“I suppose it’s always a possibility.”
“That’s what the case worker said when I asked her if they’d change their minds in the future.” Lauren shook her head. “I didn’t mean to unload on you. You remind me of my dad.”
“Thank you. I’ll take that as a compliment.”
--
Will sipped his scotch. “I don’t miss being married to her. Our marriage was awful.” He winced just remembering it. He didn’t often reveal so much about himself but being away from Kat, Beth’s stuff and the booze did a lot to free his lips. “Granted, some of it was beyond our control but that experience alone could turn me off of marriage for good.”
“Being single forever doesn’t appeal to me. Mom was alone my whole life, like she was paying penance or something.” Genevieve stretched her arms up over her head. “I hate flying so much.”
“Unusual circumstances.” He shrugged off her remark. “What about your dad?”
“Never met him. Mom never showed me a picture. Never told me his name. I don’t even know if she hated him.”
“You didn’t try to find him yourself?”
“I’m a federal agent, aren’t I? Closest I can figure, he was married. My family is wealthy. They like to cover up their errors and those are damn hard to find, even with the right resources. I’m lucky that I wasn’t shipped off to a relative’s to be raised in a bigger lie.”
“That… sucks. Money always leaves a trail, though, somewhere.” Will agreed. “It’s stuff like that which makes me appreciate what an honest and open man Dr. Evans tries to be. Dr. Evans, the younger, has always known, I think. Since she was pretty young anyway that she wasn’t… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be telling you this.”
“She wasn’t what?”
He took a breath and shook his head, his brain fuzzy with alcohol. “It’s not a big deal. I mean, what is these days. The Evans make no big secret of it but Mrs. Evans is not Dr. Evans’s mother. Her birth mother died, well, at birth. They never hid it from her. She is… so well adjusted. She amazes me.”
“It’s not healthy to crush on your charges, Agent Goldblum, nor is it wise.”
“You can say that again.” He muttered as he downed another shot.
--
Sebastien wandered the party, bleary-eyed and buzzing. Running his hand along the walls, he managed to find his way to a vacant room to crash on the bed. It felt good to be unable to think. A few minutes later, Donna Jo found him. She straddled his waist and lay atop him, whispering reminders of their day at her house. A few minutes after that, he was experiencing the best blowjob he had ever had. For the second time that week, he found himself regretting his decision to go away to school.
When she was done with him, she bid him a sweet goodbye and left him on that strange bed to recover. He had no clue how much time he had spent on that bed while trying to get himself up and out the door to follow her home. When he felt a pair of hands on him, he didn’t think about it. It wasn’t until he was inside her that the fog began to clear and he realized it wasn’t Donna Jo on top of him. It took all his power, all his strength to extricate himself before he came inside her. Rage and shame built up in his chest. How could she think he could do that with her after everything?
“Sebastien…” Dana groaned in disappointment. “You’ve never left me hanging before.”
“What do you think you were doing?” He tried to catch his breath but his face was so hot and he felt so wrong.
“Oh come on… for old time’s sake?” Her hand slid up his back, her foot rubbing against his leg.
“That’s what the other day was for. I’m done with you.” He jerked his clothes back into place. All the good feelings Donna Jo had left him with were gone. The night, while not great to begin with, was tainted. He needed a shower… or another beer. “Just leave me alone.”
“Why do you have to be such a dick?”
“Why are you the biggest bitch I’ve ever met?” He called back and pushed his way out of the room and to the keg… which was empty. “What the hell is wrong with the world?”
“It’s just a beer man. Let’s go on a run.” Nicky pulled him towards the door. “So you made up with Dana?”
“No.” Sebastien grabbed someone’s beer on the way out, trying to wash the taste of her out of his mouth. He swished and spit it out the second he was out of the house. “I’m not going man. I’m heading home.”
“Did you tap her or not?”
“Doesn’t fucking matter. Take me home.” Seb reached for Nicky’s keys but Nicky was more sober and more coordinated.
“If I take you home like this, your grandma is gonna tell my grandma and we’re both dead.” Nicky pointed to the passenger seat. “Am I taking you to Isabel’s?”
“No. He’s there.” Seb shook his head and sank into the passenger seat. “You know where Donna Jo lives?”
“No.”
“Head toward Isabel’s.”
--
Kathy examined the samples by hand while Greg watched the door. “Am I going to get in trouble for this?” She didn’t answer him. “I just got my application in and if I don’t get my grant because of this.”
“Chill, it’s all on the razor’s edge. You could even get an extension on it if you play your cards right.”
Greg stared into the microscope and groaned. “So what are we looking for?”
“There are some markers in these samples. These two are simple. We need for them to have the same markers. They should.” She pointed to the print out. “It’s a basic genetic comparison. This sample is the grandparent of this sample.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Greg nodded as his lessons were being played out before his eyes.
“I’m done with that. I knew they’d match anyway. These on the other hand… Tell me what you see.”
“This is the parent.” He slid one finger to a sample then marked it with his pen. “This is the child… this is another child… another child but a different second parent. This one is… yet… hold on… This one and this one have really strange markers.” He glanced back at the first sheet of paper. “There are similar markers in all of these but this one… has the marker from two parents instead of one like these others.”
“You’re going to go far, Gregg but there’s something else here.”
“An unquantified gene? In two of the samples.”
“Right.”
“But… it’s… not a gene, exactly.”
Kathy nodded. She had seen it but she hadn’t believed it. “I have to confer with Dr. West on these but don’t talk to her until after you talk to me.”
--
Serena waited and waited. Eventually, Gia’s breathing evened out and her arm relaxed around Serena’s middle. Two minutes later, Gia rolled over and scratched at her belly button ring before her hand came to rest under her chin. The young woman did the same thing every night. As soon as the slender figures relaxed, Serena had picked up the phone and hit speed dial. “Jo, I know it’s late but we have a situation… I don’t know… Lauren told me she was going on a road trip and was going to donate plasma… I did stop her… I gave her the money but she lied to me… I don’t know where she is… Gia’s drama people said they saw her at the bus station… I know that… She can’t know what she can’t do if no one tells her, Jolene… and I agree.”
Serena listened for a moment, her eye on her lover for signs of waking. “Not to my knowledge… No, I didn’t. I have to draw the line somewhere and bugging her is the line… You don’t know how I feel. She’s most likely the only offspring I’ll ever have and possibly the biggest breakthrough on my work but I’ll never exploit that… I understand but… Jolene… No, she didn’t tell her friends where she was going… well, she’s a better actress than I ever gave her credit for.”
--
Liz scoffed into the phone. “You just let a strange girl into the room?”
“You should have seen the look in her eyes… and she’s doing a lot better… and your ice cream thing… How did you know?”
“They’re girls. We like bonding and ice cream. How long has Beth known her?”
“A couple of weeks. She’s a nice girl. She’s had a rough time.”
“Okay. How are you doing?”
“Not so good. Nothing seems to be working.”
“Is it because you’re scared?”
“It could be… I just… I don’t feel comfortable exploring that here. There are too many people and I trust Will but… I just… I am afraid… what if remembering changes me?”
“Are you willing to take the chance that you’re strong enough? I trust that you are.”
“I’m only going to make her do it one more time. I can’t do that again. I can’t watch her so weak. I know she’s the strongest of my children but to see her so…”
“Max, it’ll all be okay.”
“You’re just saying that to calm me down.”
“Maybe, but you need to hear it and I need to say it and… Max, we need her better.”
TBC
Part 137
The Fate of Destiny Part 137
Sebastien woke with a killer hangover. He vaguely remembered the night before. He did remember an interesting shower and that probably accounted for his waking nude next to Donna Jo. Forcing his eyes open, he looked her over. Blonde hair, pink lips, soft skin, pale circles on those amazing breasts, flat and firm stomach and those strong thighs… and in between, that tight… where only he had been before. She made a few noises in her throat before she rolled over, showing him her perfectly sculpted ass.
"Donna…" Seb whispered, running his fingers down between her shoulder blades. "Donna Jo… D.J…"
"Sebastien…" She whined and rolled onto her back and then forced her eyes open. "My head hurts."
"How much did you drink last night?"
"A lot…" Her eyes closed against the morning light. She groaned again and shifted. "I’m never drinking again."
"I don’t know. You’re kind of fun when you drink." He pulled her close and kissed her neck. "We had some fun water games last night."
"I’d like to find out what those were but I have practice in… oooh…" She glanced at the clock. "Twenty minutes so I’m pretty sure I’m going to be late already."
--
Isabel poured Irene some coffee and winced when Jesse took on a tone at the door. "Dana… He wasn’t here last night."
"Then where did he go? He didn’t stay at Nicky’s."
"He hasn’t been home in days. I don’t know where he’s been staying."
"Is he cheating on me?"
"Cheating? Dana, he told us he broke up with you."
"He just says that. He doesn’t mean it."
"I’m pretty certain he does." Jesse cleared his throat. "He’s leaving, okay? You have to let him go."
"He loves me. He’s not going to leave without me."
"I think you need to go home. Sebastien is leaving, alone, for school in two days. He says you’re over. I don’t know what else to tell you."
Isabel had had enough. She stormed out there and she knew that little girl was scared of her. Good, she had better be. "I know what to tell you. Sebastien is tired of your crap. The lies and manipulations. I know all about that. You’d better think twice about lying to a family of lawyers. If you come forward with another ‘pregnancy’ in hopes of trapping a smart man like Sebastien again, I will be there with an order for a blood test." Isabel crossed her arms and watched the girl cower in the doorway. "Sebastien said it’s over. It’s over. Don’t come back here, don’t call my house. Jesse is too much of a gentleman to tell you to get the hell out but I won’t hesitate. I think what you’re doing is disgusting and I’m glad he’s rid of you and moving on to girls who aren’t nearly as cold and deceitful as you are."
--
Will groggily answered his phone. He had earned himself a day of rest, he'd felt, and someone had decided to take it away from him. "Agent Goldblum."
"Agent Goldblum this is the Cherry Springs Treatment—"
"What happened to Lily?" Will sat up and wished he had saved the drinking for the following night because he was going to need it.
"You're named as power of attorney for Lily Peterson-Gray."
"Yes, that's me. What happened?"
"Mr. Goldblum."
"Agent, actually. Just… tell me… did she attempt to take her own life again?"
"She did. We were able… We'd rather discuss this in person."
"Listen. I'm sure you're a nice woman and that you're very good at your job but I have to work. I'm on assignment, out of state, and I can't be there. I spent six months with her, three of which while she was signed into your institution and acclimated to her surroundings. I've done all I can in person. All I need for you to do… is to tell me what happened to Lily." Will covered his face and waited.
"She slit her wrists again. She's fine now. We've got her in constant supervision as she recovers. She is not a well woman… she's insisting on a hysterectomy. I felt I should discuss this with someone who knows her. We're not authorized to perform an operation like that."
"I know. How are her sessions going?"
"Not well, Agent Goldblum. This business with her ex-husband has us worried for her."
"She signed the papers then?"
"Two days ago."
"Okay. She's had it rough for… a long time. It was her third miscarriage and her second divorce. The Petersons, her parents, are very concerned for her and they don't want her in there. I believe she needs help to get better."
"As do I, but she needs an anchor."
"I was her anchor for eight years following our divorce."
"Pardon?"
"I'm her first ex-husband. She had her first miscarriage with me. I'm not saying that I'm shoving her off on you but I can't be at her beck and call anymore. It pains me to say it. I do wish her well. I hurt because she's like this. Lily and I grew up together and I just want what's best for her and if me running to her side all these years hasn't helped… I can only think that it hurts her."
"Perhaps you're right, Agent Goldblum. It still doesn't change the fact that I will have to call you with every decision she comes across."
"And I understand that. I just can't comfort her anymore. I hope you realize that I'm doing this because I do care."
"I understand. I will need you to sign some forms, prohibiting unnecessary surgery on her."
"I understand. I'll check my schedule. I can be there probably by the end of the week."
"May I suggest that while you're here… that you meet with Lily and explain the situation to her. There are probably things that you could tell her that I can't about your circumstances."
"I'll see you soon."
--
Max watched Beth and Lauren occupy themselves as they waited on the results from the scan. Beth had been up early and ready for it. Being around Lauren had seemed to let the teen regain some of her courage and Max was grateful for it. They looked funny, two girls with multicolored hair and funky shoes tapping out a rhythm with their feet in the waiting room. Beth had never expressed an interest in dance before but Max had to admit she was picking up quickly from Lauren, who it seemed had had lessons at some point.
Kal walked out holding the printout from an earlier test and pointed. "Still no good."
"I think the brain scan will show us something we can really work with." Max never took his eyes off his daughter, tapping in stilettos.
"Can I put her to work? She can pay off some of the money I’m losing on this little operation… which I don’t entirely mind if it works and I get to keep living like a human."
"I’d have to talk it over with her mother, first." Max shook his head. "But take her friend. She seems to think you’re a god."
"Not a bad look. Nice hair, too bad she colored it. Could use her in a commercial. Huh, if I didn’t know better, I’d say they were sisters." Kal left Max with the file and walked through the waiting room to engage the girls in a conversation. Immediately, Lauren nearly fell all over herself trying not to act like a total dope in front of the producer.
"Dr. Evans." The tech cleared his throat. "We’re ready to go over the scans with you."
--
Liz sat in Hannah Price’s office with Agent Seyton. The woman was unnerving. Oriel sat just outside with her boys. They were too loud, so they had to stay outside until Hannah got there. When Hannah breezed in, she glanced at the agent but ignored her in favor of greeting Liz amiably. "How is everything?"
"As good as can be expected." Liz managed a smile. "I get so nervous not having her with me."
"I’m sorry." Hannah pulled out the needles. "Shall we?"
"Yeah." Liz pushed up her sleeve. Soon the blood was taken and the hair pulled and tucked into its envelope. "Oriel’s outside."
"Oh really, tell her to come in."
"Agent Seyton, could you?" Liz turned to the woman. She hated lying to Hannah but it had to be done while neither the doctor or the agent was looking. Max and his brilliant idea with an Antarian lock for a briefcase.
--
Alex watched Lynnette watching the ducks on the water fountain. They weren’t supposed to feed the birds but a crust or two couldn’t hurt. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kissed her temple. "I love you."
She didn’t answer but she placed her hand on his thigh, leaning into him. "I don’t know if I want to leave Roswell."
"How much school do you have left?"
"At this rate? Two semesters."
"Do you want to wait and see what’s available here?"
"You can’t move here, there’s no work for you here."
"I could teach."
"That’s not what you do."
"But I could. All I have to do is pass the test and you and I both know it’ll be a breeze for me."
"I’m the teacher, okay? You can’t move back here." She smacked him across the chest and rose to stand on the edge of the fountain. After a moment, Alex got up to join her. "I’m sorry. This is a lot of pressure, Alex. Maybe in a year we’ll be ready to take that step but not now… don’t come here. You can write here but you can’t get produced or find artists here. Stay in Miami."
"Okay. I’ll take the pressure off."
"I want you, Alex… I just don’t want to feel like I need you. It’s scary."
"I know. I know it is… what’s scarier is that… if I leave without giving you the ring in my pocket… I’m gonna go crazy thinking I’ll never get it on your finger and that you’ll meet some normal guy who… who’s never broken your heart… and…"
"You bought a ring?" Her head whipped around. "A ring?"
--
Lauren knew it was bad when Dr. Evans asked Beth to join him on the balcony. They had left her alone with Kal Langley, which normally would have been a dream come true but she kept watching them. He was explaining to her about finding an agent and getting a manager and going to auditions but her eyes were on Beth as her posture slumped.
The teen sobbed and leaned on the railing. When Dr. Evans tried to comfort her, she turned on him with fists and feet… and he let her. She shouted, though Lauren couldn’t hear what about, and pulled at her own hair. He tried to stop her but she turned on him again. Then Lauren watched as Beth’s ankle turned beneath her and she went crashing to the ground, her father sinking down beside her to check it out.
He rocked the distraught girl against his body and then reached down to take off her boot to inspect the swelling ankle. Beth had reverted to sobbing heavily on her father’s shoulder while he massaged her ache but everyone knew it wasn’t the swelling in her foot that made her cry.
Kal cleared his throat. "I could probably get you into a shoot tomorrow. The kid has a treatment and you can’t go to that. They might let you stay with her until she goes in and you’ll see her when she comes out but… six hours in between, you’ve got to do something else."
"A shoot?"
"Headshots. I know a guy who does them for free while his buddy talks the actors into contracts. Get the headshots done but skip the agent. I won’t work with that guy."
"Do you think I’d actually get a job?"
He looked her over, squinting at her aura. "Why not? You’ve got the bod and the tude they’re looking for right now. I wanted her for a video but her dad said no. They still haven’t found a replacement for the hag who backed out."
--
Isabel looked up from her notes when Alex and Lynnette burst into her office. "Honey?"
"We’re engaged!" Alex threw his arms out wide.
"What?" She dropped her pen. "When?"
"Just now, in the park."
"Congratulations." She shot up to hug her son and his fiancée. "It is about time."
"What’s all the noise about?" Jesse peered in.
Lynnette turned to him and showed off the ring. "We’re engaged."
"Hey, congratulations." He hugged his cousin and his girlfriend’s kid. "Did we decide on anything or are we just happy about the ring?"
"We… got things out and into the air." Alex sobered a bit. "We’re not setting a date until after Lynnette graduates. I’m not going to buy a house yet. We’re going to sit down and do a lot of planning over Christmas while we examine our options."
"Meaning what?" Isabel shook her head, confused.
"Nothing’s decided for certain yet." Lynnette rushed in. "I’m going to look into state qualifications and job opportunities while I get my hours in… and Alex is going to see where else he can get work… once we agree on the place, we will get started on everything else. First the job, then the house and the dates and all that stuff."
"You just let me know as soon as you have a date set and I will plan the hell out of the wedding for you." Isabel promised. "Are you going to announce it?"
"Well… yeah, I guess… I have to get back to work soon, though." Alex winced.
"Tomorrow night." Jesse suggested. "Sebastien will still be here and I can get everyone to the house."
"Not your house... Tía." Lynnette reminded him. "Mom?"
"No, mine." Isabel insisted. "Which means we have to go shopping."
--
"Stop staring at me, you’re pissing me off." Beth griped at Kal, her good mood gone and her manners abandoned.
"Do you want to figure this out or not?"
"Do you have to stare?" She glared back at him and then sat up. She blinked at the alien. "You're sick."
"What?" Kal blinked back at her.
"You think I'm sexy. Oh God. You want me the alien way. God! Why do I always attract the pervs?"
"You're clean. You’ve got a pretty aura… don’t be so full of yourself. I’d never do someone so young." Kal answered with a shrug, unapologetic and not disputing her words. "You’re pure, though."
"Guess I could do the teenage statistic thing and become less appealing to aliens." She thought aloud. "When’s my dad coming back?"
"The tank is being inspected. This time could be it." Kal shrugged and cleared his throat when Lauren rejoined them. "Given any more thought to my offer?"
"Hey, why not? Do I have to give you 10 percent?" Lauren examined her make up in a hand mirror.
"Kid, I’m the one making the money off the video… you’re getting a couple of bills."
"Whatever. It’s cool." Lauren watched Beth pout and couldn’t decide whether or not to keep her mouth shut. "Are you okay?"
"I’ll be fine… I just… don’t want any more treatments. They said just one more time… that should be it." Beth wiped roughly at her eyes. She looked up at her father when he entered the room. "What? What now?"
"Um… nothing too serious, I guess…" Max shoved his hands into his pockets. "You need a blood transfusion… They’re on the phone to Kat right now… to see who we’re getting the blood from." He saw the look on her face. "It’s nothing really… you’re just a little anemic and we don’t have time to correct in your diet… I don’t want to pump you full of pills before we do this… it’s just… safer to transfuse."
"Why is it a big deal? You can transfuse me like you did when I got run over." Beth felt like she was sinking.
"It’s not a big deal." Max tired to shrug it off but he knew he couldn’t change his aura. "In the hospital, all the blood matched but all of us who transfused you have the same genetic defect. It’s a syndrome that is not active but still can muck up the works. It’s probably the main reason you accumulated the block and why it’s so difficult to get you to respond to treatment." He paused and shut his eyes. "It’s actually a good thing we had to remove your spleen or else it would be worse by now."
"Wait… I have this genetic defect?"
"It’s not really a bad thing. I… and all of your donors have it and the strong possibility for um… crap to happen but you’re a carrier who just got a load dumped into her system. Your second X-chromosomes are a little funky. They think a transfusion with someone else who is like you will do better…"
"Like Kat?"
"Maybe… looking into it. It doesn’t mean something’s wrong it’s just… a genetic anomaly at this point and it’s mucking up the works."
"Like the residue in my brain."
"Kind of only the residue isn’t supposed to be there. This transfusion thing worked on brothers, we’ll see if it works on sisters." Max knelt down in front of her. "This isn’t you. It’s because of me. I have a blood defect and you have it. Danny has it, Davey, Michael… Aunt Isabel… We’re carriers for something that was passed on to us. It’s not another thing. It’s just an obstacle we didn’t see."
"What is this genetic defect?" Lauren cut in.
"It’s um… the way antibodies react in the blood stream. They all act a certain way and with anemia… it gets tricky because if the blood doesn’t match, the antibodies kill blood cells instead of infection… and being low on red blood cells, could be dangerous." Max could see he was losing them. He was a bit lost himself. "It’s not a big deal, I promise." He turned when a doctor stepped out of the office and handed him a phone. "Who is it?"
"Dr. Evans in Santa Fe. She says she knows where to get a donor."
TBC
Back with a link. Been working on these for a couple of days on and off and I think I got most of them the way I like them... Berty again looks cartoony but less so than before. http://riddickdm.tripod.com/fiction/fod.html
Sebastien woke with a killer hangover. He vaguely remembered the night before. He did remember an interesting shower and that probably accounted for his waking nude next to Donna Jo. Forcing his eyes open, he looked her over. Blonde hair, pink lips, soft skin, pale circles on those amazing breasts, flat and firm stomach and those strong thighs… and in between, that tight… where only he had been before. She made a few noises in her throat before she rolled over, showing him her perfectly sculpted ass.
"Donna…" Seb whispered, running his fingers down between her shoulder blades. "Donna Jo… D.J…"
"Sebastien…" She whined and rolled onto her back and then forced her eyes open. "My head hurts."
"How much did you drink last night?"
"A lot…" Her eyes closed against the morning light. She groaned again and shifted. "I’m never drinking again."
"I don’t know. You’re kind of fun when you drink." He pulled her close and kissed her neck. "We had some fun water games last night."
"I’d like to find out what those were but I have practice in… oooh…" She glanced at the clock. "Twenty minutes so I’m pretty sure I’m going to be late already."
--
Isabel poured Irene some coffee and winced when Jesse took on a tone at the door. "Dana… He wasn’t here last night."
"Then where did he go? He didn’t stay at Nicky’s."
"He hasn’t been home in days. I don’t know where he’s been staying."
"Is he cheating on me?"
"Cheating? Dana, he told us he broke up with you."
"He just says that. He doesn’t mean it."
"I’m pretty certain he does." Jesse cleared his throat. "He’s leaving, okay? You have to let him go."
"He loves me. He’s not going to leave without me."
"I think you need to go home. Sebastien is leaving, alone, for school in two days. He says you’re over. I don’t know what else to tell you."
Isabel had had enough. She stormed out there and she knew that little girl was scared of her. Good, she had better be. "I know what to tell you. Sebastien is tired of your crap. The lies and manipulations. I know all about that. You’d better think twice about lying to a family of lawyers. If you come forward with another ‘pregnancy’ in hopes of trapping a smart man like Sebastien again, I will be there with an order for a blood test." Isabel crossed her arms and watched the girl cower in the doorway. "Sebastien said it’s over. It’s over. Don’t come back here, don’t call my house. Jesse is too much of a gentleman to tell you to get the hell out but I won’t hesitate. I think what you’re doing is disgusting and I’m glad he’s rid of you and moving on to girls who aren’t nearly as cold and deceitful as you are."
--
Will groggily answered his phone. He had earned himself a day of rest, he'd felt, and someone had decided to take it away from him. "Agent Goldblum."
"Agent Goldblum this is the Cherry Springs Treatment—"
"What happened to Lily?" Will sat up and wished he had saved the drinking for the following night because he was going to need it.
"You're named as power of attorney for Lily Peterson-Gray."
"Yes, that's me. What happened?"
"Mr. Goldblum."
"Agent, actually. Just… tell me… did she attempt to take her own life again?"
"She did. We were able… We'd rather discuss this in person."
"Listen. I'm sure you're a nice woman and that you're very good at your job but I have to work. I'm on assignment, out of state, and I can't be there. I spent six months with her, three of which while she was signed into your institution and acclimated to her surroundings. I've done all I can in person. All I need for you to do… is to tell me what happened to Lily." Will covered his face and waited.
"She slit her wrists again. She's fine now. We've got her in constant supervision as she recovers. She is not a well woman… she's insisting on a hysterectomy. I felt I should discuss this with someone who knows her. We're not authorized to perform an operation like that."
"I know. How are her sessions going?"
"Not well, Agent Goldblum. This business with her ex-husband has us worried for her."
"She signed the papers then?"
"Two days ago."
"Okay. She's had it rough for… a long time. It was her third miscarriage and her second divorce. The Petersons, her parents, are very concerned for her and they don't want her in there. I believe she needs help to get better."
"As do I, but she needs an anchor."
"I was her anchor for eight years following our divorce."
"Pardon?"
"I'm her first ex-husband. She had her first miscarriage with me. I'm not saying that I'm shoving her off on you but I can't be at her beck and call anymore. It pains me to say it. I do wish her well. I hurt because she's like this. Lily and I grew up together and I just want what's best for her and if me running to her side all these years hasn't helped… I can only think that it hurts her."
"Perhaps you're right, Agent Goldblum. It still doesn't change the fact that I will have to call you with every decision she comes across."
"And I understand that. I just can't comfort her anymore. I hope you realize that I'm doing this because I do care."
"I understand. I will need you to sign some forms, prohibiting unnecessary surgery on her."
"I understand. I'll check my schedule. I can be there probably by the end of the week."
"May I suggest that while you're here… that you meet with Lily and explain the situation to her. There are probably things that you could tell her that I can't about your circumstances."
"I'll see you soon."
--
Max watched Beth and Lauren occupy themselves as they waited on the results from the scan. Beth had been up early and ready for it. Being around Lauren had seemed to let the teen regain some of her courage and Max was grateful for it. They looked funny, two girls with multicolored hair and funky shoes tapping out a rhythm with their feet in the waiting room. Beth had never expressed an interest in dance before but Max had to admit she was picking up quickly from Lauren, who it seemed had had lessons at some point.
Kal walked out holding the printout from an earlier test and pointed. "Still no good."
"I think the brain scan will show us something we can really work with." Max never took his eyes off his daughter, tapping in stilettos.
"Can I put her to work? She can pay off some of the money I’m losing on this little operation… which I don’t entirely mind if it works and I get to keep living like a human."
"I’d have to talk it over with her mother, first." Max shook his head. "But take her friend. She seems to think you’re a god."
"Not a bad look. Nice hair, too bad she colored it. Could use her in a commercial. Huh, if I didn’t know better, I’d say they were sisters." Kal left Max with the file and walked through the waiting room to engage the girls in a conversation. Immediately, Lauren nearly fell all over herself trying not to act like a total dope in front of the producer.
"Dr. Evans." The tech cleared his throat. "We’re ready to go over the scans with you."
--
Liz sat in Hannah Price’s office with Agent Seyton. The woman was unnerving. Oriel sat just outside with her boys. They were too loud, so they had to stay outside until Hannah got there. When Hannah breezed in, she glanced at the agent but ignored her in favor of greeting Liz amiably. "How is everything?"
"As good as can be expected." Liz managed a smile. "I get so nervous not having her with me."
"I’m sorry." Hannah pulled out the needles. "Shall we?"
"Yeah." Liz pushed up her sleeve. Soon the blood was taken and the hair pulled and tucked into its envelope. "Oriel’s outside."
"Oh really, tell her to come in."
"Agent Seyton, could you?" Liz turned to the woman. She hated lying to Hannah but it had to be done while neither the doctor or the agent was looking. Max and his brilliant idea with an Antarian lock for a briefcase.
--
Alex watched Lynnette watching the ducks on the water fountain. They weren’t supposed to feed the birds but a crust or two couldn’t hurt. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kissed her temple. "I love you."
She didn’t answer but she placed her hand on his thigh, leaning into him. "I don’t know if I want to leave Roswell."
"How much school do you have left?"
"At this rate? Two semesters."
"Do you want to wait and see what’s available here?"
"You can’t move here, there’s no work for you here."
"I could teach."
"That’s not what you do."
"But I could. All I have to do is pass the test and you and I both know it’ll be a breeze for me."
"I’m the teacher, okay? You can’t move back here." She smacked him across the chest and rose to stand on the edge of the fountain. After a moment, Alex got up to join her. "I’m sorry. This is a lot of pressure, Alex. Maybe in a year we’ll be ready to take that step but not now… don’t come here. You can write here but you can’t get produced or find artists here. Stay in Miami."
"Okay. I’ll take the pressure off."
"I want you, Alex… I just don’t want to feel like I need you. It’s scary."
"I know. I know it is… what’s scarier is that… if I leave without giving you the ring in my pocket… I’m gonna go crazy thinking I’ll never get it on your finger and that you’ll meet some normal guy who… who’s never broken your heart… and…"
"You bought a ring?" Her head whipped around. "A ring?"
--
Lauren knew it was bad when Dr. Evans asked Beth to join him on the balcony. They had left her alone with Kal Langley, which normally would have been a dream come true but she kept watching them. He was explaining to her about finding an agent and getting a manager and going to auditions but her eyes were on Beth as her posture slumped.
The teen sobbed and leaned on the railing. When Dr. Evans tried to comfort her, she turned on him with fists and feet… and he let her. She shouted, though Lauren couldn’t hear what about, and pulled at her own hair. He tried to stop her but she turned on him again. Then Lauren watched as Beth’s ankle turned beneath her and she went crashing to the ground, her father sinking down beside her to check it out.
He rocked the distraught girl against his body and then reached down to take off her boot to inspect the swelling ankle. Beth had reverted to sobbing heavily on her father’s shoulder while he massaged her ache but everyone knew it wasn’t the swelling in her foot that made her cry.
Kal cleared his throat. "I could probably get you into a shoot tomorrow. The kid has a treatment and you can’t go to that. They might let you stay with her until she goes in and you’ll see her when she comes out but… six hours in between, you’ve got to do something else."
"A shoot?"
"Headshots. I know a guy who does them for free while his buddy talks the actors into contracts. Get the headshots done but skip the agent. I won’t work with that guy."
"Do you think I’d actually get a job?"
He looked her over, squinting at her aura. "Why not? You’ve got the bod and the tude they’re looking for right now. I wanted her for a video but her dad said no. They still haven’t found a replacement for the hag who backed out."
--
Isabel looked up from her notes when Alex and Lynnette burst into her office. "Honey?"
"We’re engaged!" Alex threw his arms out wide.
"What?" She dropped her pen. "When?"
"Just now, in the park."
"Congratulations." She shot up to hug her son and his fiancée. "It is about time."
"What’s all the noise about?" Jesse peered in.
Lynnette turned to him and showed off the ring. "We’re engaged."
"Hey, congratulations." He hugged his cousin and his girlfriend’s kid. "Did we decide on anything or are we just happy about the ring?"
"We… got things out and into the air." Alex sobered a bit. "We’re not setting a date until after Lynnette graduates. I’m not going to buy a house yet. We’re going to sit down and do a lot of planning over Christmas while we examine our options."
"Meaning what?" Isabel shook her head, confused.
"Nothing’s decided for certain yet." Lynnette rushed in. "I’m going to look into state qualifications and job opportunities while I get my hours in… and Alex is going to see where else he can get work… once we agree on the place, we will get started on everything else. First the job, then the house and the dates and all that stuff."
"You just let me know as soon as you have a date set and I will plan the hell out of the wedding for you." Isabel promised. "Are you going to announce it?"
"Well… yeah, I guess… I have to get back to work soon, though." Alex winced.
"Tomorrow night." Jesse suggested. "Sebastien will still be here and I can get everyone to the house."
"Not your house... Tía." Lynnette reminded him. "Mom?"
"No, mine." Isabel insisted. "Which means we have to go shopping."
--
"Stop staring at me, you’re pissing me off." Beth griped at Kal, her good mood gone and her manners abandoned.
"Do you want to figure this out or not?"
"Do you have to stare?" She glared back at him and then sat up. She blinked at the alien. "You're sick."
"What?" Kal blinked back at her.
"You think I'm sexy. Oh God. You want me the alien way. God! Why do I always attract the pervs?"
"You're clean. You’ve got a pretty aura… don’t be so full of yourself. I’d never do someone so young." Kal answered with a shrug, unapologetic and not disputing her words. "You’re pure, though."
"Guess I could do the teenage statistic thing and become less appealing to aliens." She thought aloud. "When’s my dad coming back?"
"The tank is being inspected. This time could be it." Kal shrugged and cleared his throat when Lauren rejoined them. "Given any more thought to my offer?"
"Hey, why not? Do I have to give you 10 percent?" Lauren examined her make up in a hand mirror.
"Kid, I’m the one making the money off the video… you’re getting a couple of bills."
"Whatever. It’s cool." Lauren watched Beth pout and couldn’t decide whether or not to keep her mouth shut. "Are you okay?"
"I’ll be fine… I just… don’t want any more treatments. They said just one more time… that should be it." Beth wiped roughly at her eyes. She looked up at her father when he entered the room. "What? What now?"
"Um… nothing too serious, I guess…" Max shoved his hands into his pockets. "You need a blood transfusion… They’re on the phone to Kat right now… to see who we’re getting the blood from." He saw the look on her face. "It’s nothing really… you’re just a little anemic and we don’t have time to correct in your diet… I don’t want to pump you full of pills before we do this… it’s just… safer to transfuse."
"Why is it a big deal? You can transfuse me like you did when I got run over." Beth felt like she was sinking.
"It’s not a big deal." Max tired to shrug it off but he knew he couldn’t change his aura. "In the hospital, all the blood matched but all of us who transfused you have the same genetic defect. It’s a syndrome that is not active but still can muck up the works. It’s probably the main reason you accumulated the block and why it’s so difficult to get you to respond to treatment." He paused and shut his eyes. "It’s actually a good thing we had to remove your spleen or else it would be worse by now."
"Wait… I have this genetic defect?"
"It’s not really a bad thing. I… and all of your donors have it and the strong possibility for um… crap to happen but you’re a carrier who just got a load dumped into her system. Your second X-chromosomes are a little funky. They think a transfusion with someone else who is like you will do better…"
"Like Kat?"
"Maybe… looking into it. It doesn’t mean something’s wrong it’s just… a genetic anomaly at this point and it’s mucking up the works."
"Like the residue in my brain."
"Kind of only the residue isn’t supposed to be there. This transfusion thing worked on brothers, we’ll see if it works on sisters." Max knelt down in front of her. "This isn’t you. It’s because of me. I have a blood defect and you have it. Danny has it, Davey, Michael… Aunt Isabel… We’re carriers for something that was passed on to us. It’s not another thing. It’s just an obstacle we didn’t see."
"What is this genetic defect?" Lauren cut in.
"It’s um… the way antibodies react in the blood stream. They all act a certain way and with anemia… it gets tricky because if the blood doesn’t match, the antibodies kill blood cells instead of infection… and being low on red blood cells, could be dangerous." Max could see he was losing them. He was a bit lost himself. "It’s not a big deal, I promise." He turned when a doctor stepped out of the office and handed him a phone. "Who is it?"
"Dr. Evans in Santa Fe. She says she knows where to get a donor."
TBC
Back with a link. Been working on these for a couple of days on and off and I think I got most of them the way I like them... Berty again looks cartoony but less so than before. http://riddickdm.tripod.com/fiction/fod.html
Last edited by DMartinez on Fri Mar 31, 2006 10:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
138A
The Fate of Destiny Part 138
Lauren let her blood be taken for the second time that week. "What is this blood condition?"
"It's pretty much just… bad blood." Max explained as he eyed the bag. "It's pretty fortunate that you met Beth and decided to come out here."
"Yeah… it seems… almost… like I was meant to be here." It was strange how true those words felt. "What are the odds of two unconnected people having this condition?"
"Two percent of Americans have it. It's a very low number and probably getting smaller with each passing generation, the genes being weeded out. I have strong dominant genes. All my kids have this trait. It seems your mother was a victim of poisonous birth control, like my wife was."
"Hardly any of those kids survived infancy." Lauren shook her head sadly. "Just me and Beth."
"And it's probably because I passed on this gene to Beth and… one of your parents passed it on to you."
"That would figure, I guess. Weird that messed up blood dictates that women on that crap can actually have their babies survive into adulthood… kind of feels…" It just resonated so deeply in her bones that she was put through all that crap for a reason. "Wrong."
"It doesn't mean you're going to get sick. Beth's problems aren't bad blood. They're upstairs…. In here… which usually is the… activation of the disease in men… mental problems." He tapped his head as he closed off the valve and started pulling the tubes from Lauren's arm. "I'm not sick… If I was going to get sick, it would have started when I hit thirty or thereabouts."
"But I still could." Had she just become useful? Was it all downhill from here?
"It's rare… I know a woman… or rather I know a guy who has it and his cousin has the same thing… she's sick now but she's lived a pretty full life… and her problems were not mental." Max saw the girl's face. "She had other factors. She didn't have two mothers the way you did. She got the disease pretty much undiluted from her father and her father's father. She's also pregnant and just lost her husband. It was a lot of factors that made her sick. You're not sick. My daughter assures me that you're the picture of health."
--
Liz watched her twelve-year-old son primp in the mirror. "What time is the party over?"
"Seven." He answered as he meticulously parted his hair just so on the left, just like his father. "And then I cross the street and go to Aunt Isabel's."
"Right." She started to tear up but she bravely fought those tears because it was inevitable. Her little Davey was growing up and discovering girls. "And you'll call to Aunt Isabel's if you're leaving early?"
"Yes." He answered without taking his eyes off the part. He carefully combed his bangs down over his forehead. Not too much… just a few wisps, painstakingly chosen.
He looked just like a miniature Max. "Your dad used to wear his hair like that."
"Did girls like it?"
"This one did."
--
Sebastien stroked Donna Jo's back where she lay on top of him. He wasn't all that eager to go to Isabel's but he liked Alex and Lynnette was his cousin. "I got this party I have to go to tonight…"
"I can't… my parents are coming home and I have to be here."
"Then… I'm gonna need some good memories to get me through the night."
"Is that all you think about?"
"When I'm with you, it is…"
--
Beth sat in the tank but refused to lay down. She already had Lauren's blood flowing into her veins through the IV. She tried not to cry as she explained to her father was it was like. "It's not like when you give me drugs and the pictures are muted… because I can still feel that they're there. It's like a glare… a blur. When I wake up in there… I can't feel anything but me… It's all dark…"
"One more time. One more time. That's all." Max promised. "Not even the whole day. Just six hours. That's it. I'll be here the entire time."
"Daddy…" She took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut. "One more time. Six hours. I can do that."
"Yes, you can." Max swallowed down the lump. "It's working… that's the only reason I'm pushing. This could be it. This could be the last time you'd have to do this and then… you'll be better."
"I'll be better. I'll be better." She took another breath and blew it out. "What do you do out there when I'm in here?"
"I try to remember who that guy was… the one that caused all this trouble… wars and crap." He shrugged, trying to joke it off.
"If he was anything like you are now… he never did anything unless he thought it was necessary… because it was what was best for everyone."
"I hope so."
--
Jesse held the ladder steady while Isabel reached to hang some decorations. "Is this necessary? I don't really relish the thought of you stretching like that… there aren't… stitches or something you should be concerned about?"
"No… I'm healed." Isabel tapped his head with a bag of streamers.
"Hey…" He stopped her as she started to climb down. "Thank you for doing this for them…"
"He is my son." She shook her head at him.
"I know but… I know how all that tradition stuff says that it's gotta be the woman's side who does everything… Tía won't… Thank you."
"I know how Leti is…" Isabel nodded. "Does she know?"
"Lynnette was supposed to go over this morning to tell her." He shrugged his shoulders. "We'll see how it goes. Tío will probably show up… I think he's in town."
--
Lauren let the hairdresser add colors to her hair. Let the makeup person pile it on. She got to wear clothes she had only ever dreamed of touching. The photo shoot went well. She stood where she was supposed to and did as she was told. It was tiring though. Then Kal showed up and the shoot was paused until they could get his approval on what they had done so far.
Before she knew it, she was washing her face and hair, to start over for her headshots. When those were done, she was discussing her drama experience with some guy until, once more, Kal strolled in and had a conversation with a few people and was out the door again.
--
Kathy took the case from Agent Seyton and opened it with her 'key'. She got busy marking everything for tests. She glanced at the woman a few times. "How busy is he keeping you?"
"Fairly busy."
"Is he doing okay? I mean… can you tell if he's doing okay?"
"He?"
"Agent Goldblum." Kathy set the samples in a rack to take down to Greg.
"Oh… he's… holding up." The agent started to leave. "I know I shouldn't be asking but… these aren't exactly normal circumstances. Has he been single since his divorce?"
Kathy's blue eyes met Seyton's light brown ones. "He's seen a few people here and there since."
"But no one serious?"
"He doesn't date among the ranks." Kathy tried not to bite out the words but the sinking feeling she'd had for a week was rushing back to her.
"Oh, I see."
--
Isabel sat down with her son for a few moments of peace before guests started arriving. "How did it happen?"
"It was strange actually. We were putting on the brakes." Alex sipped his orange soda slowly. "I could actually feel us screeching to a halt because of all the obstacles… and then I mentioned that I had the ring on me." He shrugged. "I'm not sure what it was but it was like everything fell into place."
"You weren't really being fair to her before, Alex." Isabel nodded. "You came back and you saw her and you knew what you wanted but… you didn't really give her a chance to find out what she wanted."
"I know."
"She didn't think you were serious… she thought you were just… talking."
"Maybe… am I locked off?" He stared into his cup at the ice cubes.
"You've been hurt badly before. That girl certainly did a number on you. I remember that." She thought about the boy he'd been eight years prior. How he was so invested with that other girl… how he had done everything right and nothing had worked out. "Maybe you did everything wrong this time, hoping it would turn out right."
"Maybe… I'm not that bright." He managed a smile. "Grandma and Grandpa Whitman are coming over early and they're not going to stay long."
"How's Chuck doing?"
"I think I jumpstarted his heart when I called yesterday to give him the good news. He thought I was still in Florida. He was getting ready to jump onto a plane." Alex sobered. "He'd like to see great-grandkids before he goes…" He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I think… he's… going."
"Where?" Isabel caught her son's look when his eyes snapped up. "Oh… What makes you say that?"
"Sometimes… like the last time I saw him… he… he didn't see me… Not me. He was talking to him… to… his Alex."
"Are you sure?"
"I wasn't until he asked what the girls were going to do in the fall… with the baby coming and all."
--
"Dr. Evans… something's happening in there." The tech studied the readout on his screen. "Elevated heart rate. Rapid breathing… Rapid eye movement. I think she's having a nightmare."
"No… the brain waves don't indicate that." Another tech shook his head.
"Brain activity?" Max hit the intercom button.
"High… just not in the dream centers." His eyes flicked over the screen. "What the fuck is happening in there?"
--
Gabriel reached for the next order and froze. His head started pounding. He could hear people but he couldn't respond to them.
"Silerio! What's the hold up?"
--
Sydney turned to switch on the speakers so her patient could hear her baby when she froze. She couldn't move and her bones ached.
"Dr. Davis? Is something wrong with my baby?"
--
Liz bent over her sink as her stomach clenched tightly. She was left gripping the sink, toppling her perfume bottle to the ground where it shattered. She couldn't move, couldn't call out… not that there was anyone to hear her if she could.
--
"She's seizing!"
Max was quick to unlatch the tank and lift the lid where his daughter was thrashing in the water and then he saw it. She was glowing. He slapped it shut again and leaned on it, willing it to pass. To pass silently. To not alert anyone to what was happening in this tank. Shutting his eyes, it felt like hours had passed when the doctors started reporting that her vitals were returning to normal.
Nodding to the observations room, they started to bring her out of her sleep. When Max opened his eyes, the room was awash in color. A richness of hues that made him feel as if he had been blind his whole life. Opening the tank, he reached in to touch his daughter's aura. Orange and blue and green. The blue and green had melded into a glaucous so rich that it seemed to throb, as if each color were struggling to make itself known.
Carefully, he lifted her out and onto a towel one of the doctors had laid out for her. Her cheeks were still pale but he could see the color coming back into them. Her eyes fluttered and he knew just what she needed. "I need a bucket."
"Yes, doctor."
Just as the bucket was presented, Beth's back arched and Max held her so she could relieve herself into the bucket. "Sh… sh…" He murmured. She was weak and her heaving was on autopilot. "It's all going to be okay now. It was only four hours but you did good… I'm proud of you."
Around them, doctors were studying readouts and techs were unhooking hoses, draining the tank, and dismantling her monitors. Finally, Beth rested on the towel and Max reinserted it into her IV to finish her transfusion while she slept. Gently she was lifted onto a gurney and Max held her hand as she was rolled down to a room until she woke up completely. He dried her off the best he could and covered her with a blanket. The doctors were concerned but he knew, just knew, that she was just sleeping. Resting.
Lauren let her blood be taken for the second time that week. "What is this blood condition?"
"It's pretty much just… bad blood." Max explained as he eyed the bag. "It's pretty fortunate that you met Beth and decided to come out here."
"Yeah… it seems… almost… like I was meant to be here." It was strange how true those words felt. "What are the odds of two unconnected people having this condition?"
"Two percent of Americans have it. It's a very low number and probably getting smaller with each passing generation, the genes being weeded out. I have strong dominant genes. All my kids have this trait. It seems your mother was a victim of poisonous birth control, like my wife was."
"Hardly any of those kids survived infancy." Lauren shook her head sadly. "Just me and Beth."
"And it's probably because I passed on this gene to Beth and… one of your parents passed it on to you."
"That would figure, I guess. Weird that messed up blood dictates that women on that crap can actually have their babies survive into adulthood… kind of feels…" It just resonated so deeply in her bones that she was put through all that crap for a reason. "Wrong."
"It doesn't mean you're going to get sick. Beth's problems aren't bad blood. They're upstairs…. In here… which usually is the… activation of the disease in men… mental problems." He tapped his head as he closed off the valve and started pulling the tubes from Lauren's arm. "I'm not sick… If I was going to get sick, it would have started when I hit thirty or thereabouts."
"But I still could." Had she just become useful? Was it all downhill from here?
"It's rare… I know a woman… or rather I know a guy who has it and his cousin has the same thing… she's sick now but she's lived a pretty full life… and her problems were not mental." Max saw the girl's face. "She had other factors. She didn't have two mothers the way you did. She got the disease pretty much undiluted from her father and her father's father. She's also pregnant and just lost her husband. It was a lot of factors that made her sick. You're not sick. My daughter assures me that you're the picture of health."
--
Liz watched her twelve-year-old son primp in the mirror. "What time is the party over?"
"Seven." He answered as he meticulously parted his hair just so on the left, just like his father. "And then I cross the street and go to Aunt Isabel's."
"Right." She started to tear up but she bravely fought those tears because it was inevitable. Her little Davey was growing up and discovering girls. "And you'll call to Aunt Isabel's if you're leaving early?"
"Yes." He answered without taking his eyes off the part. He carefully combed his bangs down over his forehead. Not too much… just a few wisps, painstakingly chosen.
He looked just like a miniature Max. "Your dad used to wear his hair like that."
"Did girls like it?"
"This one did."
--
Sebastien stroked Donna Jo's back where she lay on top of him. He wasn't all that eager to go to Isabel's but he liked Alex and Lynnette was his cousin. "I got this party I have to go to tonight…"
"I can't… my parents are coming home and I have to be here."
"Then… I'm gonna need some good memories to get me through the night."
"Is that all you think about?"
"When I'm with you, it is…"
--
Beth sat in the tank but refused to lay down. She already had Lauren's blood flowing into her veins through the IV. She tried not to cry as she explained to her father was it was like. "It's not like when you give me drugs and the pictures are muted… because I can still feel that they're there. It's like a glare… a blur. When I wake up in there… I can't feel anything but me… It's all dark…"
"One more time. One more time. That's all." Max promised. "Not even the whole day. Just six hours. That's it. I'll be here the entire time."
"Daddy…" She took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut. "One more time. Six hours. I can do that."
"Yes, you can." Max swallowed down the lump. "It's working… that's the only reason I'm pushing. This could be it. This could be the last time you'd have to do this and then… you'll be better."
"I'll be better. I'll be better." She took another breath and blew it out. "What do you do out there when I'm in here?"
"I try to remember who that guy was… the one that caused all this trouble… wars and crap." He shrugged, trying to joke it off.
"If he was anything like you are now… he never did anything unless he thought it was necessary… because it was what was best for everyone."
"I hope so."
--
Jesse held the ladder steady while Isabel reached to hang some decorations. "Is this necessary? I don't really relish the thought of you stretching like that… there aren't… stitches or something you should be concerned about?"
"No… I'm healed." Isabel tapped his head with a bag of streamers.
"Hey…" He stopped her as she started to climb down. "Thank you for doing this for them…"
"He is my son." She shook her head at him.
"I know but… I know how all that tradition stuff says that it's gotta be the woman's side who does everything… Tía won't… Thank you."
"I know how Leti is…" Isabel nodded. "Does she know?"
"Lynnette was supposed to go over this morning to tell her." He shrugged his shoulders. "We'll see how it goes. Tío will probably show up… I think he's in town."
--
Lauren let the hairdresser add colors to her hair. Let the makeup person pile it on. She got to wear clothes she had only ever dreamed of touching. The photo shoot went well. She stood where she was supposed to and did as she was told. It was tiring though. Then Kal showed up and the shoot was paused until they could get his approval on what they had done so far.
Before she knew it, she was washing her face and hair, to start over for her headshots. When those were done, she was discussing her drama experience with some guy until, once more, Kal strolled in and had a conversation with a few people and was out the door again.
--
Kathy took the case from Agent Seyton and opened it with her 'key'. She got busy marking everything for tests. She glanced at the woman a few times. "How busy is he keeping you?"
"Fairly busy."
"Is he doing okay? I mean… can you tell if he's doing okay?"
"He?"
"Agent Goldblum." Kathy set the samples in a rack to take down to Greg.
"Oh… he's… holding up." The agent started to leave. "I know I shouldn't be asking but… these aren't exactly normal circumstances. Has he been single since his divorce?"
Kathy's blue eyes met Seyton's light brown ones. "He's seen a few people here and there since."
"But no one serious?"
"He doesn't date among the ranks." Kathy tried not to bite out the words but the sinking feeling she'd had for a week was rushing back to her.
"Oh, I see."
--
Isabel sat down with her son for a few moments of peace before guests started arriving. "How did it happen?"
"It was strange actually. We were putting on the brakes." Alex sipped his orange soda slowly. "I could actually feel us screeching to a halt because of all the obstacles… and then I mentioned that I had the ring on me." He shrugged. "I'm not sure what it was but it was like everything fell into place."
"You weren't really being fair to her before, Alex." Isabel nodded. "You came back and you saw her and you knew what you wanted but… you didn't really give her a chance to find out what she wanted."
"I know."
"She didn't think you were serious… she thought you were just… talking."
"Maybe… am I locked off?" He stared into his cup at the ice cubes.
"You've been hurt badly before. That girl certainly did a number on you. I remember that." She thought about the boy he'd been eight years prior. How he was so invested with that other girl… how he had done everything right and nothing had worked out. "Maybe you did everything wrong this time, hoping it would turn out right."
"Maybe… I'm not that bright." He managed a smile. "Grandma and Grandpa Whitman are coming over early and they're not going to stay long."
"How's Chuck doing?"
"I think I jumpstarted his heart when I called yesterday to give him the good news. He thought I was still in Florida. He was getting ready to jump onto a plane." Alex sobered. "He'd like to see great-grandkids before he goes…" He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I think… he's… going."
"Where?" Isabel caught her son's look when his eyes snapped up. "Oh… What makes you say that?"
"Sometimes… like the last time I saw him… he… he didn't see me… Not me. He was talking to him… to… his Alex."
"Are you sure?"
"I wasn't until he asked what the girls were going to do in the fall… with the baby coming and all."
--
"Dr. Evans… something's happening in there." The tech studied the readout on his screen. "Elevated heart rate. Rapid breathing… Rapid eye movement. I think she's having a nightmare."
"No… the brain waves don't indicate that." Another tech shook his head.
"Brain activity?" Max hit the intercom button.
"High… just not in the dream centers." His eyes flicked over the screen. "What the fuck is happening in there?"
--
Gabriel reached for the next order and froze. His head started pounding. He could hear people but he couldn't respond to them.
"Silerio! What's the hold up?"
--
Sydney turned to switch on the speakers so her patient could hear her baby when she froze. She couldn't move and her bones ached.
"Dr. Davis? Is something wrong with my baby?"
--
Liz bent over her sink as her stomach clenched tightly. She was left gripping the sink, toppling her perfume bottle to the ground where it shattered. She couldn't move, couldn't call out… not that there was anyone to hear her if she could.
--
"She's seizing!"
Max was quick to unlatch the tank and lift the lid where his daughter was thrashing in the water and then he saw it. She was glowing. He slapped it shut again and leaned on it, willing it to pass. To pass silently. To not alert anyone to what was happening in this tank. Shutting his eyes, it felt like hours had passed when the doctors started reporting that her vitals were returning to normal.
Nodding to the observations room, they started to bring her out of her sleep. When Max opened his eyes, the room was awash in color. A richness of hues that made him feel as if he had been blind his whole life. Opening the tank, he reached in to touch his daughter's aura. Orange and blue and green. The blue and green had melded into a glaucous so rich that it seemed to throb, as if each color were struggling to make itself known.
Carefully, he lifted her out and onto a towel one of the doctors had laid out for her. Her cheeks were still pale but he could see the color coming back into them. Her eyes fluttered and he knew just what she needed. "I need a bucket."
"Yes, doctor."
Just as the bucket was presented, Beth's back arched and Max held her so she could relieve herself into the bucket. "Sh… sh…" He murmured. She was weak and her heaving was on autopilot. "It's all going to be okay now. It was only four hours but you did good… I'm proud of you."
Around them, doctors were studying readouts and techs were unhooking hoses, draining the tank, and dismantling her monitors. Finally, Beth rested on the towel and Max reinserted it into her IV to finish her transfusion while she slept. Gently she was lifted onto a gurney and Max held her hand as she was rolled down to a room until she woke up completely. He dried her off the best he could and covered her with a blanket. The doctors were concerned but he knew, just knew, that she was just sleeping. Resting.
138B
--
Sydney shut her eyes and the pain subsided. Sinking into a chair, she rubbed her arms and legs, trying to get the memory of that pain out of her mind. She hadn't felt quite that badly since she was a little girl, living with her mother.
"Dr. Davis?"
"Oh." Sydney spun around. "I'm fine… um… here. Let's listen to that baby." She reached over the snap up the volume and a whirring filled the room. "That… is your child's heartbeat."
--
Gabriel sank to the ground and cradled his head. He felt someone put their hands on him to see what was wrong. Tears stung his eyes even as the throbbing ebbed until it was gone but… he still felt like his head had been in a vice.
"Silerio… what happened man?"
"Migraine." He panted out. He sucked in a shaking breath and blew it out slowly. "I need to get someplace dark."
"Come on…" His boss lifted him up and guided him to the office where he shut the blinds. "You get these a lot?"
"Not since I was twelve."
"Alright. You go home. Understand? As soon as you can stand the light, you go home and you call a doctor. You're not coming back to work until you check out okay. Got it?"
"Got it."
--
The burning faded but Liz clutched the sink to keep from sliding to her knees. Breathing harshly, she maneuvered herself to sit on the rim of the tub, away from the glass shards. What in the hell was that?
--
Alex greeted all his high school friends and their wives or girlfriends as he made his rounds. Lynnette was doing the same on the other side. Family milled around in between. He spied his mother and grandmothers chatting at a table, probably imagining all the grandchildren and great-grandchildren they could get from the two of them.
All of a sudden, Sebastien was standing next to him with a beer in hand. "Congratulations… guess you're officially family now."
"Yeah, officially." Alex accepted the hug from the younger man. "You plan on giving your dad a heart attack before Gina hits junior high?"
"We'll get over that… just not today." Seb assured his future in-law cousin. He tapped his bottle against Alex's cup. "Just… you know, treat her right and all that other stuff. Little Tino will be over later to give the whole spiel."
"Is he going to give it again? When he was 13 I could have taken him… not so sure about now." Alex played along. He could see the bags under Seb's eyes and how pale he looked. "Take care of yourself, man."
"I will."
"Don't drink too much and eat something, will you?" Alex called after him as Seb made his way through the throng of people filling the backyard.
--
Max was just getting Beth packed into a wheelchair to get to the cab when a tech came running up. "What's going on?"
"They're still running some tests but… This got stuck in the drain. I don't know if she wanted it. I don't know what girls are wearing these days but… anyway. Looked like something she would wear." He put a small coil in Max's hand and ran off again.
He stared at it for a good long while before he realized what he was holding. It wasn't jewelry. It was a small knotted coil of thread. The kind he preferred to use for stitches.
"Dad? Can we go? Please?" Beth took a deep breath and let it out. Hoping she wouldn't get sick in the cab.
"Yeah. Come on." He rolled her out to the curb. "How are you feeling?"
"Like shit run over twice and backed over three times." She rested her head on the handle of the chair. "Can I dye my hair tonight?"
"You want to do that tonight?"
"If I'm going to get sick, it might as well be by that hair dye smell."
"What color?"
"Mink."
"Why that color? I thought you were all about variety?"
"I like Lauren's hair. It's… got a rich color."
"You get along well with her, huh."
"Yeah… you won't make her leave tonight, right?"
"No… I like her. She's nice."
"Can I tell her?"
"Um… you've only known her for about two weeks… I think we should wait a little longer than that before we even consider it."
"Can I tell Gabriel?"
"After he proposes."
"Dad."
--
Liz kissed her son's forehead when he joined the party. "So, how did it go?"
"Penny kissed my cheek." David admitted with a blush. "I didn't feel sleepy once."
"Good. I'm glad you had fun." She ruffled his hair, which he brushed down immediately. "Go congratulate Alex and Lynnette."
"He's getting so big." Isabel groaned as she took a seat at Liz's table. "I wish Kyle was still that young."
"Um… your Kyle… at that age was a holy terror."
"Okay, so he's calmed down some." Isabel nodded, absently searching the backyard for her offspring. "Did you feel like this?" She felt her temperature rising and her breathing start to get erratic. "When Danny told you he was getting married? I think I'm having a delayed reaction… but it's feeling oddly like panic."
Liz just smirked at her sister-in-law. "I've been known to burst into tears just looking at something the kids own but no longer touch because they've outgrown it. Ask any of them if you can find them. I'm a weepy mom who can't cut the cord."
Sebastien goosed Isabel before taking a seat and avoiding her swats. "It's the child who never calls home or checks in and packs in secret." She turned to him, his eyes were shadowed and red, his breath smelled like beer. "Are you going to leave like this?"
"Isabel, come on. Don’t start. It's a party. A celebration." Sebastien sighed and sagged in his seat.
"Sebastien."
"Fine. I'm going inside." He stormed into the house, pulled a beer out of the cooler and grabbed the phone. Dialing quickly, he popped the cap off. It rang forever.
"Hello."
"Yes. Hi, Mr. Vaughn. Is Donna Jo in?"
"Donna Jo is not allowed phone calls during dinner. Call her tomorrow." Click.
Sebastien set his jaw and hung up the phone, then downed half the beer before turning to look out the window. They were all too happy for his mood. Navigating through the house, he passed Berty on the computer in the den and crashed in her room with his bottle. Five minutes later, she was leaning in the doorway. "You're gonna stink up my bed."
"Then you'll have something to remember me by." He kicked off his shoes and shut his eyes.
"Are you okay? I heard about what's going on with Dana…"
"It's over with her." He shook his head but didn't open his eyes. "I can't even look at her. I mean… the games she's playing now… I don't know what I ever saw in her."
Berty sat next to him and put a hand on his arm. "Seb…"
"I just want someone in my life to be what they are. I don't want to know that everyone I thought I loved doesn't love me back enough to be honest." He opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling. "I just want people to show me who they really are… No one tells me the truth… Ever."
"I tell you the truth."
"Yeah. Yeah, you do." He sipped his beer, his head already swimming. "Heard something about you hooking up in Florida."
"Just some guy… we're just friends right now." Berty blushed and turned on the radio, as if that would hide her face.
"Do you mind if I chill in here?"
"It's cool."
--
Max held Beth's hair back while she got sick in the bathroom. They had made it all the way back to the hotel before she had started to vomit again. Max had decided that she wasn't going to be able to leave the bathroom for a while and set up camp there with 7up and saltines. He held her when she calmed and wiped the tears from her eyes.
When Lauren showed up, she helped him pull back Beth's hair so it wouldn't fall in the event of another bout of regurgitation. The three of them ended up parking on the bathroom floor until Beth cleared her throat. "It's kind of quiet."
"You want some of your loud obnoxious music?" Max rubbed her back.
"I'll grab something." Lauren offered and got up to retrieve the music.
"Her aura is interesting. It's orange but it's… not tangerine like Mom but… more of a salmon…"
"Yeah… it's a little… pinkish." She readjusted herself against him and sighed heavily. "When did you start seeing auras?"
"I don't know… I think while you were in there today."
"I will break… into your thoughts. With what's written on my heart… I will Break!" The radio seeped into the bathroom. "You broke into my thoughts. This invasion makes me feel… Worthless, hopeless, sick… I'm so sick!"
"Too black?" Lauren called in.
Beth managed a laugh. "I like it… Gabriel burned it for me."
"And of course, Gabriel is a genius and if he likes it, it must be good." Max teased.
"If you want… more of this… We can push out, sell out, die out. So you'll shut up… and stay sleeping with my screaming in your itching ears… I'm so sick, infected with, Where I live… Let me live without this empty bliss, selfishness… Let me live."
"She's nice and angry." Max mused to them both. "I think I like her."
"See, not all of it is obnoxious." She sipped her water slowly. "Gross. Mineral water?"
"It was in the honor bar. Kal will pay for it." He stroked her bangs back. "You think you can keep down some coffee?"
"Yeah, I guess."
"I'll get it." Lauren stuck her head in and vanished again.
"I guess I'm scary." Beth groaned.
He chuckled and hugged her tight. "Not to me… you're beautiful-"
"If you say as the day I was born, I'm gonna punch you."
"Oh no… I wasn't going to say that. The day you were born, you were covered in placenta and amniotic fluid. I don't generally find that attractive."
"You're disgusting." She complained but couldn't help but laugh.
--
Alex hugged his grandmother and stood still for the cheek pinching and the lipstick smears. Then he shook his grandfather's hand and listened to his advice. "I'm proud of you, son. Just make sure you're ready. That you've got all your ducks in a row. Keep it up… You'll make Isabel a very happy woman."
Alex nodded and glanced at his grandmother, who had teared up just a bit. She stepped up to take her husband's arm. "I'll drive home, Chuck. You look tired."
When Chuck Whitman was seated in the passenger seat, Sandra turned to her grandson. Alex just nodded that he understood. "Bad night?"
"I think so. He has his moments of… This is rare." She fought the tears and hugged her grandson again. "I just… don't want to tell him that your dad is dead again." She fought the sob and took a deep breath. "Maybe I should clear out the room. Pack everything up."
"I think it would just confuse him in the bad moments." Alex watched his grandfather check his watch and stare up at the sky.
"I'm going to talk to your aunt… we may move… to be closer to her… in case something happens… but I think we'll wait until after the wedding."
"Don't wait on us. We don't know when we'll set the date… but I'll keep you posted."
"Okay… goodnight."
He stood there and watched them drive away, a ball of anguish in his stomach. When Lynnette found him, he was almost ready to rejoin the party. He kissed her head and held her tight against him. "Are you going to drive me around when I get old and senile?"
"You bet. I'll even make sure you match your socks."
--
Isabel turned to greet Michael as he entered her backyard with one son on his shoulders and the other in hand. "Hey!"
"Hey." He let Stephen run off to play with Gina and set Matthew on a chair.
"Where's your better half?"
"Primping. I brought them early to get them out of her hair."
"How nice of you, Michael. Are you going to start carrying a purse?"
"Ha. Ha." Michael grabbed her in a hug. "It's been a while, stranger."
"I know." She hugged him back. "How's the… Laurie thing going?"
"Good, I think. She's doing okay. She got on the phone with Kathy today and they think there's possibly a way to revitalize her for a while… to maybe see her through the pregnancy." Michael took a seat and waved at Liz who was wallowing on the other side of the table. "Have you heard?"
"No… but I haven't been home in a couple of hours. I'm feeling a little… itchy." She sighed and picked at a mixed drink someone had thrust into her hands. She had no inclination to drink it. "He doesn't even know the good news yet." She took a deep breath and waited until they were both looking at her. "Did… either of you feel… anything? You know, earlier today?"
"Like what?"
"I don't know… I had this weird… spell today and… I don't know."
"Liz, what happened?" Michael pressed.
"It was… four thirty or something. I was getting ready to come over here. I was doing my makeup when I just… got this… burning in my gut all of a sudden." She dropped her hands onto the table.
"Liz… you sure you don't need a laxative or something?" Michael shook his head, smirking at her.
"Not that kind of burning… I mean… Like…" She felt the tears coming, overwhelming her annoyance at his flip treatment of something that deeply concerned her. This incident along with her whole summer just caught up with her. "Like when I got shot. I was… really surprised to find that I wasn't bleeding, it felt so real."
"I didn't feel anything." Isabel shook her head and looked to Michael, who most often was the most perceptive of them. He shook his head too.
"I… want to call Max, to see if everything's okay but I'm scared to… in case it is something and it's something I can't handle."
"I'm sure everything's fine or else he would have called us all until he found you." Isabel tried to reassure her sister-in-law but she had no idea what was going on.
"I know. I'm… just… It was scary and I can't help but worry about everyone that I can't see."
"You could pick up the phone and call him." Michael offered. "He might have his hands full with doctor crap but he'll know to call you if you leave him a message."
"Rude but logical." Isabel glared at him.
"Daddy, I'm thursty." Matthew whined and tugged on his father's arm.
"I get one day off a week and how do I spend it? Run around after this guy."
Isabel and Liz stared after him, watching little Matthew giggle when tickled and hug Michael so freely. "It's not fair. Michael got to start all over again."
"Um… so did you." Liz snorted, absently rubbing her belly where the burning had disrupted her day.
"I know but… Gina's a little monster." Isabel pointed to her daughter and Michael's older son running around screaming their heads off. "If we can get through the night without her leaping off of something, it will be a miracle."
--
Sydney shut her eyes and the pain subsided. Sinking into a chair, she rubbed her arms and legs, trying to get the memory of that pain out of her mind. She hadn't felt quite that badly since she was a little girl, living with her mother.
"Dr. Davis?"
"Oh." Sydney spun around. "I'm fine… um… here. Let's listen to that baby." She reached over the snap up the volume and a whirring filled the room. "That… is your child's heartbeat."
--
Gabriel sank to the ground and cradled his head. He felt someone put their hands on him to see what was wrong. Tears stung his eyes even as the throbbing ebbed until it was gone but… he still felt like his head had been in a vice.
"Silerio… what happened man?"
"Migraine." He panted out. He sucked in a shaking breath and blew it out slowly. "I need to get someplace dark."
"Come on…" His boss lifted him up and guided him to the office where he shut the blinds. "You get these a lot?"
"Not since I was twelve."
"Alright. You go home. Understand? As soon as you can stand the light, you go home and you call a doctor. You're not coming back to work until you check out okay. Got it?"
"Got it."
--
The burning faded but Liz clutched the sink to keep from sliding to her knees. Breathing harshly, she maneuvered herself to sit on the rim of the tub, away from the glass shards. What in the hell was that?
--
Alex greeted all his high school friends and their wives or girlfriends as he made his rounds. Lynnette was doing the same on the other side. Family milled around in between. He spied his mother and grandmothers chatting at a table, probably imagining all the grandchildren and great-grandchildren they could get from the two of them.
All of a sudden, Sebastien was standing next to him with a beer in hand. "Congratulations… guess you're officially family now."
"Yeah, officially." Alex accepted the hug from the younger man. "You plan on giving your dad a heart attack before Gina hits junior high?"
"We'll get over that… just not today." Seb assured his future in-law cousin. He tapped his bottle against Alex's cup. "Just… you know, treat her right and all that other stuff. Little Tino will be over later to give the whole spiel."
"Is he going to give it again? When he was 13 I could have taken him… not so sure about now." Alex played along. He could see the bags under Seb's eyes and how pale he looked. "Take care of yourself, man."
"I will."
"Don't drink too much and eat something, will you?" Alex called after him as Seb made his way through the throng of people filling the backyard.
--
Max was just getting Beth packed into a wheelchair to get to the cab when a tech came running up. "What's going on?"
"They're still running some tests but… This got stuck in the drain. I don't know if she wanted it. I don't know what girls are wearing these days but… anyway. Looked like something she would wear." He put a small coil in Max's hand and ran off again.
He stared at it for a good long while before he realized what he was holding. It wasn't jewelry. It was a small knotted coil of thread. The kind he preferred to use for stitches.
"Dad? Can we go? Please?" Beth took a deep breath and let it out. Hoping she wouldn't get sick in the cab.
"Yeah. Come on." He rolled her out to the curb. "How are you feeling?"
"Like shit run over twice and backed over three times." She rested her head on the handle of the chair. "Can I dye my hair tonight?"
"You want to do that tonight?"
"If I'm going to get sick, it might as well be by that hair dye smell."
"What color?"
"Mink."
"Why that color? I thought you were all about variety?"
"I like Lauren's hair. It's… got a rich color."
"You get along well with her, huh."
"Yeah… you won't make her leave tonight, right?"
"No… I like her. She's nice."
"Can I tell her?"
"Um… you've only known her for about two weeks… I think we should wait a little longer than that before we even consider it."
"Can I tell Gabriel?"
"After he proposes."
"Dad."
--
Liz kissed her son's forehead when he joined the party. "So, how did it go?"
"Penny kissed my cheek." David admitted with a blush. "I didn't feel sleepy once."
"Good. I'm glad you had fun." She ruffled his hair, which he brushed down immediately. "Go congratulate Alex and Lynnette."
"He's getting so big." Isabel groaned as she took a seat at Liz's table. "I wish Kyle was still that young."
"Um… your Kyle… at that age was a holy terror."
"Okay, so he's calmed down some." Isabel nodded, absently searching the backyard for her offspring. "Did you feel like this?" She felt her temperature rising and her breathing start to get erratic. "When Danny told you he was getting married? I think I'm having a delayed reaction… but it's feeling oddly like panic."
Liz just smirked at her sister-in-law. "I've been known to burst into tears just looking at something the kids own but no longer touch because they've outgrown it. Ask any of them if you can find them. I'm a weepy mom who can't cut the cord."
Sebastien goosed Isabel before taking a seat and avoiding her swats. "It's the child who never calls home or checks in and packs in secret." She turned to him, his eyes were shadowed and red, his breath smelled like beer. "Are you going to leave like this?"
"Isabel, come on. Don’t start. It's a party. A celebration." Sebastien sighed and sagged in his seat.
"Sebastien."
"Fine. I'm going inside." He stormed into the house, pulled a beer out of the cooler and grabbed the phone. Dialing quickly, he popped the cap off. It rang forever.
"Hello."
"Yes. Hi, Mr. Vaughn. Is Donna Jo in?"
"Donna Jo is not allowed phone calls during dinner. Call her tomorrow." Click.
Sebastien set his jaw and hung up the phone, then downed half the beer before turning to look out the window. They were all too happy for his mood. Navigating through the house, he passed Berty on the computer in the den and crashed in her room with his bottle. Five minutes later, she was leaning in the doorway. "You're gonna stink up my bed."
"Then you'll have something to remember me by." He kicked off his shoes and shut his eyes.
"Are you okay? I heard about what's going on with Dana…"
"It's over with her." He shook his head but didn't open his eyes. "I can't even look at her. I mean… the games she's playing now… I don't know what I ever saw in her."
Berty sat next to him and put a hand on his arm. "Seb…"
"I just want someone in my life to be what they are. I don't want to know that everyone I thought I loved doesn't love me back enough to be honest." He opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling. "I just want people to show me who they really are… No one tells me the truth… Ever."
"I tell you the truth."
"Yeah. Yeah, you do." He sipped his beer, his head already swimming. "Heard something about you hooking up in Florida."
"Just some guy… we're just friends right now." Berty blushed and turned on the radio, as if that would hide her face.
"Do you mind if I chill in here?"
"It's cool."
--
Max held Beth's hair back while she got sick in the bathroom. They had made it all the way back to the hotel before she had started to vomit again. Max had decided that she wasn't going to be able to leave the bathroom for a while and set up camp there with 7up and saltines. He held her when she calmed and wiped the tears from her eyes.
When Lauren showed up, she helped him pull back Beth's hair so it wouldn't fall in the event of another bout of regurgitation. The three of them ended up parking on the bathroom floor until Beth cleared her throat. "It's kind of quiet."
"You want some of your loud obnoxious music?" Max rubbed her back.
"I'll grab something." Lauren offered and got up to retrieve the music.
"Her aura is interesting. It's orange but it's… not tangerine like Mom but… more of a salmon…"
"Yeah… it's a little… pinkish." She readjusted herself against him and sighed heavily. "When did you start seeing auras?"
"I don't know… I think while you were in there today."
"I will break… into your thoughts. With what's written on my heart… I will Break!" The radio seeped into the bathroom. "You broke into my thoughts. This invasion makes me feel… Worthless, hopeless, sick… I'm so sick!"
"Too black?" Lauren called in.
Beth managed a laugh. "I like it… Gabriel burned it for me."
"And of course, Gabriel is a genius and if he likes it, it must be good." Max teased.
"If you want… more of this… We can push out, sell out, die out. So you'll shut up… and stay sleeping with my screaming in your itching ears… I'm so sick, infected with, Where I live… Let me live without this empty bliss, selfishness… Let me live."
"She's nice and angry." Max mused to them both. "I think I like her."
"See, not all of it is obnoxious." She sipped her water slowly. "Gross. Mineral water?"
"It was in the honor bar. Kal will pay for it." He stroked her bangs back. "You think you can keep down some coffee?"
"Yeah, I guess."
"I'll get it." Lauren stuck her head in and vanished again.
"I guess I'm scary." Beth groaned.
He chuckled and hugged her tight. "Not to me… you're beautiful-"
"If you say as the day I was born, I'm gonna punch you."
"Oh no… I wasn't going to say that. The day you were born, you were covered in placenta and amniotic fluid. I don't generally find that attractive."
"You're disgusting." She complained but couldn't help but laugh.
--
Alex hugged his grandmother and stood still for the cheek pinching and the lipstick smears. Then he shook his grandfather's hand and listened to his advice. "I'm proud of you, son. Just make sure you're ready. That you've got all your ducks in a row. Keep it up… You'll make Isabel a very happy woman."
Alex nodded and glanced at his grandmother, who had teared up just a bit. She stepped up to take her husband's arm. "I'll drive home, Chuck. You look tired."
When Chuck Whitman was seated in the passenger seat, Sandra turned to her grandson. Alex just nodded that he understood. "Bad night?"
"I think so. He has his moments of… This is rare." She fought the tears and hugged her grandson again. "I just… don't want to tell him that your dad is dead again." She fought the sob and took a deep breath. "Maybe I should clear out the room. Pack everything up."
"I think it would just confuse him in the bad moments." Alex watched his grandfather check his watch and stare up at the sky.
"I'm going to talk to your aunt… we may move… to be closer to her… in case something happens… but I think we'll wait until after the wedding."
"Don't wait on us. We don't know when we'll set the date… but I'll keep you posted."
"Okay… goodnight."
He stood there and watched them drive away, a ball of anguish in his stomach. When Lynnette found him, he was almost ready to rejoin the party. He kissed her head and held her tight against him. "Are you going to drive me around when I get old and senile?"
"You bet. I'll even make sure you match your socks."
--
Isabel turned to greet Michael as he entered her backyard with one son on his shoulders and the other in hand. "Hey!"
"Hey." He let Stephen run off to play with Gina and set Matthew on a chair.
"Where's your better half?"
"Primping. I brought them early to get them out of her hair."
"How nice of you, Michael. Are you going to start carrying a purse?"
"Ha. Ha." Michael grabbed her in a hug. "It's been a while, stranger."
"I know." She hugged him back. "How's the… Laurie thing going?"
"Good, I think. She's doing okay. She got on the phone with Kathy today and they think there's possibly a way to revitalize her for a while… to maybe see her through the pregnancy." Michael took a seat and waved at Liz who was wallowing on the other side of the table. "Have you heard?"
"No… but I haven't been home in a couple of hours. I'm feeling a little… itchy." She sighed and picked at a mixed drink someone had thrust into her hands. She had no inclination to drink it. "He doesn't even know the good news yet." She took a deep breath and waited until they were both looking at her. "Did… either of you feel… anything? You know, earlier today?"
"Like what?"
"I don't know… I had this weird… spell today and… I don't know."
"Liz, what happened?" Michael pressed.
"It was… four thirty or something. I was getting ready to come over here. I was doing my makeup when I just… got this… burning in my gut all of a sudden." She dropped her hands onto the table.
"Liz… you sure you don't need a laxative or something?" Michael shook his head, smirking at her.
"Not that kind of burning… I mean… Like…" She felt the tears coming, overwhelming her annoyance at his flip treatment of something that deeply concerned her. This incident along with her whole summer just caught up with her. "Like when I got shot. I was… really surprised to find that I wasn't bleeding, it felt so real."
"I didn't feel anything." Isabel shook her head and looked to Michael, who most often was the most perceptive of them. He shook his head too.
"I… want to call Max, to see if everything's okay but I'm scared to… in case it is something and it's something I can't handle."
"I'm sure everything's fine or else he would have called us all until he found you." Isabel tried to reassure her sister-in-law but she had no idea what was going on.
"I know. I'm… just… It was scary and I can't help but worry about everyone that I can't see."
"You could pick up the phone and call him." Michael offered. "He might have his hands full with doctor crap but he'll know to call you if you leave him a message."
"Rude but logical." Isabel glared at him.
"Daddy, I'm thursty." Matthew whined and tugged on his father's arm.
"I get one day off a week and how do I spend it? Run around after this guy."
Isabel and Liz stared after him, watching little Matthew giggle when tickled and hug Michael so freely. "It's not fair. Michael got to start all over again."
"Um… so did you." Liz snorted, absently rubbing her belly where the burning had disrupted her day.
"I know but… Gina's a little monster." Isabel pointed to her daughter and Michael's older son running around screaming their heads off. "If we can get through the night without her leaping off of something, it will be a miracle."
--
138C
Kathy glanced up for just a second when Dr. West entered the lab. "What can I do for you today?"
"Vaj saw you talking to the secretary the other day. What about?"
"Just a message I'd gotten and hadn't understood." Kathy shrugged and made some notes on the project she was working on.
"She's missing."
"Missing?" Kathy's eyebrow shot up.
"She hasn't check in for a couple of days… and that's not like her."
"As I understand it, Ms. Allison is an adult without family. Who reported her missing?"
"She hasn't been reported missing but she was supposed to come in to work this morning. She hasn’t so much as called and she isn’t answering her phone."
"Do they always leave the administrative tasks to you or is this a special case?" This time when Kathy looked up, she saw fear in the older woman's eyes. "She's not missing."
"So you do know where she is." Dr. West stepped further into the lab. "She lied about where she was going and who with."
"Dr. West… she's 21 and on break from school. She took off for a while. She's coming back."
"Where did she go, Dr. Evans?"
"I'm not sure." Kathy gestured to her notes. "I am a little busy, here. I have a grant to keep."
--
Berty fixed up a plate to take inside. So many people had crammed into the little backyard that it was difficult to move without jostling someone. That was how she ended up back in the kitchen with her plate of food in one hand and half Aunt Liz's drink on her other. Shaking off her hand over the sink, she eyed the empty towel rack and ended up sucking her fingers clean before heading back to deliver Sebastien his food.
He sighed but set down his beer to attempt to get some food into his system. Berty grabbed a towel off her closet door and dried her hand off the rest of the way. "A lot of people show up?"
"Yeah. All of your family and all of Alex's friends… actually… I think some of your friends are out there." She sat at the desk to fight a sudden fit of dizziness.
"You okay?"
"My head. I'm okay." She shook it slowly and reached down to remove her sandals.
"You want your bed back? I can go sulk somewhere else."
"No, it's okay." She shook her head at him. "I missed you this summer. We didn't get to hang out like before."
"Yeah, I know… it's been a busy summer." He half-heartedly picked at chips, dip, veggies, a sausage link and a small mound of beans. He set the plate on the nightstand so he wouldn't spill it on her bed. Grabbing his beer, he swallowed it down. He couldn't get much drunker.
"Come on closer. I wanna show you… what I'd like to do."
Berty sat next to him to hug him and rub his arm lightly. She couldn't help but notice how good he smelled. His cologne made her head swim more than it already was. It seemed to invade her nostrils and buzz around in her very heavy head. It was so very odd but her eyes were on his hands peeling the label from his empty beer bottle. Her hand on his thigh, stilled his movements.
"You sit back now. Just relax now. I'll take care of you."
She watched his Adam's apple bob when he swallowed down a lump in his throat. She didn't know what made her do it but she closed her eyes and pressed her lips against his neck. Then she felt his hand in her hair, turning her face up before she felt his mouth on hers. Sebastien shifted blindly until he felt her heaving chest against his. She pulled herself up, becoming more aggressive. His mouth opened under hers, inviting her into his hot mouth.
"Hot temptations… sweet sensations… infiltrating through…Sweet sensations… hot temptations… coming over you."
Berty slid her leg over his. Vaguely, she heard the sound of a bottle hitting the carpet before his hand slid up her thigh, pulling her closer to him. Sliding up over her hip to pull her even closer. Sebastien was weak. He let his hands map out her extreme curves. From her firm thighs, over her backside and up to her small waist, then up inside her blouse to those ample orbs pressed against his chest.
"Gonna take it slow, babe… Do it my way… Keep your eyes on me."
Small cries escaped her mouth into his when she felt his fingers brushing against her nipples. She wrenched her mouth away from his so she could breathe. So many sensations washed over her. His mouth on her throat, his hands on her flesh, his erection throbbing against the inside of her thigh. Sliding her hands over every muscular plane she could find, she pressed even closer against him.
"Your reaction… to my action… Is what I want to see…"
Sebastien rushed to get her shirt off her frame, pulling away so he could get rid of it. Her heavy breasts fell out of the shirt and he couldn't help but taste them, only pausing when she pulled his shirt over his head and shoulders. Tonguing her nipples into hard little points, he pressed his hands firmly against her ass. Shifting them slowly until she was on her back and he was tightly wedged beneath her thighs, pressing his erection to the growing heat beneath her jeans.
"Rhythmic motion… raw emotion… infiltrating through…"
Frantic hands shot down to buttons and zippers. Sebastien had to sit back on his knees to work at getting Berty's jeans down her legs and onto the floor before pulling down her panties to toss them the same way. Her lip caught between her teeth, she tugged at his pants and boxers. Her mouth went dry when he laid atop her once more and kicked off the offending clothes. He felt so good against every inch of her body.
"Sweet sensations… hot temptations… coming over you."
Naked, their bodies slid against one another, rubbing in all the right places. Hands exploring new territory and mouths tasting, licking, intimate places. Finally, Sebastien aligned his sex with hers and slid into her slowly. When he was completely sheathed, he paused to breathe because she felt so good all around him. Starting a leisurely pace, his lips and tongue returned to her body. A soft cry passed over her lips at each thrust.
Quickening the pace, he did his best to keep them both quiet… not wholly unaware of the party outside the window. His main focus, though, was on the friction between their bodies. Where all her soft parts touched his hard parts.
"Now you're satisfied… twinkle in your eyes… go to sleep before ten."
Her cries were swallowed by his mouth, muffled by the radio, smothered by the music from the backyard. He was so close. So very close…
"Anticipating… I will be waiting… For you to wake up…"
Sebastien rested his head on her shoulder while he caught his breath. Berty fell asleep and he did his best not to wake her when he extricated himself from her embrace. He sat on the end of the bed while he collected his wits. Head in his hands, he took deep breaths. The noises outside were as loud as ever.
Looking over his shoulder, he could see her snuggling her pillow and he had to cover her up. Had to get his clothes back on. Had to… take a shower, where he let the tears fall finally. He was a bad, bad person. He was a horrible person.
"Hot temptations… sweet sensations… infiltrating through… Sweet sensations… hot temptations… coming over you…"
--
Liz let Sterling into the house and was welcomed with a wet nose on her bare toes, a quick lick to her ankle and a playful yap before he bounded away in search of David. Pulling off her earrings she made her way back to the bedroom, passing up the bathroom which still reeked of her perfume. When she looked at the phone, it rang. Letting out an involuntary yelp, she hit her head on the headboard before scrambling to answer it. "Max?"
"Hi."
"I've been hoping you'd call me all day. What happened?" Liz settled onto of the bed, ignoring the little licks on her toes.
"She went in but only for four hours." Max took a seat on the couch, Lauren's voice and laughter reaching his ears. She had taken over vomit detail but he didn't think Beth would get sick again tonight. "She's… I think she's done."
"Is she better?"
"She's getting there."
"Really, Max?"
"I feel it in my bones. She's done and she's going to get better. She um…" He fished the string out of his pocket and stared at it for a moment. "She expelled her stitches today."
"You mean she burst a stitch?"
"No… they came out and she's still in one piece. No bleeding. The thread isn't even broken. A tech fished them out of a drain. He thought it was her idea of jewelry. I've looked them over. Definitely my knots." He twirled the string around his fingers.
"You sound… remarkably unworried for someone who was trying out an experimental treatment on his alien daughter."
"I just know that it worked, Liz. She's going to get better. She's already telling jokes and laughing."
"I want to talk to her."
"Fine." Max got up and knocked on the bathroom door. "Feel like talking some more?" He waved the phone at his daughter. "It's Mom."
Beth reached up for the phone from her pallet made of towels and comforters between the tub and toilet. "Hi Mom."
"Hi sweetie. How are you feeling?" Liz bit her lip and waited for the response.
"Like crap but Dad says this is it. No more… and… I feel like crap but better than the last time. I feel kind of bad for the fit I threw last night when he told me I'd have to do it again."
"What's that echo?"
"Oh, we're in the bathroom… in case I start yakking again."
"Do you want me to come up?"
"Mom?" Beth sat up. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong. I'm just wondering if you need me."
"We probably won't be up here much longer… hopefully. I want to go home.” Beth sighed and sagged against her pillow. “What’s wrong, Mom?”
“It’s nothing. I’ve been worried about you all day.”
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing’s going on… but… Alex and Lynnette got engaged.”
“Really?”
“Yep. They had their party tonight. He’s got to get back to work but they’re hoping that maybe next year they can have the wedding.”
“Wow… so they finally did it.”
“Yeah… and Sterling’s licking my toes. It tickles but I don’t feel like sending him away.”
“Oh, I see.” Beth lowered the phone and looked up at her father. “You’ve got competition. Some young thing is licking Mom’s toes and she doesn’t want him to stop.”
“What?” Max grabbed the phone away from her. “What’s this about toe licking?”
“It’s Sterling, Max.” Liz rolled her eyes. “I guess she truncated our time.”
“She’s got company. They’re playing loud music and gossiping.” Max left the girls to their chattering and made his way back to the couch when Will let himself into the room.
“So, she’s really going to be okay?”
“I really think so. We still have to wait through the tests.” Max nodded and greeted Will with a nod. “So, what were you telling Beth?”
“Oh… your nephew is engaged. We had a party. It was fun. No dates yet but maybe next year another wedding.”
“Ah, I see.” Max waved Will into the bathroom to join the party while he enjoyed a non-stressful conversation with his wife for the first time in weeks. “So, we’re letting the dog into our bedroom now?”
“Somebody has to keep me warm.”
“He’s in the bed now?”
“He could be. You’d better hurry home or I’ll give him your pillow.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“I would too.” Liz rolled over to pick up the furball and put him on the bed. Sterling sniffed around the bed and when he sniffed Max’s pillow, he yapped softly and nudged it with his nose. “So… we do need to talk about something but I think it should wait until you’re here because… I think… you need to be here for it.”
“Liz? What happened?”
“I’m not totally sure that anything happened, exactly but… I’d rather you be here with me when I tell you about it.”
“Okay. As soon as we’re done, we’ll head straight home.”
“Did anything otherworldly happen?”
“Not entirely sure but something did happen… I just don’t know what its significance is.”
--
Lauren hugged herself while she watched Beth and Will interact. So at ease with each other despite the age difference. “Agent Goldblum, you’re FBI, right? So you have access to more stuff than the average Joe.”
“Pretty much.” He sat up and waited until the pretty brunette had found her words.
“All this stuff that’s been going on. Me finding out about my mom’s study and about Beth’s condition and how I’ve got this bad blood… I’m just wondering a lot…” She lifted her eyes and reached for her bag. “This is all the information I’ve gotten about my birth parents… and I’m just wondering if there’s something more you could maybe do… to help me find them… I’d like to talk to my mom and dad… I already know what the agency told me but… Things were still confidential back then. I’m over 18 now and I think I have a right to know who I share DNA with.”
“I can’t promise anything… and it’d be off the record if I do anything.” Will cleared his throat. “I’d only be doing it because eventually Kathy will need to know who they are as well. I would have cleared it with you first.” He took the folder when she held it out.
“I just want to know… maybe they want to meet me now.”
“Okay. I’ll see what I can do.”
--
How could he have just done that? Gathering himself together in some fresh clothes from his suitcase in Alex's room, he didn't recognize himself in the mirror. All the advice he ignored in the past week had just slapped him in the face a week too late. Returning to Berty's room, he felt a pang of the worst kind. Tears slipping down his face, he cleaned up his mess. His uneaten food, his empty beer bottles… managed to cover her decently before emerging from the back of the house. He couldn’t stop moving.
He cleaned the kitchen up. Readying trash to be thrown when the shindig was over. The window showed him all the people he had just betrayed. Kyle and Alex were wrestling in the nearly empty backyard. Isabel and Jesse sat close together, Gina fighting sleep on his lap. Lynnette and Grampa Valenti chatting while polishing off the last of the cake.
Sinking to the ground, Sebastien sobbed. None of them would ever forgive him for what he had done. It was the second time in 24 hours he had allowed something to happen that shouldn't have with someone he should have steered clear of. Oh God… Donna Jo…
"Sebastien?" Jesse peered down at his son. "It's late. We have to leave soon."
He didn't even have to think about his response. "I have a problem, Dad. A big one."
TBC
"Vaj saw you talking to the secretary the other day. What about?"
"Just a message I'd gotten and hadn't understood." Kathy shrugged and made some notes on the project she was working on.
"She's missing."
"Missing?" Kathy's eyebrow shot up.
"She hasn't check in for a couple of days… and that's not like her."
"As I understand it, Ms. Allison is an adult without family. Who reported her missing?"
"She hasn't been reported missing but she was supposed to come in to work this morning. She hasn’t so much as called and she isn’t answering her phone."
"Do they always leave the administrative tasks to you or is this a special case?" This time when Kathy looked up, she saw fear in the older woman's eyes. "She's not missing."
"So you do know where she is." Dr. West stepped further into the lab. "She lied about where she was going and who with."
"Dr. West… she's 21 and on break from school. She took off for a while. She's coming back."
"Where did she go, Dr. Evans?"
"I'm not sure." Kathy gestured to her notes. "I am a little busy, here. I have a grant to keep."
--
Berty fixed up a plate to take inside. So many people had crammed into the little backyard that it was difficult to move without jostling someone. That was how she ended up back in the kitchen with her plate of food in one hand and half Aunt Liz's drink on her other. Shaking off her hand over the sink, she eyed the empty towel rack and ended up sucking her fingers clean before heading back to deliver Sebastien his food.
He sighed but set down his beer to attempt to get some food into his system. Berty grabbed a towel off her closet door and dried her hand off the rest of the way. "A lot of people show up?"
"Yeah. All of your family and all of Alex's friends… actually… I think some of your friends are out there." She sat at the desk to fight a sudden fit of dizziness.
"You okay?"
"My head. I'm okay." She shook it slowly and reached down to remove her sandals.
"You want your bed back? I can go sulk somewhere else."
"No, it's okay." She shook her head at him. "I missed you this summer. We didn't get to hang out like before."
"Yeah, I know… it's been a busy summer." He half-heartedly picked at chips, dip, veggies, a sausage link and a small mound of beans. He set the plate on the nightstand so he wouldn't spill it on her bed. Grabbing his beer, he swallowed it down. He couldn't get much drunker.
"Come on closer. I wanna show you… what I'd like to do."
Berty sat next to him to hug him and rub his arm lightly. She couldn't help but notice how good he smelled. His cologne made her head swim more than it already was. It seemed to invade her nostrils and buzz around in her very heavy head. It was so very odd but her eyes were on his hands peeling the label from his empty beer bottle. Her hand on his thigh, stilled his movements.
"You sit back now. Just relax now. I'll take care of you."
She watched his Adam's apple bob when he swallowed down a lump in his throat. She didn't know what made her do it but she closed her eyes and pressed her lips against his neck. Then she felt his hand in her hair, turning her face up before she felt his mouth on hers. Sebastien shifted blindly until he felt her heaving chest against his. She pulled herself up, becoming more aggressive. His mouth opened under hers, inviting her into his hot mouth.
"Hot temptations… sweet sensations… infiltrating through…Sweet sensations… hot temptations… coming over you."
Berty slid her leg over his. Vaguely, she heard the sound of a bottle hitting the carpet before his hand slid up her thigh, pulling her closer to him. Sliding up over her hip to pull her even closer. Sebastien was weak. He let his hands map out her extreme curves. From her firm thighs, over her backside and up to her small waist, then up inside her blouse to those ample orbs pressed against his chest.
"Gonna take it slow, babe… Do it my way… Keep your eyes on me."
Small cries escaped her mouth into his when she felt his fingers brushing against her nipples. She wrenched her mouth away from his so she could breathe. So many sensations washed over her. His mouth on her throat, his hands on her flesh, his erection throbbing against the inside of her thigh. Sliding her hands over every muscular plane she could find, she pressed even closer against him.
"Your reaction… to my action… Is what I want to see…"
Sebastien rushed to get her shirt off her frame, pulling away so he could get rid of it. Her heavy breasts fell out of the shirt and he couldn't help but taste them, only pausing when she pulled his shirt over his head and shoulders. Tonguing her nipples into hard little points, he pressed his hands firmly against her ass. Shifting them slowly until she was on her back and he was tightly wedged beneath her thighs, pressing his erection to the growing heat beneath her jeans.
"Rhythmic motion… raw emotion… infiltrating through…"
Frantic hands shot down to buttons and zippers. Sebastien had to sit back on his knees to work at getting Berty's jeans down her legs and onto the floor before pulling down her panties to toss them the same way. Her lip caught between her teeth, she tugged at his pants and boxers. Her mouth went dry when he laid atop her once more and kicked off the offending clothes. He felt so good against every inch of her body.
"Sweet sensations… hot temptations… coming over you."
Naked, their bodies slid against one another, rubbing in all the right places. Hands exploring new territory and mouths tasting, licking, intimate places. Finally, Sebastien aligned his sex with hers and slid into her slowly. When he was completely sheathed, he paused to breathe because she felt so good all around him. Starting a leisurely pace, his lips and tongue returned to her body. A soft cry passed over her lips at each thrust.
Quickening the pace, he did his best to keep them both quiet… not wholly unaware of the party outside the window. His main focus, though, was on the friction between their bodies. Where all her soft parts touched his hard parts.
"Now you're satisfied… twinkle in your eyes… go to sleep before ten."
Her cries were swallowed by his mouth, muffled by the radio, smothered by the music from the backyard. He was so close. So very close…
"Anticipating… I will be waiting… For you to wake up…"
Sebastien rested his head on her shoulder while he caught his breath. Berty fell asleep and he did his best not to wake her when he extricated himself from her embrace. He sat on the end of the bed while he collected his wits. Head in his hands, he took deep breaths. The noises outside were as loud as ever.
Looking over his shoulder, he could see her snuggling her pillow and he had to cover her up. Had to get his clothes back on. Had to… take a shower, where he let the tears fall finally. He was a bad, bad person. He was a horrible person.
"Hot temptations… sweet sensations… infiltrating through… Sweet sensations… hot temptations… coming over you…"
--
Liz let Sterling into the house and was welcomed with a wet nose on her bare toes, a quick lick to her ankle and a playful yap before he bounded away in search of David. Pulling off her earrings she made her way back to the bedroom, passing up the bathroom which still reeked of her perfume. When she looked at the phone, it rang. Letting out an involuntary yelp, she hit her head on the headboard before scrambling to answer it. "Max?"
"Hi."
"I've been hoping you'd call me all day. What happened?" Liz settled onto of the bed, ignoring the little licks on her toes.
"She went in but only for four hours." Max took a seat on the couch, Lauren's voice and laughter reaching his ears. She had taken over vomit detail but he didn't think Beth would get sick again tonight. "She's… I think she's done."
"Is she better?"
"She's getting there."
"Really, Max?"
"I feel it in my bones. She's done and she's going to get better. She um…" He fished the string out of his pocket and stared at it for a moment. "She expelled her stitches today."
"You mean she burst a stitch?"
"No… they came out and she's still in one piece. No bleeding. The thread isn't even broken. A tech fished them out of a drain. He thought it was her idea of jewelry. I've looked them over. Definitely my knots." He twirled the string around his fingers.
"You sound… remarkably unworried for someone who was trying out an experimental treatment on his alien daughter."
"I just know that it worked, Liz. She's going to get better. She's already telling jokes and laughing."
"I want to talk to her."
"Fine." Max got up and knocked on the bathroom door. "Feel like talking some more?" He waved the phone at his daughter. "It's Mom."
Beth reached up for the phone from her pallet made of towels and comforters between the tub and toilet. "Hi Mom."
"Hi sweetie. How are you feeling?" Liz bit her lip and waited for the response.
"Like crap but Dad says this is it. No more… and… I feel like crap but better than the last time. I feel kind of bad for the fit I threw last night when he told me I'd have to do it again."
"What's that echo?"
"Oh, we're in the bathroom… in case I start yakking again."
"Do you want me to come up?"
"Mom?" Beth sat up. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong. I'm just wondering if you need me."
"We probably won't be up here much longer… hopefully. I want to go home.” Beth sighed and sagged against her pillow. “What’s wrong, Mom?”
“It’s nothing. I’ve been worried about you all day.”
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing’s going on… but… Alex and Lynnette got engaged.”
“Really?”
“Yep. They had their party tonight. He’s got to get back to work but they’re hoping that maybe next year they can have the wedding.”
“Wow… so they finally did it.”
“Yeah… and Sterling’s licking my toes. It tickles but I don’t feel like sending him away.”
“Oh, I see.” Beth lowered the phone and looked up at her father. “You’ve got competition. Some young thing is licking Mom’s toes and she doesn’t want him to stop.”
“What?” Max grabbed the phone away from her. “What’s this about toe licking?”
“It’s Sterling, Max.” Liz rolled her eyes. “I guess she truncated our time.”
“She’s got company. They’re playing loud music and gossiping.” Max left the girls to their chattering and made his way back to the couch when Will let himself into the room.
“So, she’s really going to be okay?”
“I really think so. We still have to wait through the tests.” Max nodded and greeted Will with a nod. “So, what were you telling Beth?”
“Oh… your nephew is engaged. We had a party. It was fun. No dates yet but maybe next year another wedding.”
“Ah, I see.” Max waved Will into the bathroom to join the party while he enjoyed a non-stressful conversation with his wife for the first time in weeks. “So, we’re letting the dog into our bedroom now?”
“Somebody has to keep me warm.”
“He’s in the bed now?”
“He could be. You’d better hurry home or I’ll give him your pillow.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“I would too.” Liz rolled over to pick up the furball and put him on the bed. Sterling sniffed around the bed and when he sniffed Max’s pillow, he yapped softly and nudged it with his nose. “So… we do need to talk about something but I think it should wait until you’re here because… I think… you need to be here for it.”
“Liz? What happened?”
“I’m not totally sure that anything happened, exactly but… I’d rather you be here with me when I tell you about it.”
“Okay. As soon as we’re done, we’ll head straight home.”
“Did anything otherworldly happen?”
“Not entirely sure but something did happen… I just don’t know what its significance is.”
--
Lauren hugged herself while she watched Beth and Will interact. So at ease with each other despite the age difference. “Agent Goldblum, you’re FBI, right? So you have access to more stuff than the average Joe.”
“Pretty much.” He sat up and waited until the pretty brunette had found her words.
“All this stuff that’s been going on. Me finding out about my mom’s study and about Beth’s condition and how I’ve got this bad blood… I’m just wondering a lot…” She lifted her eyes and reached for her bag. “This is all the information I’ve gotten about my birth parents… and I’m just wondering if there’s something more you could maybe do… to help me find them… I’d like to talk to my mom and dad… I already know what the agency told me but… Things were still confidential back then. I’m over 18 now and I think I have a right to know who I share DNA with.”
“I can’t promise anything… and it’d be off the record if I do anything.” Will cleared his throat. “I’d only be doing it because eventually Kathy will need to know who they are as well. I would have cleared it with you first.” He took the folder when she held it out.
“I just want to know… maybe they want to meet me now.”
“Okay. I’ll see what I can do.”
--
How could he have just done that? Gathering himself together in some fresh clothes from his suitcase in Alex's room, he didn't recognize himself in the mirror. All the advice he ignored in the past week had just slapped him in the face a week too late. Returning to Berty's room, he felt a pang of the worst kind. Tears slipping down his face, he cleaned up his mess. His uneaten food, his empty beer bottles… managed to cover her decently before emerging from the back of the house. He couldn’t stop moving.
He cleaned the kitchen up. Readying trash to be thrown when the shindig was over. The window showed him all the people he had just betrayed. Kyle and Alex were wrestling in the nearly empty backyard. Isabel and Jesse sat close together, Gina fighting sleep on his lap. Lynnette and Grampa Valenti chatting while polishing off the last of the cake.
Sinking to the ground, Sebastien sobbed. None of them would ever forgive him for what he had done. It was the second time in 24 hours he had allowed something to happen that shouldn't have with someone he should have steered clear of. Oh God… Donna Jo…
"Sebastien?" Jesse peered down at his son. "It's late. We have to leave soon."
He didn't even have to think about his response. "I have a problem, Dad. A big one."
TBC
Part 139 A
The Fate of Destiny Part 139
Sebastien sat in a chair across from his father, sipping coffee and staring at nothing. "I won't shame you and tell you everything I did but… some of it was pretty bad. That judge was right. I just… couldn't see it before."
"Are you ready to go? We can still go home and you can get help here before you go." Jesse couldn’t stand to see his son in such pain but he didn’t really know what he could do even if he asked for it.
"I can't get help here. This week… I just… let things happen because I knew there were so many places I could fall." He closed his red eyes. "I don't have that luxury up there. I need help."
"I've got a friend. He’s in mental health and I know that sounds bad but it really isn’t…" Jesse dug through his wallet. "He won't take you on but he'll give you the name of someone who will. Don't worry about the bill. I'll pay for it." He held the card out to his son. His son who looked like he was walking death. "They'll give you the names of people who will get you into programs and tell you how to handle living on campus."
"Did I do this to myself or did she give me something?" Sebastien took the card and slipped it into his own wallet. "Don't answer that. No one made me put a bottle to my lips."
"Seb…"
"Maybe knowing about her couldn't have prevented this but… I still wish I would have known."
"It's okay, Seb."
"No, it's not. It's really not. I can't stop myself when I'm drinking. The other night at Nicky's… Dana was… and I… almost couldn't stop… I hate that she knows me that well. I hate that I let her get to me that way. She makes me feel so…" Seb wiped roughly at his eyes. "Dirty. All of the good times are tainted, now."
Jesse stood to hug his son. "You call me as soon as you land. You call once you've called Aaron."
"Okay." Sebastien nodded and hugged his father back, fighting the return of his sobs. "Can you tell Berty that I'll call her?"
"Yeah." Jesse took his son by the shoulders. "You promise me here and now, that you'll really try. Okay? You go to the meetings and you go to the counseling and you call me if you think it's too tough. Okay?"
"I will."
"I love you. You're my son. I'll never give up on you. You'll get better."
"I hope so."
--
Max knocked on the door. It was 6:30 in the morning, who knew what they could get up to with the sun just risen. "I need to take some vitals, girls."
The door creaked open after a moment. Beth was wrapped in a robe, her hair piled on top of her head, covered in dyeing goo. "I'm ready, Dr. Evans."
"I see." He took a seat on the rim of the tub. Her aura looked good. He slipped his stethoscope inside her robe to listen at her chest, then slid it down her back to listen there. "Very strong. Just the way I like my women. If they have week heartbeats, when you kiss their cheeks, they faint. It's kind of a turn off." He took her blood pressure, ignoring her roll of the eyes. He kept his eyes on her face.
She met his eyes for a moment. "You were scared, weren't you?"
"You bet I was. But I think the tests tomorrow are going to run clean." He stuffed his cuff and scope back into his travel bag. "What color am I going to have to ease your mother into?"
"I was playing with a few things but I think this royal blue will really flatter her." Lauren nodded.
"Yep… Mom's gonna hate it." Beth nodded.
“I see, we’re back to that game.” Max shook his head at her. “Nice pulse, strong heartbeat. Blood pressure is back up and your color is very good. Healthy. Do you know what’s next?” She shook her head. “You eat a sandwich because, frankly, looking at how skinny you are is making me sick.”
--
Berty pulled her head out of her pillow and peered around through heavy lids. Her brain felt like it was packed in cotton. When she sat up, she felt like she had run a marathon. Forcing her eyes open, she became aware that her room had been cleaned since the night before and that she was not in the clothes she figured she must have fallen asleep in. She couldn't remember a thing after puttering around in the kitchen the night before.
"It's time for sleepyheads to rise and shine!" Isabel bellowed through the house. She opened doors up and down the hallway. "Come on! We're going to Grandma's for lunch!" She threw open Berty's door. "Oh, you're up."
"Yeah." Berty nodded slowly, trying desperately to remember the night before.
"You okay? Dream hopping again?"
"Yeah…" She felt the lie even as it was out of her mouth. "I'll be up soon."
“Soon. I promised Grandma we’d be there. I didn’t expect to be up so late but you got more sleep than most of us, so no poking butt.” Isabel told her as she moved on to the next room. Berty sat there for a moment before she attempted getting up. She winced but grabbed her robe to beat her brother to the shower. When she hit the hallway, she saw Jesse hugging her mother and couldn’t help but watch his sad face. “Was he still upset?”
“Yeah… there’s something else going on with him. I… didn’t want him to go like that.” Jesse shut his eyes and bowed his head. “Seb just… I… I feel like this is all my fault. Like maybe I didn’t pay enough attention to him but… he’s… ever since we lived in Boston, he’s cut himself off from me. I don’t know what to do…”
“He has to help himself. If you keep holding his hand, he won’t get any better.”
“That’s pretty much what he told me… and he didn’t say much.” Jesse picked up his head and spotted their spy. “Hey… Sebastien said he’d call you when he got in… he’ll probably call you before he calls me… let me know, will you?”
Berty nodded silently and continued her journey to the bathroom. In the mirror, she stared back. A reddish spot at her neckline. She rubbed at it and it faded a bit. Tossing her shirt to the ground, she winced at her sore breasts. Shaking her head, she turned to flip on the water before Kyle started griping that she was taking too long. Slipping out of her shorts, she frowned at a small smear in the crotch. Groan. “Mom! Do we still have tampons?!”
“Under the sink! You could look yourself, you know!” Came the response.
“This way’s easier!”
“Hurry up! Kyle still needs to get in!”
--
Alex woke when he felt a pair of lips on his. “Christina? Is that you?”
“You’re a jerk.” Lynnette whacked him on the chest.
“I’m playing.” Alex sat up and opened his eyes to see his fiancee. They had crashed at her house. It had been late and they hadn’t really been able to celebrate together. “Come here. You showered without me and I consider that a sin.”
“If you had your way… you’d sleep all day. A girl has to take care of herself.”
“Just come back here with those sweet lips and wake me up some more.” He took her mouth for a thorough kiss. Gently, he began untying her robe. She started to shy away but he followed her, pulling her back toward him. “Hold on. We didn’t get to celebrate our way.”
“We will… I promise…” She whispered as she settled on his lap. “But Tia is awake and waiting for her coffee. Tonight. Tonight we celebrate, just you and me.”
“I don’t want to leave now.”
“I know but you promised.”
“Okay.” He willed his body to calm down though her robe still hung open between them. “Answer me something… why did you put me off all summer?”
“I didn’t…” She started to shake her head.
“You did.” He bent his head to keep her eyes on his. “I… I came so close to giving up.”
“I thought I was pregnant, Alex. I’m not but I thought I was and I couldn’t think clearly. If I told you, then you’d just want me to make things right. Or if I told you, you wouldn’t believe me if I said it was yours.” She stared to tear up. “I was working on that stupid baby blanket, vowing that the moment I got it done, I’d take a test and then I’d call you but… I kept waiting for you to call and you didn’t. It scared me that maybe I was being stupid and you had given up on me.” She sat back and stared at him. “I’m such a neurotic. I’m too crazy for you.”
“I like you crazy. Did you know that you’re the only person that I can’t charm the pants off? You see right through me when it counts.” Alex took a deep breath. “Next time you think you might be pregnant… tell me… I’ll agonize with you. And if it had been someone else’s baby… I would have still raised him or her like my own.” She leaned against him, nodding that she believed he was telling her the truth. “Dad set me a good example. I would love that child just because it would be a part of you.”
“I know—“
“Lynnette! Is Alex in there?” Jesse’s voice called through the door after a swift knock. “If he is, tell him that everyone is heading over to his grandmother’s for lunch. I’m taking Mom with me now. She’s miffed she hasn’t gotten her coffee, yet.”
“We’ll be there soon!” Alex called back and contemplated the woman on his lap. “Celebrate now or later?”
“Only if you have protection. I would rather follow protocol in this situation.”
--
Gabriel waved to his little sister, who looked worried where she sat with her brothers. “Guys, take her out before the doctor gets here. I gotta change… but stay in the waiting room and if I can hear you, you’re grounded for the rest of the summer.”
He waited until the door shut before picking up the hated paper gown. Thankfully he was already reseated on the raspy paper when the doc opened the door. “Mr. Silerio… what is the problem?”
“My… I…” Gabriel stammered over his words as he recognized the face. “Dr. Evans… it’s because I used to have this thing…”
Danny looked up to find his little sister’s boyfriend. “Oh. Hey Gabe. What’s the problem? I don’t need a history right now… just tell me what’s up.”
“Okay. Yesterday I was loading orders. Two by fours and stuff. I turned to get the next order and I couldn’t move. I tried and I couldn’t… and my head just… exploded in pain. I used to have bad migraines and this felt like one of those. Back then it was a tumor and I’m just scared that something grew back.”
“Okay… okay… calm down. Do you want me to get you another doctor?”
“Why?”
“Some people are uncomfortable with people they know performing tests on them.” Danny cleared his throat. “Like I’m your girlfriend’s brother might make you uneasy.”
“Nope. I’m good. I kind of feel better knowing who you are.”
“Okay. Let’s just go over some basic tests and we’ll see what’s going on.” Danny sat pulled out his pen-light. “Have you talked to my sister lately? Little brat never calls me.”
“The other night. She wasn’t doing so well. Said she was getting sick.” Gabriel tried his best to follow the younger Dr. Evans without getting too nervous.
“Good news came in this morning. Yesterday was her last treatment.” Danny smiled when the teen tried to hide his reaction.
“Oh.”
“I don’t know how soon she’ll be back but it’s probably not long off. They were going to do some tests today.”
“Do you mind? That I’m seeing her? I know your parents had all sorts of problems and I already talked to Kathy but I never had the brother conversation with you.” Gabriel cleared his throat awkwardly. “I have a little sister and I know one day I will be having this talk from the other end."
“I did the big brother thing once and got yelled at for it. Beth can take care of herself. She likes you and this is the longest she’s ever kept a boyfriend… You treat her the way you should and we won’t have a problem.” Danny scribbled some notes in the chart. “Come
on. I want to give you a head CT.”
--
Kal studied Beth’s aura. “It doesn’t look different but it feels different.” He watched her stomp and groove with a great deal more ease than she had at their first meeting. "I know she’s doing good but… something has definitely changed in you.”
“I saw her glow in the tank. I shut it before anyone else could see. Was that the signal you were worried about?” Max watched the alien studying the monitor. “Since then I can see auras.”
“If they see her, they’ll know.”
“Is it much different?” Max frowned and all his memories of Beth had been enhanced. Her aura had changed slightly as she had grown but he could detect no real difference in her aura now.
“No. Not to your eyes, I guess.” He just stared at the dark-haired beauty bobbing around to her headphones. “She radiates power.”
“Really?” Max focused his eyes on his daughter. “Wouldn’t I feel it?”
“Maybe. Maybe not. Don’t know too much about the inner working of hybrids.” Kal cleared his throat. “I’m not the scientist.”
--
Sebastien sat in a chair across from his father, sipping coffee and staring at nothing. "I won't shame you and tell you everything I did but… some of it was pretty bad. That judge was right. I just… couldn't see it before."
"Are you ready to go? We can still go home and you can get help here before you go." Jesse couldn’t stand to see his son in such pain but he didn’t really know what he could do even if he asked for it.
"I can't get help here. This week… I just… let things happen because I knew there were so many places I could fall." He closed his red eyes. "I don't have that luxury up there. I need help."
"I've got a friend. He’s in mental health and I know that sounds bad but it really isn’t…" Jesse dug through his wallet. "He won't take you on but he'll give you the name of someone who will. Don't worry about the bill. I'll pay for it." He held the card out to his son. His son who looked like he was walking death. "They'll give you the names of people who will get you into programs and tell you how to handle living on campus."
"Did I do this to myself or did she give me something?" Sebastien took the card and slipped it into his own wallet. "Don't answer that. No one made me put a bottle to my lips."
"Seb…"
"Maybe knowing about her couldn't have prevented this but… I still wish I would have known."
"It's okay, Seb."
"No, it's not. It's really not. I can't stop myself when I'm drinking. The other night at Nicky's… Dana was… and I… almost couldn't stop… I hate that she knows me that well. I hate that I let her get to me that way. She makes me feel so…" Seb wiped roughly at his eyes. "Dirty. All of the good times are tainted, now."
Jesse stood to hug his son. "You call me as soon as you land. You call once you've called Aaron."
"Okay." Sebastien nodded and hugged his father back, fighting the return of his sobs. "Can you tell Berty that I'll call her?"
"Yeah." Jesse took his son by the shoulders. "You promise me here and now, that you'll really try. Okay? You go to the meetings and you go to the counseling and you call me if you think it's too tough. Okay?"
"I will."
"I love you. You're my son. I'll never give up on you. You'll get better."
"I hope so."
--
Max knocked on the door. It was 6:30 in the morning, who knew what they could get up to with the sun just risen. "I need to take some vitals, girls."
The door creaked open after a moment. Beth was wrapped in a robe, her hair piled on top of her head, covered in dyeing goo. "I'm ready, Dr. Evans."
"I see." He took a seat on the rim of the tub. Her aura looked good. He slipped his stethoscope inside her robe to listen at her chest, then slid it down her back to listen there. "Very strong. Just the way I like my women. If they have week heartbeats, when you kiss their cheeks, they faint. It's kind of a turn off." He took her blood pressure, ignoring her roll of the eyes. He kept his eyes on her face.
She met his eyes for a moment. "You were scared, weren't you?"
"You bet I was. But I think the tests tomorrow are going to run clean." He stuffed his cuff and scope back into his travel bag. "What color am I going to have to ease your mother into?"
"I was playing with a few things but I think this royal blue will really flatter her." Lauren nodded.
"Yep… Mom's gonna hate it." Beth nodded.
“I see, we’re back to that game.” Max shook his head at her. “Nice pulse, strong heartbeat. Blood pressure is back up and your color is very good. Healthy. Do you know what’s next?” She shook her head. “You eat a sandwich because, frankly, looking at how skinny you are is making me sick.”
--
Berty pulled her head out of her pillow and peered around through heavy lids. Her brain felt like it was packed in cotton. When she sat up, she felt like she had run a marathon. Forcing her eyes open, she became aware that her room had been cleaned since the night before and that she was not in the clothes she figured she must have fallen asleep in. She couldn't remember a thing after puttering around in the kitchen the night before.
"It's time for sleepyheads to rise and shine!" Isabel bellowed through the house. She opened doors up and down the hallway. "Come on! We're going to Grandma's for lunch!" She threw open Berty's door. "Oh, you're up."
"Yeah." Berty nodded slowly, trying desperately to remember the night before.
"You okay? Dream hopping again?"
"Yeah…" She felt the lie even as it was out of her mouth. "I'll be up soon."
“Soon. I promised Grandma we’d be there. I didn’t expect to be up so late but you got more sleep than most of us, so no poking butt.” Isabel told her as she moved on to the next room. Berty sat there for a moment before she attempted getting up. She winced but grabbed her robe to beat her brother to the shower. When she hit the hallway, she saw Jesse hugging her mother and couldn’t help but watch his sad face. “Was he still upset?”
“Yeah… there’s something else going on with him. I… didn’t want him to go like that.” Jesse shut his eyes and bowed his head. “Seb just… I… I feel like this is all my fault. Like maybe I didn’t pay enough attention to him but… he’s… ever since we lived in Boston, he’s cut himself off from me. I don’t know what to do…”
“He has to help himself. If you keep holding his hand, he won’t get any better.”
“That’s pretty much what he told me… and he didn’t say much.” Jesse picked up his head and spotted their spy. “Hey… Sebastien said he’d call you when he got in… he’ll probably call you before he calls me… let me know, will you?”
Berty nodded silently and continued her journey to the bathroom. In the mirror, she stared back. A reddish spot at her neckline. She rubbed at it and it faded a bit. Tossing her shirt to the ground, she winced at her sore breasts. Shaking her head, she turned to flip on the water before Kyle started griping that she was taking too long. Slipping out of her shorts, she frowned at a small smear in the crotch. Groan. “Mom! Do we still have tampons?!”
“Under the sink! You could look yourself, you know!” Came the response.
“This way’s easier!”
“Hurry up! Kyle still needs to get in!”
--
Alex woke when he felt a pair of lips on his. “Christina? Is that you?”
“You’re a jerk.” Lynnette whacked him on the chest.
“I’m playing.” Alex sat up and opened his eyes to see his fiancee. They had crashed at her house. It had been late and they hadn’t really been able to celebrate together. “Come here. You showered without me and I consider that a sin.”
“If you had your way… you’d sleep all day. A girl has to take care of herself.”
“Just come back here with those sweet lips and wake me up some more.” He took her mouth for a thorough kiss. Gently, he began untying her robe. She started to shy away but he followed her, pulling her back toward him. “Hold on. We didn’t get to celebrate our way.”
“We will… I promise…” She whispered as she settled on his lap. “But Tia is awake and waiting for her coffee. Tonight. Tonight we celebrate, just you and me.”
“I don’t want to leave now.”
“I know but you promised.”
“Okay.” He willed his body to calm down though her robe still hung open between them. “Answer me something… why did you put me off all summer?”
“I didn’t…” She started to shake her head.
“You did.” He bent his head to keep her eyes on his. “I… I came so close to giving up.”
“I thought I was pregnant, Alex. I’m not but I thought I was and I couldn’t think clearly. If I told you, then you’d just want me to make things right. Or if I told you, you wouldn’t believe me if I said it was yours.” She stared to tear up. “I was working on that stupid baby blanket, vowing that the moment I got it done, I’d take a test and then I’d call you but… I kept waiting for you to call and you didn’t. It scared me that maybe I was being stupid and you had given up on me.” She sat back and stared at him. “I’m such a neurotic. I’m too crazy for you.”
“I like you crazy. Did you know that you’re the only person that I can’t charm the pants off? You see right through me when it counts.” Alex took a deep breath. “Next time you think you might be pregnant… tell me… I’ll agonize with you. And if it had been someone else’s baby… I would have still raised him or her like my own.” She leaned against him, nodding that she believed he was telling her the truth. “Dad set me a good example. I would love that child just because it would be a part of you.”
“I know—“
“Lynnette! Is Alex in there?” Jesse’s voice called through the door after a swift knock. “If he is, tell him that everyone is heading over to his grandmother’s for lunch. I’m taking Mom with me now. She’s miffed she hasn’t gotten her coffee, yet.”
“We’ll be there soon!” Alex called back and contemplated the woman on his lap. “Celebrate now or later?”
“Only if you have protection. I would rather follow protocol in this situation.”
--
Gabriel waved to his little sister, who looked worried where she sat with her brothers. “Guys, take her out before the doctor gets here. I gotta change… but stay in the waiting room and if I can hear you, you’re grounded for the rest of the summer.”
He waited until the door shut before picking up the hated paper gown. Thankfully he was already reseated on the raspy paper when the doc opened the door. “Mr. Silerio… what is the problem?”
“My… I…” Gabriel stammered over his words as he recognized the face. “Dr. Evans… it’s because I used to have this thing…”
Danny looked up to find his little sister’s boyfriend. “Oh. Hey Gabe. What’s the problem? I don’t need a history right now… just tell me what’s up.”
“Okay. Yesterday I was loading orders. Two by fours and stuff. I turned to get the next order and I couldn’t move. I tried and I couldn’t… and my head just… exploded in pain. I used to have bad migraines and this felt like one of those. Back then it was a tumor and I’m just scared that something grew back.”
“Okay… okay… calm down. Do you want me to get you another doctor?”
“Why?”
“Some people are uncomfortable with people they know performing tests on them.” Danny cleared his throat. “Like I’m your girlfriend’s brother might make you uneasy.”
“Nope. I’m good. I kind of feel better knowing who you are.”
“Okay. Let’s just go over some basic tests and we’ll see what’s going on.” Danny sat pulled out his pen-light. “Have you talked to my sister lately? Little brat never calls me.”
“The other night. She wasn’t doing so well. Said she was getting sick.” Gabriel tried his best to follow the younger Dr. Evans without getting too nervous.
“Good news came in this morning. Yesterday was her last treatment.” Danny smiled when the teen tried to hide his reaction.
“Oh.”
“I don’t know how soon she’ll be back but it’s probably not long off. They were going to do some tests today.”
“Do you mind? That I’m seeing her? I know your parents had all sorts of problems and I already talked to Kathy but I never had the brother conversation with you.” Gabriel cleared his throat awkwardly. “I have a little sister and I know one day I will be having this talk from the other end."
“I did the big brother thing once and got yelled at for it. Beth can take care of herself. She likes you and this is the longest she’s ever kept a boyfriend… You treat her the way you should and we won’t have a problem.” Danny scribbled some notes in the chart. “Come
on. I want to give you a head CT.”
--
Kal studied Beth’s aura. “It doesn’t look different but it feels different.” He watched her stomp and groove with a great deal more ease than she had at their first meeting. "I know she’s doing good but… something has definitely changed in you.”
“I saw her glow in the tank. I shut it before anyone else could see. Was that the signal you were worried about?” Max watched the alien studying the monitor. “Since then I can see auras.”
“If they see her, they’ll know.”
“Is it much different?” Max frowned and all his memories of Beth had been enhanced. Her aura had changed slightly as she had grown but he could detect no real difference in her aura now.
“No. Not to your eyes, I guess.” He just stared at the dark-haired beauty bobbing around to her headphones. “She radiates power.”
“Really?” Max focused his eyes on his daughter. “Wouldn’t I feel it?”
“Maybe. Maybe not. Don’t know too much about the inner working of hybrids.” Kal cleared his throat. “I’m not the scientist.”
--
Part 139 B
--
Will knocked on the door. Lily stared out the window but her head cocked so he knew she was aware of someone being at the door. “Hey, Lil.”
His heart panged when she turned with that brilliant smile of hers. “Will, come here. There is a beautiful cardinal making a nest in this tree out here.”
“How are you doing, Lil?” He pulled a chair next to her bed to look out the window. “I see they took the restraints off.”
“I’m not going to do that again.” She didn’t even look at him when she answered him. “Look. There’s his girlfriend. They’re so pretty.”
“Did anyone talk to you about why I’m here?”
“They think you’re not going to see me again. Do you like my hair? I had to let them watch me while I brushed it. I can have a comb.” She scoffed but kept watching the birds building a nest in the tree outside her window.
“I can’t come see you, Lily. This isn’t working. I can handle your legal stuff but… I can’t keep coming here. I have my own life to live. I’m seeing someone.”
“Does she know about me?”
“Yes. I’ve told her about you. She knows pretty much everything that’s been going on.”
“Does she think I’m crazy?”
“She doesn’t think anything about you. It’s not her place. She doesn’t know you.”
“But you do. You know me.”
“I think I used to know you. I think you used to know me. How are you doing? You signed the papers.”
“Yeah. I did. I’m single, once more… and barren and…” Her eyes started to tear up but she blinked them away. “I’m okay. You don’t have to go away.”
“I have to. The doctor agrees that it’s not helping you to have me to fall back on. If you want to get out of here, you have to do it for yourself. You have to want to be better. You have to do it. I can’t do it for you. Do you want me to be alone? Do you want me to not have anyone?”
“That’s not fair. I don’t want you to be miserable. I love you.”
“You care about me. I care about you. It’s not love, Lil.” He took a breath and got to his feet. “I could be really happy with this woman I’m seeing, Lily. Do you want me to give up on that?”
“No.” She finally turned from the window to look at her ex-husband. “She doesn’t know you like I do.”
“She knows me better than you think. I’ve spent a lot of time with her before we got involved. She knows who I am now.”
“Get out.”
“Lily.”
“You want out. Get out. I’ll find someone else to handle my affairs.”
“Who? Your mother? Your father? They’ll take you home and convince you that everything is fine.”
“They wouldn’t…” She sagged and then laid down. “You’d still make sure I get better?”
“Yes… I just can’t come down here every time you have an incident. It’s not fair to me or you if you’re still attached to me.”
“Will… I’ll miss you but I can’t be out there with the couples and their babies… I can’t do it…”
“Just promise me you won’t try to kill yourself again. Do that one thing for me. I don’t like those phone calls. They tear me up inside. I don’t want to be afraid for you when I go.”
“I won’t do it again. I promise.”
“You have to take care of yourself. You have to try.”
“I will.”
“Maybe I’ll visit again but if you…”
“I won’t do anything to make you come.” She rolled over and faced the wall. “Go.”
--
“Hey!” Danny hugged his cousin. “Sorry I couldn’t be there last night.”
“You would have only ruined the party.” Alex cracked and backed up to grab a paper plate.
“Congratulations.” Emily hugged Lynnette. “It’s about time.”
“Yeah.” Lynnette served out food onto Alex’s plates and let him find their seats in the crowded house.
“Aunt Liz! You look great.” Alex watched her glare at him. “I’m serious. I meant to say something last night.”
“You do, Mom. Early morning runs and afternoon walks with the dog.” Danny nodded and kissed his mother’s cheek as he passed.
“You think?” Liz turned to her in-laws for confirmation.
“You do. You look good.” Diane nodded.
“That stupid dog is good for something after all.” Liz nodded to herself.
“Prince Sterling isn’t stupid.” David whined. “I’ve already got him trained. You play with him too.”
“I know.”
“Hey Mom…” Danny called across the kitchen. “What time did you say you were feeling all funky?”
“What’s that?”
“Yesterday.”
“Um… 4:30, I think.”
“Huh…” Danny furrowed his brow and waved off her interested look. “I’m collating data. I’ll get back to you on that.”
“What happened?” Diane scooted her chair closer to accommodate another person.
“It was barely anything. It was probably just a flashback. I’ve been so stressed about Beth… it was probably nothing. My baby will be home for the school year. Max all but promised me that.” Liz kissed her younger son’s head. “And then my first baby is going to leave me.”
“Mom…” Danny groaned.
Jesse helped Gina onto a stool to eat. “Mama, how are you doing?”
“Mind your own business.” She waved him off and got back to her discussion with Isabel about Lynnette and Alex. “Next June. I have my wedding dress. We let it out a little in the hips and take in the waist. Perfect.”
“We’ll see, Tia.” Lynnette chided the woman. “We’re not setting the date until Christmas.”
“Am I too late for lunch?” Jim edged his way into the kitchen.
“No, but you might be wanting for a seat.” Diane pointed to the spread on the island.
“I don’t need to sit. Isabel kept me in bed for way too long. I need to stand.” He jibed at his well-meaning daughter-in-law.
“You had a broken foot. Did I not wait on you hand and foot?” Isabel barked at him.
“And you probably neglected your boyfriend in the process. Leave me alone. I don’t need a mother.”
“Fine, next time you break something, I won’t be around to make sure you have ice cream or to fluff your pillows or make you the things you like for dinner. You can call one of your grandchildren to do it… Because I won’t.” Isabel sat up straight at the table and turned her face away from him.
“She’s such a pill.” Jim teased as he kissed her cheek and winked at Diane, who knew all too well how smothering her daughter could be. “I have ways of getting my ice cream and pizza and spaghetti. Don’t I, Gina?”
“Yuh-huh.” Gina nodded around her sandwich, smearing mustard on her face.
“Jesse, sit down and eat.” Irene ordered. “He’s going to run himself ragged worrying about that tontito.”
Jesse ignored his mother but took a seat on a stool where he could see the older kids eating their lunch outside on the patio. “I worry. Sue me.”
“I wish I could.” Irene griped. “Let his other grandmother worry about him now.”
“Berty’s been too quiet all day.” Jesse shook his head. “You think they had another fight?”
“I hope so. I hope she gave him a kick in the pants.” Isabel shook her head at Liz’s questioning glance. “Just more of Sebastien’s drama. Shouldn’t he have called already?”
“He’s got a layover in Colorado. He could get there in a couple of hours and then if I know them… Janice won’t let him near a phone until after dinner.” Jesse shook his head and shot his mother a warning look. She just sat back and picked at her salad.
“Enough sad stuff. I am on the verge of signing a really big contract with an up and comer without compromise in artistic integrity. It’s a big win.” Alex bragged and puffed out his chest.
--
Beth answered her father’s phone as she watched Lauren try to beat him at miniature golf. “Hello! Aliens Anonymous.”
“Hey there, gorgeous.”
“Steve… I told you not to call me here.”
“Hey!”
“How’s going handsome? You miss me?” Beth giggled.
“It’s going alright. I got the day off and I could think of no better way to cap than to hear your voice.” Gabriel lowered his voice as his siblings were being nosy.
“I have one day of testing here. We’re going to Santa Fe after that to study them… I plan to be a Junior on time with everyone else.”
“I will just be glad when I can visit you without having to hop a plane.”
“Me too. I am going to schedule my Gabriel time. A big chunk of it.” Beth’s eyes glazed over as she was bombarded with an image. /Gabriel sucked on the skin beneath her chin, sliding his hands up her sides\… What? Beth shook her head to clear it.
“Hello? Are you still there?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine… just imagining our reunion.”
--
Sebastien glanced at the clock. It was late for him but not nearly so late for Berty. He had been going over his speech all day in his head. He had already called his dad’s friend and called the recommended counselor to set up an appointment. “Hello?”
“Hey Dad… I got in earlier but Nana wouldn’t let me on the phone. I already called Aaron and made a few other calls…”
“You’re taking care of everything?”
“Yeah… is Berty around?”
“Okay… fine… just a minute.” Jesse held out the phone to the girl clicking away at the computer. “It’s Seb.” He watched as Berty seemed indecisive about taking the call. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. I’ll get it on the cordless.” Berty finally answered and got up to retrieve the cordless from her mother’s room. She took a breath and picked it up. “I got it, Jesse.”
“I’ll talk to you in a bit, Seb.” Jesse grumbled before hanging up.
“Hi.” Berty cleared her throat.
“Hey.” Sebastien suddenly didn’t know what to say. “About last night, Bert… I really need you to know that I didn’t mean for it to happen. I… drank too much and… I let things get out of hand. I don’t want you to be mad at me but I would understand if you were.”
“Last night?” She furrowed her brows as she tried, for the millionth time, to remember what had happened.
“Yeah… I’m so sorry. I don’t want you to think I was disgusted by you or anything but… I’ve been noticing a pattern and that pattern I find in myself is disgusting. Not you. You’re very nice and very pretty and someday you’re gonna meet someone worthy of you. I don’t want you to think I just ran out because I…” He stopped. “Berty, say something.”
“I just… don’t actually remember what happened last night.” She confessed quietly. “The last thing I remember was taking you some food but after that… there’s nothing… I woke up and I felt… odd.”
“Oh God…” Sebastien slid off his bed and sat huddled on the floor of his grandparent’s guestroom. “Berty… so when you kissed me…”
“I did what?”
“We… shit… Berty, we had sex.”
TBC
Will knocked on the door. Lily stared out the window but her head cocked so he knew she was aware of someone being at the door. “Hey, Lil.”
His heart panged when she turned with that brilliant smile of hers. “Will, come here. There is a beautiful cardinal making a nest in this tree out here.”
“How are you doing, Lil?” He pulled a chair next to her bed to look out the window. “I see they took the restraints off.”
“I’m not going to do that again.” She didn’t even look at him when she answered him. “Look. There’s his girlfriend. They’re so pretty.”
“Did anyone talk to you about why I’m here?”
“They think you’re not going to see me again. Do you like my hair? I had to let them watch me while I brushed it. I can have a comb.” She scoffed but kept watching the birds building a nest in the tree outside her window.
“I can’t come see you, Lily. This isn’t working. I can handle your legal stuff but… I can’t keep coming here. I have my own life to live. I’m seeing someone.”
“Does she know about me?”
“Yes. I’ve told her about you. She knows pretty much everything that’s been going on.”
“Does she think I’m crazy?”
“She doesn’t think anything about you. It’s not her place. She doesn’t know you.”
“But you do. You know me.”
“I think I used to know you. I think you used to know me. How are you doing? You signed the papers.”
“Yeah. I did. I’m single, once more… and barren and…” Her eyes started to tear up but she blinked them away. “I’m okay. You don’t have to go away.”
“I have to. The doctor agrees that it’s not helping you to have me to fall back on. If you want to get out of here, you have to do it for yourself. You have to want to be better. You have to do it. I can’t do it for you. Do you want me to be alone? Do you want me to not have anyone?”
“That’s not fair. I don’t want you to be miserable. I love you.”
“You care about me. I care about you. It’s not love, Lil.” He took a breath and got to his feet. “I could be really happy with this woman I’m seeing, Lily. Do you want me to give up on that?”
“No.” She finally turned from the window to look at her ex-husband. “She doesn’t know you like I do.”
“She knows me better than you think. I’ve spent a lot of time with her before we got involved. She knows who I am now.”
“Get out.”
“Lily.”
“You want out. Get out. I’ll find someone else to handle my affairs.”
“Who? Your mother? Your father? They’ll take you home and convince you that everything is fine.”
“They wouldn’t…” She sagged and then laid down. “You’d still make sure I get better?”
“Yes… I just can’t come down here every time you have an incident. It’s not fair to me or you if you’re still attached to me.”
“Will… I’ll miss you but I can’t be out there with the couples and their babies… I can’t do it…”
“Just promise me you won’t try to kill yourself again. Do that one thing for me. I don’t like those phone calls. They tear me up inside. I don’t want to be afraid for you when I go.”
“I won’t do it again. I promise.”
“You have to take care of yourself. You have to try.”
“I will.”
“Maybe I’ll visit again but if you…”
“I won’t do anything to make you come.” She rolled over and faced the wall. “Go.”
--
“Hey!” Danny hugged his cousin. “Sorry I couldn’t be there last night.”
“You would have only ruined the party.” Alex cracked and backed up to grab a paper plate.
“Congratulations.” Emily hugged Lynnette. “It’s about time.”
“Yeah.” Lynnette served out food onto Alex’s plates and let him find their seats in the crowded house.
“Aunt Liz! You look great.” Alex watched her glare at him. “I’m serious. I meant to say something last night.”
“You do, Mom. Early morning runs and afternoon walks with the dog.” Danny nodded and kissed his mother’s cheek as he passed.
“You think?” Liz turned to her in-laws for confirmation.
“You do. You look good.” Diane nodded.
“That stupid dog is good for something after all.” Liz nodded to herself.
“Prince Sterling isn’t stupid.” David whined. “I’ve already got him trained. You play with him too.”
“I know.”
“Hey Mom…” Danny called across the kitchen. “What time did you say you were feeling all funky?”
“What’s that?”
“Yesterday.”
“Um… 4:30, I think.”
“Huh…” Danny furrowed his brow and waved off her interested look. “I’m collating data. I’ll get back to you on that.”
“What happened?” Diane scooted her chair closer to accommodate another person.
“It was barely anything. It was probably just a flashback. I’ve been so stressed about Beth… it was probably nothing. My baby will be home for the school year. Max all but promised me that.” Liz kissed her younger son’s head. “And then my first baby is going to leave me.”
“Mom…” Danny groaned.
Jesse helped Gina onto a stool to eat. “Mama, how are you doing?”
“Mind your own business.” She waved him off and got back to her discussion with Isabel about Lynnette and Alex. “Next June. I have my wedding dress. We let it out a little in the hips and take in the waist. Perfect.”
“We’ll see, Tia.” Lynnette chided the woman. “We’re not setting the date until Christmas.”
“Am I too late for lunch?” Jim edged his way into the kitchen.
“No, but you might be wanting for a seat.” Diane pointed to the spread on the island.
“I don’t need to sit. Isabel kept me in bed for way too long. I need to stand.” He jibed at his well-meaning daughter-in-law.
“You had a broken foot. Did I not wait on you hand and foot?” Isabel barked at him.
“And you probably neglected your boyfriend in the process. Leave me alone. I don’t need a mother.”
“Fine, next time you break something, I won’t be around to make sure you have ice cream or to fluff your pillows or make you the things you like for dinner. You can call one of your grandchildren to do it… Because I won’t.” Isabel sat up straight at the table and turned her face away from him.
“She’s such a pill.” Jim teased as he kissed her cheek and winked at Diane, who knew all too well how smothering her daughter could be. “I have ways of getting my ice cream and pizza and spaghetti. Don’t I, Gina?”
“Yuh-huh.” Gina nodded around her sandwich, smearing mustard on her face.
“Jesse, sit down and eat.” Irene ordered. “He’s going to run himself ragged worrying about that tontito.”
Jesse ignored his mother but took a seat on a stool where he could see the older kids eating their lunch outside on the patio. “I worry. Sue me.”
“I wish I could.” Irene griped. “Let his other grandmother worry about him now.”
“Berty’s been too quiet all day.” Jesse shook his head. “You think they had another fight?”
“I hope so. I hope she gave him a kick in the pants.” Isabel shook her head at Liz’s questioning glance. “Just more of Sebastien’s drama. Shouldn’t he have called already?”
“He’s got a layover in Colorado. He could get there in a couple of hours and then if I know them… Janice won’t let him near a phone until after dinner.” Jesse shook his head and shot his mother a warning look. She just sat back and picked at her salad.
“Enough sad stuff. I am on the verge of signing a really big contract with an up and comer without compromise in artistic integrity. It’s a big win.” Alex bragged and puffed out his chest.
--
Beth answered her father’s phone as she watched Lauren try to beat him at miniature golf. “Hello! Aliens Anonymous.”
“Hey there, gorgeous.”
“Steve… I told you not to call me here.”
“Hey!”
“How’s going handsome? You miss me?” Beth giggled.
“It’s going alright. I got the day off and I could think of no better way to cap than to hear your voice.” Gabriel lowered his voice as his siblings were being nosy.
“I have one day of testing here. We’re going to Santa Fe after that to study them… I plan to be a Junior on time with everyone else.”
“I will just be glad when I can visit you without having to hop a plane.”
“Me too. I am going to schedule my Gabriel time. A big chunk of it.” Beth’s eyes glazed over as she was bombarded with an image. /Gabriel sucked on the skin beneath her chin, sliding his hands up her sides\… What? Beth shook her head to clear it.
“Hello? Are you still there?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine… just imagining our reunion.”
--
Sebastien glanced at the clock. It was late for him but not nearly so late for Berty. He had been going over his speech all day in his head. He had already called his dad’s friend and called the recommended counselor to set up an appointment. “Hello?”
“Hey Dad… I got in earlier but Nana wouldn’t let me on the phone. I already called Aaron and made a few other calls…”
“You’re taking care of everything?”
“Yeah… is Berty around?”
“Okay… fine… just a minute.” Jesse held out the phone to the girl clicking away at the computer. “It’s Seb.” He watched as Berty seemed indecisive about taking the call. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. I’ll get it on the cordless.” Berty finally answered and got up to retrieve the cordless from her mother’s room. She took a breath and picked it up. “I got it, Jesse.”
“I’ll talk to you in a bit, Seb.” Jesse grumbled before hanging up.
“Hi.” Berty cleared her throat.
“Hey.” Sebastien suddenly didn’t know what to say. “About last night, Bert… I really need you to know that I didn’t mean for it to happen. I… drank too much and… I let things get out of hand. I don’t want you to be mad at me but I would understand if you were.”
“Last night?” She furrowed her brows as she tried, for the millionth time, to remember what had happened.
“Yeah… I’m so sorry. I don’t want you to think I was disgusted by you or anything but… I’ve been noticing a pattern and that pattern I find in myself is disgusting. Not you. You’re very nice and very pretty and someday you’re gonna meet someone worthy of you. I don’t want you to think I just ran out because I…” He stopped. “Berty, say something.”
“I just… don’t actually remember what happened last night.” She confessed quietly. “The last thing I remember was taking you some food but after that… there’s nothing… I woke up and I felt… odd.”
“Oh God…” Sebastien slid off his bed and sat huddled on the floor of his grandparent’s guestroom. “Berty… so when you kissed me…”
“I did what?”
“We… shit… Berty, we had sex.”
TBC
Part 140
The Fate of Destiny Part 140
“You don’t remember that? You came in, you puttered around. You sat next to me and then you started kissing on me.”
“You’re lying, I wouldn’t do that.”
“You don’t remember anything?” Sebastien couldn’t get up off the floor. He was stuck. He felt so trapped but there was nothing to be done about it. What was done was done.
“I don’t remember having sex with you. I think I would remember something like that.” Liberty’s mind raced as she tried to wrap her mind around what he was saying. “You said something like that could never happen between us.”
“I know. I know and I’m sorry that it happened but I wouldn’t lie about something like this. Are you okay?”
“Okay? Am I okay?” She shut her eyes and curled up on the bed. “I don’t know what I am. Why don’t I remember? Did you do something to me?”
“NO! No, and I… I shouldn’t have been drinking. I should have stopped it from happening. It’s not… I’m sorry.” He sighed heavily into the phone. “I am so sorry, Berty, but we did have sex and I wish I could have stayed to… explain in person but I had to go. I have counselors to see. I have things to check out. I am sick and this only makes me sicker. I care about you and it should have never happened.”
His words swam around in her head but it started to make sense. The odd way she had felt when she woke up. Her mysterious, spontaneous, period that had already passed. If it was all she was ever going to have of him, she wished she had remembered… but he didn’t feel the same way about her and that in itself was a nightmare.
“Berty, talk to me.”
“You don’t love me, you can’t love me, but you slept with me.”
“I know it’s bad. It’s really bad. It’s horrifically bad but please understand that I didn’t mean for it to happen. You started it… I mean… it wasn’t your fault. I’m to blame. It’s my fault. I’m just trying to explain. I’m the one who should have been responsible. I should have stopped it.”
“Maybe you should have.” She bit out “Maybe now I wouldn’t have to carry this thing between us that I can’t remember.”
“Berty.”
“I don’t remember it, Sebastien. Not a thing. How do I know I put the moves on you? How do I know you didn’t do something to me?”
“Because it’s me, Berty.”
“Was I so bad you can’t admit you would ever sleep with me sober?”
“Berty, no. It’s not like that at all.”
“God.” She felt like sinking into the bed and letting the house swallow her whole. “Why can’t I remember?”
“What happened to you last night?”
“I got fucked over by my best friend.”
“Berty. Please don’t hate me.”
“I’ll hate who I like.” She sobbed finally. “I wish you hadn’t told me.” She hit the button and let it all out.
--
Max patted the table and removed himself to a side of the room. Beth glared at him as she made her way over to sit, her hands holding her gown shut behind her. “When are they gonna make these things so your butt doesn’t hang out?”
“Doctors need them.” Max murmured as he covered a yawn. “To torture patients and get a step up in the power department.”
“Seriously.” She narrowed her eyes as she scooted backward to lay on the cool table.
“They’re non-restrictive and can be readily removed in an emergency.” He explained as they motioned to him that she would be going into the machine soon. The table slid inside and the lights dimmed in the room as the lights in the tube sprang to life, imaging her insides for study. Then it was over, the lights brightened and the table slid out. Max grabbed an extra gown and wrapped it over her as she stood. "So you can walk around with a modicum of modesty."
"Thanks." She put her arms around him and hugged tightly. "I can feel it. I'm better." She started to cry, she felt so much better. "I'm sorry I yelled at you and said all those things."
"I know. It was scary… and you were so brave." He kissed her head and led her to the door. "Let's get you back into street clothes. We'll have them send the results to Kat."
"Okay." She made her way back to the examination room and when she had gotten all her jewelry back on, the phone rang. Scrambling around for it, she found it in her dad's jacket pocket. "Dr. Evans' office. He's out at the moment but his goth daughter can be bribed into passing on a message."
"Hi Beth." Came a small sniffle.
"Donna Jo? That you?"
"Yeah." She sniffed again.
"What's wrong?"
"I got this number from Gabriel. I hope you don't mind but I really need someone to talk to and I can't talk to anyone on the squad."
"What is it?" Beth sank into the chair, listening intently to her friend's halted words.
"Do you know Sebastien Ramirez?"
"Yeah. His dad is dating my aunt."
"Ugh… Beth… I've liked him for a really long time and I went to this party last week and he was there. All these gross guys were hitting on me and I was about to give up when he did the whole white knight thing. You know, saved me and walked me home." She took a breath and let it out slowly. "I didn't think I'd see him again but he came over… and we did it… you know… it."
"Really?" Beth's lips turned up a little as a blush invaded her face. "How was it?"
"The first time not so great but the second time… was amazing."
"Really?"
"Yeah… and we've been together practically all week… you know, just all the time because my parents have been out of town. They came back the other night, so I stayed home to hang out with them. Seb had invited me to a party but I couldn't because… you know how they are. When he called during dinner, it pissed off my dad and he wouldn't let me go or take the call or… I had to wait until last night to call Sebastien but… It said that his line is disconnected and I don't know how to get a hold of him."
"He…" Beth paused but then had to finish the sentence. "He didn't tell you that he was leaving?"
"I know he was. That he was heading East for college but I wanted to see him before he left."
"Donna Jo… are you okay?"
"How can I find out how to talk to him?"
"I am… going to do some snooping, okay? I will call you when I get to Santa Fe… and then we'll strategize."
"I just want to know where we stand. We never got around to having that conversation and I don't want to think it was about the sex."
"I'll call you back, okay?"
"Okay. Thanks, Beth. The girls wouldn't have listened to me. They'd just say I was a slut or something and I know that they're all close to Dana and… Thanks."
--
Liz packed up a suitcase for herself and then got David's ready. While she packed his pants and shirts, he played with Sterling. He looked happy. Genuinely happy. "Had any bad dreams?"
"Not in a while." He answered almost absently.
"Should I pack your tea and your dreamcatcher?" His only response was a shrug. "David."
"I don't know. I haven't needed them but… I'm afraid to go without…"
"Okay. Just in case then." She nodded at him though he wasn't paying attention. "We're going to Grandpa's for breakfast with your brother. He said you could take Sterling if you kept him on a leash."
--
Danny winced as his hips slowed, every last drop spilled inside his wife. Emily's head was still thrown back on the pillow but her hands were clenched against his butt. She sighed and relaxed, sliding her hands up his back. "By the time we get home, I'll be used to holding it in."
His lips turned up as it registered that she had referred to his apartment in Lubbock as home. "Well, the walls are pretty much cardboard so the neighbors will appreciate the effort." He captured her full bottom lip between his. "And I do plan to make love to you in every inch of that apartment."
"I look forward to that." She mumbled around his mouth. "Mmm-mm-mmth. Danny. We're going to be late for breakfast."
"Grandma said she'd be gone by the time we got up."
"At your grandpa's." She corrected and pushed him away reluctantly. "With your mother and your brother… ringing bells?"
"Ugh… family." He groaned but rolled over to pick up the phone. He dialed quickly. "Hey Gabe, it's Danny… your doctor, smart ass. And to think I was going to be happy for you and my sister… Good morning, genius. I have a breakfast date so either we push back your appointment or you meet me at the Crashdown to get the run down." He listened for a moment. "Sure, bring them along. It's a family place."
"I can't believe you're talking to him that way." Emily shook her head at him as she gathered her things for a shower.
"I can't go easy on him, yet." He hung up the phone. "I have to keep him guessing so that when Dad gets back, he'll scratch his watch and wind his butt on command." Quickly he gathered his things for his own shower. "I like the kid but… she is my little sister."
"Hey buddy." Emily grabbed the doorknob with one hand and poked him in the chest with the other. "If you come in with me, this is professional. We get enough teasing about being late. It's getting old."
"How professional? Are we talking Vatican or like… the Roadside Inn?"
"That's it buddy, you're going to wait your turn."
"Okay, I promise."
--
Michael surveyed the monitors and barely looked away when Laurie entered the room with an envelope. “How’s it going?”
“Doing well.” She nodded and took a seat. “My lawyer just dropped this off. You want to see what we already know?”
“Eh… couldn’t hurt to have proof.” Michael took the envelope and ripped it open. The first two sheets are DNA comparisons that make no sense to the untrained eye. The third sheet was a quick run down in laymen speak. “What do you know… we have the same grandfather. What are the odds of that?”
Laurie laughed and winced when the baby kicked her for having too much fun. “I’ll talk to the boys and then tomorrow I’ll have my legal team come back up here for your John Hancock on the little dotted line.”
“Are you taking them back for school?”
“I don’t know. There are some really good centers in Las Cruces and an excellent one in Santa Fe. The doctor and I are going to monitor my progress. I hate to have the boys living out of the hotel but… I don’t think acquiring new property just now is the best thing.”
--
Max nodded to Kal as he got up to take care of the bill. He wasn’t totally surprised when the alien walked out of the restaurant and got into his car. “I guess we aren’t up to his social standards.”
Beth rolled her eyes and poured more hot sauce onto her chocolate mousse. Lauren stared at her young friend. “Is there something I’m missing out on or are you weird?”
“I’m weird.” Beth smiled brightly and slapped her father’s spoon when he scooped some of the mess from her plate. “It’s genetic.”
“Be nice.” Max chided and savored the sweet and spicy for a moment. “Ladies, we have a flight at 8 am. I would appreciate all packing to be done tonight.”
Lauren nearly choked on her tiramizu. “Oh… Dr. Evans, you didn’t have to…”
“I’ve racked up some frequent flyer miles over the years. It’s not a big deal.”
“I don’t really… I um…”
Beth sat up to look at her friend. “You’ve never flown before? Don’t worry before this summer, neither had I. It is totally cool.”
"I was just going to catch the bus back." Lauren protested further.
"Don't think about it. So long as you're with us, you'll be safe." Beth beamed at her father.
--
The Parker kitchen table was a little crowded but it gave Emily an excuse to sit on her husband's lap. They all chatted amiably. Then Mrs. Parker sighed as she stared at her firstborn grandchild. "They're going to make beautiful babies together."
"I hope so." Emily nodded to her husband's smiling face. "But with my ears."
Mr. Parker laughed aloud at that one. They were interrupted by a knock on the door. He hopped up to answer it and came back with a confused young man. "This kid says he's looking for Dr. Evans."
"Oh, Gabe." Danny nudged Emily off his lap and rose to greet the kid. "Sorry, I totally forgot."
"It's okay." Gabriel shoved his hands into his pockets. "Hey Davey, Mrs. Evans, Mrs. Evans."
"Yeah and my grandparents, Jeff and Nancy Parker." Danny made the introductions. "This is Gabriel Silerio." Recognition dawned on their faces. Jeff held out his hand for the boy to take.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Parker." Gabriel took the hand offered and then nodded to the woman at the table. "Mrs. Parker."
"I owe you." Jeff told the boy.
"She saved me as much as I saved her."
"We have to talk shop. I'm going to take him to your room, Mom." Danny disappeared with the teen, leaving the others wondering what was going on.
--
Will sat in his Santa Fe office running though file after file, tracking down lead after lead, making phone calls and dispatching his various agents to do some leg work for him. It wasn't until he listened to his voice mail from Kat that he could see where the money trail lay hidden. Still, he ran into a brick wall. "Agent Seyton?"
"Yes, sir." She appeared at his desk in a flash of white teeth and soft hair.
"Dr. Covington of Perpetual Grace Hospital in Florida. Heard of him?" He rubbed his forehead. "Bryce Covington."
"He's a doctor for the rich and discreet."
"I know that."
"Do you know where I could find him?"
"Six feet under. He died three years ago. Suicide." She shook her head. "He's the family doctor. He's very selective. All his first-class patients were classmates of his in college."
"Do you know where I could find someone who would have access to his files?"
"No." She shook her head. "I can however point you to his 1999 frat photo. It's online with his school's frat worship page."
"How do you know that?" He began typing away.
"My mother graduated with him. She was in a sorority that partnered with his frat." She pointed to the picture. "Every single one of those fine men and women had him for a doctor by 2001."
"How do you know that?"
"He delivered me."
"Wait." Will scanned the picture and picked out two very familiar faces. "Holy shit. That's Mason and Daphne Burkhardt."
"Yeah. Mother hates that woman."
"Can't imagine why. She's a peach."
"Stole Mason Burkhardt from her in college. Mother was a little bitter about that." Seyton leaned on the desk.
"I need you to dig something up for me. I suspect the person I'm looking for is in this picture if what you say is true. I can't open those doors with my connections."
"What am I looking for?"
"The woman who gave birth to a girl on January 12, 2007. 12:15 pm. All I can glean is that Dr. Bryce Covington was the doctor on call when the woman went into labor."
--
Lauren poked her head into the room and knocked softly. "Dr. Evans."
"Hey Lauren, what can I do for you?"
"I just wanted to thank you again for letting me stay here and for the plane ticket. I really wish I could pay you back."
"Don't worry about it. You made Beth laugh and…" Max took a deep breath and folded a shirt into his suitcase. "That is worth a lot, trust me."
"It was fun to be a kid again."
He paused, watching her carefully, then flicked his gaze to the doorway. "I guess you didn't get to have that growing up."
"Not so much."
"Then it was my honor. You've been good for her. I wasn't doing so well on my own."
"You weren't doing bad."
"You say that now but you didn't see me before you showed up. My girl doesn't keep too many friends… and I think only a few of the ones she has would have helped so much."
"You're a good dad, Dr. Evans. When I find my biological dad, I hope he's nice like you."
"You're looking for him?" Max straightened.
"Yeah. I want to see him. It's too late for a lot of things but I just want to see him."
--
Alex slipped into his sister's room. She hadn't come out all day. "Hey."
"Hey." Liberty turned to face the wall.
"Mom's worried. She thinks you might be sick or something."
"I thought you were leaving today."
"I thought I'd stay a few extra days to see what was going on with you."
"Do you remember the party? Did you see me at all?"
"Sure. You were grabbing all the good munchies."
"That's the last thing I remember. I don't remember a thing after that until the morning after." Berty sniffed into her pillow.
"You probably just came inside and fell asleep." Alex stroked her hair and leaned over to see her face. It was red and puffy. "Have you been crying?"
"NO." She buried her face in the pillow.
"Berty." He tugged on her shoulder.
"Something happened and I don't know what exactly it was."
"Like… something?" Alex pressed.
"I don't know. I talked to Sebastien but…"
"Something happened with Sebastien?" Alex sat up.
"Alex, wait." Berty rolled over to look at her brother. "I know what he said happened but I don't remember it. I can't say for sure what happened. That's why I've been in here all day. I've been trying to get a vision or a memory. Something and nothing's working."
"Okay. I know what you're saying. I'll see how I can help."
"We're not telling Mom. Ever."
--
Danny sat down with his mother. "Gabriel came to see me about a migraine he'd gotten at work. 4:30 pm. Dr. Davis called me with severe bone pain at 4:30 pm. I could probably call every person Dad has ever healed to a life-saving capacity and they would probably give me the same story. At 4:30 pm on Friday they experienced pain in a place that worried them because they once had a bullet or cancer or a tumor in that spot. All the tests have run clean on Gabriel. He's healthy as a horse."
"What are you saying?"
"I talked to Dad briefly. Beth was in the machine or whatever at 2:30 pm."
"But—"
"2:30 pm in California which is 4:30 pm in Roswell, New Mexico."
"Do you think something happened in the tank?" Liz stared at her son. "He was saying something…"
"But he wasn't specific. I know. Whatever it was, he doesn't want to say on the phone. Ask him when you see him."
TBC
“You don’t remember that? You came in, you puttered around. You sat next to me and then you started kissing on me.”
“You’re lying, I wouldn’t do that.”
“You don’t remember anything?” Sebastien couldn’t get up off the floor. He was stuck. He felt so trapped but there was nothing to be done about it. What was done was done.
“I don’t remember having sex with you. I think I would remember something like that.” Liberty’s mind raced as she tried to wrap her mind around what he was saying. “You said something like that could never happen between us.”
“I know. I know and I’m sorry that it happened but I wouldn’t lie about something like this. Are you okay?”
“Okay? Am I okay?” She shut her eyes and curled up on the bed. “I don’t know what I am. Why don’t I remember? Did you do something to me?”
“NO! No, and I… I shouldn’t have been drinking. I should have stopped it from happening. It’s not… I’m sorry.” He sighed heavily into the phone. “I am so sorry, Berty, but we did have sex and I wish I could have stayed to… explain in person but I had to go. I have counselors to see. I have things to check out. I am sick and this only makes me sicker. I care about you and it should have never happened.”
His words swam around in her head but it started to make sense. The odd way she had felt when she woke up. Her mysterious, spontaneous, period that had already passed. If it was all she was ever going to have of him, she wished she had remembered… but he didn’t feel the same way about her and that in itself was a nightmare.
“Berty, talk to me.”
“You don’t love me, you can’t love me, but you slept with me.”
“I know it’s bad. It’s really bad. It’s horrifically bad but please understand that I didn’t mean for it to happen. You started it… I mean… it wasn’t your fault. I’m to blame. It’s my fault. I’m just trying to explain. I’m the one who should have been responsible. I should have stopped it.”
“Maybe you should have.” She bit out “Maybe now I wouldn’t have to carry this thing between us that I can’t remember.”
“Berty.”
“I don’t remember it, Sebastien. Not a thing. How do I know I put the moves on you? How do I know you didn’t do something to me?”
“Because it’s me, Berty.”
“Was I so bad you can’t admit you would ever sleep with me sober?”
“Berty, no. It’s not like that at all.”
“God.” She felt like sinking into the bed and letting the house swallow her whole. “Why can’t I remember?”
“What happened to you last night?”
“I got fucked over by my best friend.”
“Berty. Please don’t hate me.”
“I’ll hate who I like.” She sobbed finally. “I wish you hadn’t told me.” She hit the button and let it all out.
--
Max patted the table and removed himself to a side of the room. Beth glared at him as she made her way over to sit, her hands holding her gown shut behind her. “When are they gonna make these things so your butt doesn’t hang out?”
“Doctors need them.” Max murmured as he covered a yawn. “To torture patients and get a step up in the power department.”
“Seriously.” She narrowed her eyes as she scooted backward to lay on the cool table.
“They’re non-restrictive and can be readily removed in an emergency.” He explained as they motioned to him that she would be going into the machine soon. The table slid inside and the lights dimmed in the room as the lights in the tube sprang to life, imaging her insides for study. Then it was over, the lights brightened and the table slid out. Max grabbed an extra gown and wrapped it over her as she stood. "So you can walk around with a modicum of modesty."
"Thanks." She put her arms around him and hugged tightly. "I can feel it. I'm better." She started to cry, she felt so much better. "I'm sorry I yelled at you and said all those things."
"I know. It was scary… and you were so brave." He kissed her head and led her to the door. "Let's get you back into street clothes. We'll have them send the results to Kat."
"Okay." She made her way back to the examination room and when she had gotten all her jewelry back on, the phone rang. Scrambling around for it, she found it in her dad's jacket pocket. "Dr. Evans' office. He's out at the moment but his goth daughter can be bribed into passing on a message."
"Hi Beth." Came a small sniffle.
"Donna Jo? That you?"
"Yeah." She sniffed again.
"What's wrong?"
"I got this number from Gabriel. I hope you don't mind but I really need someone to talk to and I can't talk to anyone on the squad."
"What is it?" Beth sank into the chair, listening intently to her friend's halted words.
"Do you know Sebastien Ramirez?"
"Yeah. His dad is dating my aunt."
"Ugh… Beth… I've liked him for a really long time and I went to this party last week and he was there. All these gross guys were hitting on me and I was about to give up when he did the whole white knight thing. You know, saved me and walked me home." She took a breath and let it out slowly. "I didn't think I'd see him again but he came over… and we did it… you know… it."
"Really?" Beth's lips turned up a little as a blush invaded her face. "How was it?"
"The first time not so great but the second time… was amazing."
"Really?"
"Yeah… and we've been together practically all week… you know, just all the time because my parents have been out of town. They came back the other night, so I stayed home to hang out with them. Seb had invited me to a party but I couldn't because… you know how they are. When he called during dinner, it pissed off my dad and he wouldn't let me go or take the call or… I had to wait until last night to call Sebastien but… It said that his line is disconnected and I don't know how to get a hold of him."
"He…" Beth paused but then had to finish the sentence. "He didn't tell you that he was leaving?"
"I know he was. That he was heading East for college but I wanted to see him before he left."
"Donna Jo… are you okay?"
"How can I find out how to talk to him?"
"I am… going to do some snooping, okay? I will call you when I get to Santa Fe… and then we'll strategize."
"I just want to know where we stand. We never got around to having that conversation and I don't want to think it was about the sex."
"I'll call you back, okay?"
"Okay. Thanks, Beth. The girls wouldn't have listened to me. They'd just say I was a slut or something and I know that they're all close to Dana and… Thanks."
--
Liz packed up a suitcase for herself and then got David's ready. While she packed his pants and shirts, he played with Sterling. He looked happy. Genuinely happy. "Had any bad dreams?"
"Not in a while." He answered almost absently.
"Should I pack your tea and your dreamcatcher?" His only response was a shrug. "David."
"I don't know. I haven't needed them but… I'm afraid to go without…"
"Okay. Just in case then." She nodded at him though he wasn't paying attention. "We're going to Grandpa's for breakfast with your brother. He said you could take Sterling if you kept him on a leash."
--
Danny winced as his hips slowed, every last drop spilled inside his wife. Emily's head was still thrown back on the pillow but her hands were clenched against his butt. She sighed and relaxed, sliding her hands up his back. "By the time we get home, I'll be used to holding it in."
His lips turned up as it registered that she had referred to his apartment in Lubbock as home. "Well, the walls are pretty much cardboard so the neighbors will appreciate the effort." He captured her full bottom lip between his. "And I do plan to make love to you in every inch of that apartment."
"I look forward to that." She mumbled around his mouth. "Mmm-mm-mmth. Danny. We're going to be late for breakfast."
"Grandma said she'd be gone by the time we got up."
"At your grandpa's." She corrected and pushed him away reluctantly. "With your mother and your brother… ringing bells?"
"Ugh… family." He groaned but rolled over to pick up the phone. He dialed quickly. "Hey Gabe, it's Danny… your doctor, smart ass. And to think I was going to be happy for you and my sister… Good morning, genius. I have a breakfast date so either we push back your appointment or you meet me at the Crashdown to get the run down." He listened for a moment. "Sure, bring them along. It's a family place."
"I can't believe you're talking to him that way." Emily shook her head at him as she gathered her things for a shower.
"I can't go easy on him, yet." He hung up the phone. "I have to keep him guessing so that when Dad gets back, he'll scratch his watch and wind his butt on command." Quickly he gathered his things for his own shower. "I like the kid but… she is my little sister."
"Hey buddy." Emily grabbed the doorknob with one hand and poked him in the chest with the other. "If you come in with me, this is professional. We get enough teasing about being late. It's getting old."
"How professional? Are we talking Vatican or like… the Roadside Inn?"
"That's it buddy, you're going to wait your turn."
"Okay, I promise."
--
Michael surveyed the monitors and barely looked away when Laurie entered the room with an envelope. “How’s it going?”
“Doing well.” She nodded and took a seat. “My lawyer just dropped this off. You want to see what we already know?”
“Eh… couldn’t hurt to have proof.” Michael took the envelope and ripped it open. The first two sheets are DNA comparisons that make no sense to the untrained eye. The third sheet was a quick run down in laymen speak. “What do you know… we have the same grandfather. What are the odds of that?”
Laurie laughed and winced when the baby kicked her for having too much fun. “I’ll talk to the boys and then tomorrow I’ll have my legal team come back up here for your John Hancock on the little dotted line.”
“Are you taking them back for school?”
“I don’t know. There are some really good centers in Las Cruces and an excellent one in Santa Fe. The doctor and I are going to monitor my progress. I hate to have the boys living out of the hotel but… I don’t think acquiring new property just now is the best thing.”
--
Max nodded to Kal as he got up to take care of the bill. He wasn’t totally surprised when the alien walked out of the restaurant and got into his car. “I guess we aren’t up to his social standards.”
Beth rolled her eyes and poured more hot sauce onto her chocolate mousse. Lauren stared at her young friend. “Is there something I’m missing out on or are you weird?”
“I’m weird.” Beth smiled brightly and slapped her father’s spoon when he scooped some of the mess from her plate. “It’s genetic.”
“Be nice.” Max chided and savored the sweet and spicy for a moment. “Ladies, we have a flight at 8 am. I would appreciate all packing to be done tonight.”
Lauren nearly choked on her tiramizu. “Oh… Dr. Evans, you didn’t have to…”
“I’ve racked up some frequent flyer miles over the years. It’s not a big deal.”
“I don’t really… I um…”
Beth sat up to look at her friend. “You’ve never flown before? Don’t worry before this summer, neither had I. It is totally cool.”
"I was just going to catch the bus back." Lauren protested further.
"Don't think about it. So long as you're with us, you'll be safe." Beth beamed at her father.
--
The Parker kitchen table was a little crowded but it gave Emily an excuse to sit on her husband's lap. They all chatted amiably. Then Mrs. Parker sighed as she stared at her firstborn grandchild. "They're going to make beautiful babies together."
"I hope so." Emily nodded to her husband's smiling face. "But with my ears."
Mr. Parker laughed aloud at that one. They were interrupted by a knock on the door. He hopped up to answer it and came back with a confused young man. "This kid says he's looking for Dr. Evans."
"Oh, Gabe." Danny nudged Emily off his lap and rose to greet the kid. "Sorry, I totally forgot."
"It's okay." Gabriel shoved his hands into his pockets. "Hey Davey, Mrs. Evans, Mrs. Evans."
"Yeah and my grandparents, Jeff and Nancy Parker." Danny made the introductions. "This is Gabriel Silerio." Recognition dawned on their faces. Jeff held out his hand for the boy to take.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Parker." Gabriel took the hand offered and then nodded to the woman at the table. "Mrs. Parker."
"I owe you." Jeff told the boy.
"She saved me as much as I saved her."
"We have to talk shop. I'm going to take him to your room, Mom." Danny disappeared with the teen, leaving the others wondering what was going on.
--
Will sat in his Santa Fe office running though file after file, tracking down lead after lead, making phone calls and dispatching his various agents to do some leg work for him. It wasn't until he listened to his voice mail from Kat that he could see where the money trail lay hidden. Still, he ran into a brick wall. "Agent Seyton?"
"Yes, sir." She appeared at his desk in a flash of white teeth and soft hair.
"Dr. Covington of Perpetual Grace Hospital in Florida. Heard of him?" He rubbed his forehead. "Bryce Covington."
"He's a doctor for the rich and discreet."
"I know that."
"Do you know where I could find him?"
"Six feet under. He died three years ago. Suicide." She shook her head. "He's the family doctor. He's very selective. All his first-class patients were classmates of his in college."
"Do you know where I could find someone who would have access to his files?"
"No." She shook her head. "I can however point you to his 1999 frat photo. It's online with his school's frat worship page."
"How do you know that?" He began typing away.
"My mother graduated with him. She was in a sorority that partnered with his frat." She pointed to the picture. "Every single one of those fine men and women had him for a doctor by 2001."
"How do you know that?"
"He delivered me."
"Wait." Will scanned the picture and picked out two very familiar faces. "Holy shit. That's Mason and Daphne Burkhardt."
"Yeah. Mother hates that woman."
"Can't imagine why. She's a peach."
"Stole Mason Burkhardt from her in college. Mother was a little bitter about that." Seyton leaned on the desk.
"I need you to dig something up for me. I suspect the person I'm looking for is in this picture if what you say is true. I can't open those doors with my connections."
"What am I looking for?"
"The woman who gave birth to a girl on January 12, 2007. 12:15 pm. All I can glean is that Dr. Bryce Covington was the doctor on call when the woman went into labor."
--
Lauren poked her head into the room and knocked softly. "Dr. Evans."
"Hey Lauren, what can I do for you?"
"I just wanted to thank you again for letting me stay here and for the plane ticket. I really wish I could pay you back."
"Don't worry about it. You made Beth laugh and…" Max took a deep breath and folded a shirt into his suitcase. "That is worth a lot, trust me."
"It was fun to be a kid again."
He paused, watching her carefully, then flicked his gaze to the doorway. "I guess you didn't get to have that growing up."
"Not so much."
"Then it was my honor. You've been good for her. I wasn't doing so well on my own."
"You weren't doing bad."
"You say that now but you didn't see me before you showed up. My girl doesn't keep too many friends… and I think only a few of the ones she has would have helped so much."
"You're a good dad, Dr. Evans. When I find my biological dad, I hope he's nice like you."
"You're looking for him?" Max straightened.
"Yeah. I want to see him. It's too late for a lot of things but I just want to see him."
--
Alex slipped into his sister's room. She hadn't come out all day. "Hey."
"Hey." Liberty turned to face the wall.
"Mom's worried. She thinks you might be sick or something."
"I thought you were leaving today."
"I thought I'd stay a few extra days to see what was going on with you."
"Do you remember the party? Did you see me at all?"
"Sure. You were grabbing all the good munchies."
"That's the last thing I remember. I don't remember a thing after that until the morning after." Berty sniffed into her pillow.
"You probably just came inside and fell asleep." Alex stroked her hair and leaned over to see her face. It was red and puffy. "Have you been crying?"
"NO." She buried her face in the pillow.
"Berty." He tugged on her shoulder.
"Something happened and I don't know what exactly it was."
"Like… something?" Alex pressed.
"I don't know. I talked to Sebastien but…"
"Something happened with Sebastien?" Alex sat up.
"Alex, wait." Berty rolled over to look at her brother. "I know what he said happened but I don't remember it. I can't say for sure what happened. That's why I've been in here all day. I've been trying to get a vision or a memory. Something and nothing's working."
"Okay. I know what you're saying. I'll see how I can help."
"We're not telling Mom. Ever."
--
Danny sat down with his mother. "Gabriel came to see me about a migraine he'd gotten at work. 4:30 pm. Dr. Davis called me with severe bone pain at 4:30 pm. I could probably call every person Dad has ever healed to a life-saving capacity and they would probably give me the same story. At 4:30 pm on Friday they experienced pain in a place that worried them because they once had a bullet or cancer or a tumor in that spot. All the tests have run clean on Gabriel. He's healthy as a horse."
"What are you saying?"
"I talked to Dad briefly. Beth was in the machine or whatever at 2:30 pm."
"But—"
"2:30 pm in California which is 4:30 pm in Roswell, New Mexico."
"Do you think something happened in the tank?" Liz stared at her son. "He was saying something…"
"But he wasn't specific. I know. Whatever it was, he doesn't want to say on the phone. Ask him when you see him."
TBC