Part 71
Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2011 4:40 am
Earth2Mama: We think it must be your latent psychic abilities. It was difficult but he wouldn’t change a thing. We think Chrissie might be pretty fun. She’ll have to head back to school but we have a feeling she’ll be coming home for the holidays. 
Liz can’t help it even though she wants so badly for him to be happy about the news.
Thanks!
Eva: Looks like you were right!
Having a best friend that you can lean on in good and bad times is so important.
keepsmiling7: Maria is happy for her friend and Liz really needed that. She is worried about Max’s reaction but she has good reason. And so much seems to have gone wrong lately that it just adds to her worries.
begonia9508: The system is difficult and so many times it separates families. Luckily in this situation Michael was eventually able to obtain custody of his little sister.
mary mary: You could be right. We’ll see. Max is keeping quiet about it on our end for now.
Oh, you can count on Maria and Chrissie meeting.
A good talk and a gallon of ice cream… solves so many problems.
Alien_Friend: Lol, it does make him even easier to love, doesn’t it? It’s all just a matter of giving that reasonable explanation the time to surface.
You’re right, Maria can’t stop living and moving forward because Andy doesn’t want things to change.
Liz and Maria are lucky to have each other.
Hopefully Max will be able to see past the negatives and focus on the positives.
sarammlover: Michael has had his difficult times and his own past is part of the reason why he feels such a connection to Andy. We’ll see how long it takes for Andy to get around to following your advice.
Rodney: Well, it’s probably not something you tell someone in passing. And yes, we had to build the tension, lol.
Part 71
Kyle knocked on Michael’s front door, taking a couple of steps back to slouch against one of the white support beams. He was trying to figure out what he was going to say when the screen door flew open and the next thing he knew he had an enthusiastic female in his arms.
“Kyle! I had no idea you were here!”
He grinned and shook his head when she finally released him and stepped back. “What’re you doin’ here, Chris?”
She wrinkled her nose at him. “Why’d you ask like that?”
“Like what?”
“Like I can’t just decide to visit my brother.”
“You tend to show up at your brother’s front door after a breakup, quittin’ a job, or droppin’ a class.”
“Okay, Mr. FBI Know-It-All,” she said with a roll of her eyes, “I did just break up with someone… well, honestly, he kinda broke up with me.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Mike said I could come here if I wanted.”
“Yeah, but I’d bet my next paycheck he meant before classes started up again.”
“I don’t need another lecture,” she grumbled.
“He already gave you hell over that, huh?”
“Yeah. And he said I’m gonna have to go back.”
He collared her and dropped a kiss on her head. “He’s payin’ a fortune for your education, squirt.”
“I know,” she sighed. “I should’ve just gone to college right after high school instead of puttin’ it off for a couple of years.”
“Probably should’ve listened to your brother on that,” he agreed with a chuckle. “Where’s he at anyway?”
“He went for a walk with Mojo. I think your sister might’ve broken his heart.” She leaned back against the railing and she crossed her arms over her chest. “He really likes her, Kyle.”
He nodded. “I know. She likes him too,” he said after a few moments of silence. “It’s just complicated right now.”
“Michael won’t…” she trailed off when she caught movement from the corner of her eye and she turned her head, nodding at her brother when he opened the front gate. “You want me to get lost so you can talk to him?”
Kyle chuckled. “You do whatever you were doin’ before I got here.” He stayed where he was when she disappeared into the house and he waited for Michael to join him on the porch.
“Guess you heard,” Michael said as he dropped down into one of the chairs.
“Yeah, she came by last night, told us that Andy had a meltdown when she told him about you two.”
He sighed and rubbed his hands over his face as he slouched down further in his chair. “I knew it was a possibility, but I had really hoped…” He shook his head. “Wait, you haven’t talked to her today?”
“Nope, she’s been off the grid today. I know she’s plannin’ to be in the new house by the end of this week so maybe she’s over there.”
“She came by the house earlier while I was still at work…” he winced. “Chrissie answered the door, had no clue who Maria was, and of course, Maria had no idea my little sister had dropped in unannounced for a visit.” He made a face. “Pretty sure she thinks I’m shackin’ up with a younger woman now.”
Kyle made a face. Great. Like the two of them didn’t have enough obstacles. “You want me to talk to her?”
“No, I think this one’s on me.” He forced a smile. “Thanks anyway, Valenti.” He leaned his head back against the house as he looked up at his friend. “How’re things with you an’ Tess?”
“Great. Got no complaints there.” He shifted and crossed his arms over his chest. “You gonna be okay, man?”
“Do I have another choice?” He tipped his head back when the screen door opened and Chrissie stepped out long enough to hand both of them a beer. “Thanks, kid.” He took a drink and waited for her to go back inside. “I don’t know what to do next. Hell, I don’t even know if I should do anything.”
Kyle crossed the porch to drop down in the chair next to his friend. “Michael, just give it some time.” He bit his lip before telling his friend what Maria had told him and Tess the night before. “Don’t give up on her an’ Andy. I know he’s not makin’ things easy, but…”
Michael laughed gruffly. “Hell, I’m not givin’ up on either of them. I just think maybe the next move is gonna be up to her.” He shrugged one shoulder. “I don’t know. Maybe I’ll just wait a bit an’ then go talk to her. I just don’t wanna push it an’ end up pushin’ her away. Andy’s a good kid and as much as I’d hoped we might skate by without him havin’ a negative reaction, I knew it was a good possibility.” He shook his head and downed the rest of his beer. “It just figures after Andy goin’ off on her about me she comes over and my little sister happens to be home for an unannounced visit.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “Talk about a cluster-fuck.”
“Maybe he’ll come around.”
“I hope so.” He sighed and peeled back the edge of the label on his bottle. “If not, anything I have to say will likely be a waste of breath.” He winced. “Damn, it’s not bad enough that he’s worried about a new man in his mom’s life, now he’s gotta worry about my motives where he’s concerned.”
“Michael, you knew that was gonna be a possibility. All you can do now is hope that the work you did with him laid enough of a foundation that you’ll be able to get past this and start movin’ forward.”
They sat there in companionable silence for a while, lost in their own thoughts and wondering what the future held.
*****
Liz was putting things away after her kindergarten class was dismissed for the day, her mind on everything going on and trying to figure out how she was going to tell Max about the pregnancy. Under normal circumstances it would be a difficult topic to discuss with him, but considering everything they had been through since Andrew’s accident she knew she was going to have a fight on her hands. She hoped they could work through his fears where another pregnancy was concerned because it would make things a lot easier on all of them.
“Hey, Liz,” Jeanie called from the open doorway, “you’ve got a call in the office.”
She looked up from what she was doing, closing the door on the supply cabinet and turning around. “Any idea who it is?”
“I think Cathy said it was Mrs. Aguilar. Isn’t she your sitter?”
Liz nodded. The woman only called if Kara wasn’t feeling well. “Looks like I’ll be getting outta here a little earlier than I had planned today.” She hurried to take the call and within minutes she was out the door and on her way to Mrs. Aguilar’s house to pick her little girl up. A couple of phone calls later she had found out that several of the kids in Kara’s class had a stomach virus and she sighed tiredly. It was gonna be a long night, she thought as she turned onto the woman’s street.
She was getting out of her car when the phone rang and the nurse at the high school informed her that Nick was in her office with what looked like a stomach virus too. She assured the woman that she would be there to pick him up within the next half hour and she quickly punched in Tess’ number.
“Hello,” Tess answered cheerfully.
“Hi, Tess, it’s Liz.”
“Hey, how’s it goin’?”
Liz smiled and shook her head as she made her way up the front walk. “Well, it’s been better to be honest. I’ve got two kids with a stomach bug.”
Tess didn’t even miss a beat. “What can I do to help?”
She closed her eyes and sent a prayer of thanks heavenward for her sister-in-law. “Could you keep Justin overnight? Any exposure to this thing and he’ll catch it. These things usually run their course over a 24-hour period.”
“Of course, no problem. Does he have practice tonight?”
“Yeah, it’ll be over about 6pm. Thanks, Tess, you’re a lifesaver.”
“Anytime, girl. Is there anything else I can do?”
“No, that’s more than enough, believe me.”
An hour later she finally made it home with two miserable, cranky kids and a headache the size of Texas. She made the couches up in the living room and got them settled in, knowing from experience that it would be a lot easier to keep up with them if they were in one central location. Not to mention, hardwood floors were a lot easier to clean up if one of them missed the trashcan. And since both of them had been throwing up since she had picked them up she would rather not have to deal with trying to clean carpet after a mishap of that nature.
“Mom,” Nick whined, not moving as he stared at the television.
“What is it, sweetie?”
He made a pathetic sound and lifted one finger to point at the remote lying a foot away on the coffee table. “Can’t reach.”
Sometimes she wondered if this was a learned behavior or if it was genetic. Max behaved the same way when he was sick. Even a little cold and anyone seeing him would thing he was completely incapacitated. He usually got away with it though because she knew he would go in to work no matter how sick he was, putting in a full day of work and then when he came home he’d just collapse and turn into an invalid.
She handed him the remote and rested her hand on his forehead for a moment. If she hadn’t already known that he was sick she would’ve known the moment he didn’t complain over her fussing.
“’m thirsty, Mom.”
She nodded and picked his glass up off of the coffee table. It was half-full but she knew he’d feel better with a fresh drink. She moved across the room to check on Kara, brushing her hand over her little girl’s cheek. She was sleeping fitfully, her little body curled up tightly under the covers.
Liz was on her way back into the living room with their drinks when she heard Kara call out to her frantically and right on the heels of her name came the sound of retching. Yeah, hardwood floors had definitely been the way to go, she thought as she maneuvered around the mess Kara had made to pick her up. She carried the little girl to the bathroom to clean her up and get her into a fresh pair of pajamas before moving to set her on Nick’s couch.
“Mom,” he complained, “she’s gonna puke on me.”
“Am not,” Kara argued weakly.
“If you’d rather I can sit with her while you go clean that mess up.”
He made a face and shifted his feet out of her way so she could settle Kara down. “You better not puke on me,” he warned.
Kara smacked his leg and curled up with her stuffed animal. She rested her head on the cool pillow Mommy slid under her and stared at the TV quietly.
Liz just barely held her own lunch down as she cleaned up and then went to start the washer with a load of the soiled linens. By the time she was finished and the couch had been remade the house was blessedly silent and the kids were both asleep. Nick’s feet were under Kara’s pillow and her feet were propped up on his thigh and she was certain neither of them could be comfortable. She had a feeling it was just the calm before the storm though; stomach viruses tended to strike in waves.
She sighed and stretched out on the couch for a few minutes, wishing Max was home. A lot of husbands were perfectly content to leave sick kids to their wives, but he had always been right there to pitch in and help her take care of the kids when they were sick. And it was nice to have someone to lean on when she was exhausted from dealing with sick kids all day. Max just had a way of making her feel better and he could even make her laugh after a hellish day when laughing was the last thing on her mind. She thought about calling him just to hear his voice but she knew he was still in meetings and she didn’t want to disturb him.
She was watching the kids when Nick made a face in his sleep and squirmed around restlessly. She got up after deciding to move Kara back to her own couch in case he woke up and needed to move quickly. After making sure they were as comfortable as possible she went into the kitchen to find something bland she could make for them to eat if they felt up to it later.
*****
Andy kicked a rock across the ground, earning him an annoyed look from Theo. “Yeah, like your life sucks that much,” he muttered. “What could you have to complain about? Girls? Your mom? School? Yeah, didn’t think so.”
It was almost time for dinner but he wasn’t in any hurry to go home. He hadn’t really talked to Mom since Sunday night but he didn’t know what to say to her. How could she wanna go out with Michael? Okay, so maybe her and Dad hadn’t loved each other romantically, whatever that meant, but they had still been together. That had to count for something, right?
Would they still be together if Dad hadn’t died? he wondered. She had told him before that even though they’d had problems they had never talked about getting a divorce. Maybe that didn’t even matter though because Dad was gone and Mom was alone. Well, she wasn’t really alone, he rationalized. She had family and friends. She had him. And what happens when you go away to college and she’s still all alone?
He cursed out loud when Scrappy’s irritating voice cut through every other thought in his head. He couldn’t understand how his best friend could say he was the one being unreasonable. Against his will his mind went back to the conversation he’d had with Scrappy the night before when he’d been walking around after leaving Sam’s house.
“So, what you’re sayin’ is you were a dick.”
“No, that’s not what I’m sayin’,” he denied.
“Dude, she said she wouldn’t see Michael if you didn’t want her to.”
Andy shrugged even though the gesture couldn’t be seen. “She didn’t have to say that.”
“No, she didn’t. How can you be so fuckin’ stupid?”
“Why don’t you ask me that again when your dad dies and your mom starts seein’ some other guy, asshole.”
Scrappy sighed in frustration. “Don’t pull that shit with me, Evans. Quit actin’ like you’re the only one who got hurt when your dad died. Did you even look at your mom on Saturday?”
“I don’t wanna talk about this.”
“Good. I don’t want your useless input anyway. Your mom looked happy and ya know what? She really smiled when she was around Michael an’ you’re a selfish prick if you take that away from her.”
“I’m not takin’ anything away from her.”
“You are if you don’t tell her it’s okay. That you’re okay with her datin’ him.”
“So your advice is for me to what, lie to her? ‘Cause I’m not okay with her seein’ him. He was just usin’ me to get to her an’ she deserves someone better than that.”
“Really?” Sarcasm dripped from Scrappy’s voice. “That’s your argument?”
“Don’t you think it’s just a little suspicious that he’s the one who was spendin’ so much time with me? The counselors in Miami hated me, Scrap. So, why’d this guy work so much harder than the other ones?”
“Maybe because he knows what it’s like to be the kid no one knows what to do with. Maybe because he can see you’re not a lost cause. Hell, I don’t know. Maybe he’s doin’ penance for somethin’.”
“Whatever his motives were – “
“His motives? Quit watchin’ those fuckin’ cop shows. You liked the guy until your mom told you they like each other.”
Andy sighed before speaking again, his voice low. “I don’t want him to replace my dad.”
“Who says he’d even try to, Andy? From what you told me about him losin’ his parents he probably understands that he can’t replace your dad.”
“Why do you even care?” Scrappy was making sense and he didn’t want to hear it.
“I don’t know, dickhead. Maybe ‘cause you’re my best friend and it matters to me whether you’re happy or not. You guys were both happy on Saturday an’ that dude’s got a lot to do with it. Just think about it, that’s all I’m sayin’.”
He sighed when he realized Theo had taken them to the park and he stopped on the sidewalk facing Michael’s house. The truck wasn’t in the driveway so he had to be out, he decided. Theo sat down beside him and followed the boy’s gaze before looking up at him and whining. Andy reached down to scratch the dog’s ears as he wondered if Scrappy was right. He lost track of time as he stood there and he didn’t realize it was getting dark until a pair of headlights swept across his eyes, making him squint. He took a step forward when he recognized Michael’s truck but before he could step off of the curb the passenger’s side door opened and he heard a woman laughing.
Andy froze in place, watching as the woman rounded the back of the truck to meet Michael. He gave her a one-armed hug before releasing her to reach into the bed of the truck to snag a couple of shopping bags. The jerk was out on a date! Before he could think twice about it his feet were carrying him across the street.
*****
Chrissie laughed at her brother’s grumpy commentary about their trip to the store and she reached out to pinch his side when he hopped up to balance on the side of the truck so he could reach something that had rolled out of one of the bags.
“Hey,” he yelped, “cut it out!”
She caught a glimpse of movement behind him as he dropped back down on the pavement and she shouted at him to look out as a guy she didn’t recognize shoved him from behind. She heard his head impact with the heavy duty tool box bolted into the bed of the truck but before she could move he quickly jerked around, shoving her between him and the open drivers’ side door.
Michael shook his head to clear it as he tried to assess the situation and he stared at the angry boy facing him. He saw the color drain from the teenager’s features when he saw the damage he had done. His hand shot out to stop his sister when her hand appeared next to his shoulder, a small can of mace ready to fire.
“Mike, what’re you – “
“S’okay, Chrissie,” Michael said, conscious of the threatening growl coming from the dog at the boy’s side.
“Okay?! This little thug just tried to kill you! He probably thinks he’s gonna rob us now.”
“Just relax,” he said as he wrestled the mace out of her hand. “He’s not here to rob us. Are you, Andy?”
Her eyes widened as she focused on her brother’s assailant and she realized that he was just a kid. It took a moment for the boy’s name to sink in but when it did she pushed past Michael to face the boy.
Andy shook himself out of his stupor when the woman moved and he swallowed hard as he stared at Michael defiantly. The sight of the blood on the man’s face had scared him. He hadn’t meant for that to happen when he had pushed him. “You stay away from my mom,” he tried to shout but it came out raspy, his voice shaking. “You’re just makin’ her feel guilty! She still loves my dad an’ if he was here he’d kick your ass!”
“Andy, listen to me, bud – “
“No! You stay away from us! You just made things worse an’ now she’s sad all the time! I fuckin’ hate you!” He shoved Michael’s hand away when he reached out to him and he turned and ran away.
“Mike, do you think you need to go to the hospital?” Chrissie asked.
“No, I’m fine.” His head was throbbing and he could feel the blood running down the side of his face. He could already feel the lump on the side of his head where it was swelling. He reached for the grocery sacks and turned to carry them up to the house, his heart and mind heavy as he went over the encounter with Andy. He had a feeling part of the boy’s anger was being directed at him because he didn’t want to deal with the real issue. He didn’t want to face the fact that his mother was ready to begin moving forward with her life if that included a man other than his father.
“I’m gonna go get cleaned up,” he said as he placed the sacks on the kitchen table. He shrugged out of his jacket and draped it over one of the chairs. “Feed Mojo for me, would you?”
Chrissie sighed when he left the room without another word and as soon as his bedroom door closed behind him she checked his jacket pockets for his cell phone. She flipped it open and scrolled through his speed dial numbers to locate the one she wanted and as soon as she found it she selected it and hit the call button.
Michael tipped his head to the side as he tried in vain to get a good look at the lump on the left side of his head. Talk about lucky, he mused. Another couple of inches and it would’ve been his eye. He downed a couple of painkillers before leaving the bathroom and he frowned when he heard voices coming from the living room. Great, just what he needed tonight.
There was no point in not going out there to face the music. Isabel would barge right in to make sure he was alright if he didn’t make an appearance soon so that she could see for herself that he was breathing. He made a mental note to thank Chrissie for making that call as he walked down the hall to the living room.
Isabel was on her way to find Michael when she ran into him coming down the hall. “Oh my God!” She grabbed his arm and pulled him into the dining room, pushing him down in one of the chairs and tipping his head to the side so she could get a good look at the wound.
“I’m fine, Iz,” he complained, trying to free himself from her grasp.
Her grip only tightened in response to his attempt to get away. “Michael, the lump on the side of your head is almost as big as my fist!” She brushed his hair back to check the wound itself. “I don’t think you need stitches though,” she mused.
“I already knew that,” he grumbled. “I know why you’re here an’ we’re not talkin’ about it.”
“Michael, he attacked you – “
He shook his head and immediately regretted it. “No, he didn’t attack me. Okay, yes, he did,” he relented when she just stared at him. “But, it wasn’t intentional. He meant to shove me, I’ll give you that much, but he never intended to hurt me. Chrissie shouldn’t have called you,” he said with a meaningful look at his sister. “Look, this’s between me and Andy and I’ll handle it.”
“Michael, you’re quite possibly the one person who can’t handle this.”
“Iz, you know I love ya, but this has nothin’ to do with school, so I’m gonna ask you to leave it alone. Yeah, Andy came at me tonight, but he scared the hell out of himself when he realized what he had done.”
“That’s just great, Michael. And if you’d hit that tool box a little differently you might’ve lost your left eye.”
“But I didn’t.” He sighed roughly. “Look, I know how bad this is.”
“Are you gonna talk to his mother?”
“I will talk to her, Isabel.” He looked up at her.
“When?”
“When the time’s right.” He shook his head. “Give me your word that you’ll stay out of it.”
“Michael…”
Chrissie looked between the two of them, waiting to see which one would give in first.
“You promise you’ll talk to her?”
“I’ll talk to her. When the time’s right. I appreciate your concern, but Andy’s not some little stalker waitin’ around to take another crack at me. The kid’s emotions are runnin’ high and he’s reacting without thinkin’.”
Isabel leaned back to sit on the edge of the table as she considered what he was saying. “Are you even listening to what you’re sayin’?”
“What I’m askin’,” he insisted, “is that you stay outta this. The thing with Andy is personal not professional and I will handle it. Just promise me you’ll stay out of it.”
“I’ll stay out of it. But,” she said when he nodded, “if he comes after you again I will get involved whether you want me to or not.”
“Fair enough,” he agreed. He glanced at his sister, his look telling her that she’d be getting an earful about calling Isabel as soon as the woman left.
Liz can’t help it even though she wants so badly for him to be happy about the news.
Thanks!
Eva: Looks like you were right!
Having a best friend that you can lean on in good and bad times is so important.
keepsmiling7: Maria is happy for her friend and Liz really needed that. She is worried about Max’s reaction but she has good reason. And so much seems to have gone wrong lately that it just adds to her worries.
begonia9508: The system is difficult and so many times it separates families. Luckily in this situation Michael was eventually able to obtain custody of his little sister.
mary mary: You could be right. We’ll see. Max is keeping quiet about it on our end for now.
Oh, you can count on Maria and Chrissie meeting.
A good talk and a gallon of ice cream… solves so many problems.
Alien_Friend: Lol, it does make him even easier to love, doesn’t it? It’s all just a matter of giving that reasonable explanation the time to surface.
You’re right, Maria can’t stop living and moving forward because Andy doesn’t want things to change.
Liz and Maria are lucky to have each other.
Hopefully Max will be able to see past the negatives and focus on the positives.
sarammlover: Michael has had his difficult times and his own past is part of the reason why he feels such a connection to Andy. We’ll see how long it takes for Andy to get around to following your advice.
Rodney: Well, it’s probably not something you tell someone in passing.
And yes, we had to build the tension, lol.Part 71
Kyle knocked on Michael’s front door, taking a couple of steps back to slouch against one of the white support beams. He was trying to figure out what he was going to say when the screen door flew open and the next thing he knew he had an enthusiastic female in his arms.
“Kyle! I had no idea you were here!”
He grinned and shook his head when she finally released him and stepped back. “What’re you doin’ here, Chris?”
She wrinkled her nose at him. “Why’d you ask like that?”
“Like what?”
“Like I can’t just decide to visit my brother.”
“You tend to show up at your brother’s front door after a breakup, quittin’ a job, or droppin’ a class.”
“Okay, Mr. FBI Know-It-All,” she said with a roll of her eyes, “I did just break up with someone… well, honestly, he kinda broke up with me.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Mike said I could come here if I wanted.”
“Yeah, but I’d bet my next paycheck he meant before classes started up again.”
“I don’t need another lecture,” she grumbled.
“He already gave you hell over that, huh?”
“Yeah. And he said I’m gonna have to go back.”
He collared her and dropped a kiss on her head. “He’s payin’ a fortune for your education, squirt.”
“I know,” she sighed. “I should’ve just gone to college right after high school instead of puttin’ it off for a couple of years.”
“Probably should’ve listened to your brother on that,” he agreed with a chuckle. “Where’s he at anyway?”
“He went for a walk with Mojo. I think your sister might’ve broken his heart.” She leaned back against the railing and she crossed her arms over her chest. “He really likes her, Kyle.”
He nodded. “I know. She likes him too,” he said after a few moments of silence. “It’s just complicated right now.”
“Michael won’t…” she trailed off when she caught movement from the corner of her eye and she turned her head, nodding at her brother when he opened the front gate. “You want me to get lost so you can talk to him?”
Kyle chuckled. “You do whatever you were doin’ before I got here.” He stayed where he was when she disappeared into the house and he waited for Michael to join him on the porch.
“Guess you heard,” Michael said as he dropped down into one of the chairs.
“Yeah, she came by last night, told us that Andy had a meltdown when she told him about you two.”
He sighed and rubbed his hands over his face as he slouched down further in his chair. “I knew it was a possibility, but I had really hoped…” He shook his head. “Wait, you haven’t talked to her today?”
“Nope, she’s been off the grid today. I know she’s plannin’ to be in the new house by the end of this week so maybe she’s over there.”
“She came by the house earlier while I was still at work…” he winced. “Chrissie answered the door, had no clue who Maria was, and of course, Maria had no idea my little sister had dropped in unannounced for a visit.” He made a face. “Pretty sure she thinks I’m shackin’ up with a younger woman now.”
Kyle made a face. Great. Like the two of them didn’t have enough obstacles. “You want me to talk to her?”
“No, I think this one’s on me.” He forced a smile. “Thanks anyway, Valenti.” He leaned his head back against the house as he looked up at his friend. “How’re things with you an’ Tess?”
“Great. Got no complaints there.” He shifted and crossed his arms over his chest. “You gonna be okay, man?”
“Do I have another choice?” He tipped his head back when the screen door opened and Chrissie stepped out long enough to hand both of them a beer. “Thanks, kid.” He took a drink and waited for her to go back inside. “I don’t know what to do next. Hell, I don’t even know if I should do anything.”
Kyle crossed the porch to drop down in the chair next to his friend. “Michael, just give it some time.” He bit his lip before telling his friend what Maria had told him and Tess the night before. “Don’t give up on her an’ Andy. I know he’s not makin’ things easy, but…”
Michael laughed gruffly. “Hell, I’m not givin’ up on either of them. I just think maybe the next move is gonna be up to her.” He shrugged one shoulder. “I don’t know. Maybe I’ll just wait a bit an’ then go talk to her. I just don’t wanna push it an’ end up pushin’ her away. Andy’s a good kid and as much as I’d hoped we might skate by without him havin’ a negative reaction, I knew it was a good possibility.” He shook his head and downed the rest of his beer. “It just figures after Andy goin’ off on her about me she comes over and my little sister happens to be home for an unannounced visit.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “Talk about a cluster-fuck.”
“Maybe he’ll come around.”
“I hope so.” He sighed and peeled back the edge of the label on his bottle. “If not, anything I have to say will likely be a waste of breath.” He winced. “Damn, it’s not bad enough that he’s worried about a new man in his mom’s life, now he’s gotta worry about my motives where he’s concerned.”
“Michael, you knew that was gonna be a possibility. All you can do now is hope that the work you did with him laid enough of a foundation that you’ll be able to get past this and start movin’ forward.”
They sat there in companionable silence for a while, lost in their own thoughts and wondering what the future held.
*****
Liz was putting things away after her kindergarten class was dismissed for the day, her mind on everything going on and trying to figure out how she was going to tell Max about the pregnancy. Under normal circumstances it would be a difficult topic to discuss with him, but considering everything they had been through since Andrew’s accident she knew she was going to have a fight on her hands. She hoped they could work through his fears where another pregnancy was concerned because it would make things a lot easier on all of them.
“Hey, Liz,” Jeanie called from the open doorway, “you’ve got a call in the office.”
She looked up from what she was doing, closing the door on the supply cabinet and turning around. “Any idea who it is?”
“I think Cathy said it was Mrs. Aguilar. Isn’t she your sitter?”
Liz nodded. The woman only called if Kara wasn’t feeling well. “Looks like I’ll be getting outta here a little earlier than I had planned today.” She hurried to take the call and within minutes she was out the door and on her way to Mrs. Aguilar’s house to pick her little girl up. A couple of phone calls later she had found out that several of the kids in Kara’s class had a stomach virus and she sighed tiredly. It was gonna be a long night, she thought as she turned onto the woman’s street.
She was getting out of her car when the phone rang and the nurse at the high school informed her that Nick was in her office with what looked like a stomach virus too. She assured the woman that she would be there to pick him up within the next half hour and she quickly punched in Tess’ number.
“Hello,” Tess answered cheerfully.
“Hi, Tess, it’s Liz.”
“Hey, how’s it goin’?”
Liz smiled and shook her head as she made her way up the front walk. “Well, it’s been better to be honest. I’ve got two kids with a stomach bug.”
Tess didn’t even miss a beat. “What can I do to help?”
She closed her eyes and sent a prayer of thanks heavenward for her sister-in-law. “Could you keep Justin overnight? Any exposure to this thing and he’ll catch it. These things usually run their course over a 24-hour period.”
“Of course, no problem. Does he have practice tonight?”
“Yeah, it’ll be over about 6pm. Thanks, Tess, you’re a lifesaver.”
“Anytime, girl. Is there anything else I can do?”
“No, that’s more than enough, believe me.”
An hour later she finally made it home with two miserable, cranky kids and a headache the size of Texas. She made the couches up in the living room and got them settled in, knowing from experience that it would be a lot easier to keep up with them if they were in one central location. Not to mention, hardwood floors were a lot easier to clean up if one of them missed the trashcan. And since both of them had been throwing up since she had picked them up she would rather not have to deal with trying to clean carpet after a mishap of that nature.
“Mom,” Nick whined, not moving as he stared at the television.
“What is it, sweetie?”
He made a pathetic sound and lifted one finger to point at the remote lying a foot away on the coffee table. “Can’t reach.”
Sometimes she wondered if this was a learned behavior or if it was genetic. Max behaved the same way when he was sick. Even a little cold and anyone seeing him would thing he was completely incapacitated. He usually got away with it though because she knew he would go in to work no matter how sick he was, putting in a full day of work and then when he came home he’d just collapse and turn into an invalid.
She handed him the remote and rested her hand on his forehead for a moment. If she hadn’t already known that he was sick she would’ve known the moment he didn’t complain over her fussing.
“’m thirsty, Mom.”
She nodded and picked his glass up off of the coffee table. It was half-full but she knew he’d feel better with a fresh drink. She moved across the room to check on Kara, brushing her hand over her little girl’s cheek. She was sleeping fitfully, her little body curled up tightly under the covers.
Liz was on her way back into the living room with their drinks when she heard Kara call out to her frantically and right on the heels of her name came the sound of retching. Yeah, hardwood floors had definitely been the way to go, she thought as she maneuvered around the mess Kara had made to pick her up. She carried the little girl to the bathroom to clean her up and get her into a fresh pair of pajamas before moving to set her on Nick’s couch.
“Mom,” he complained, “she’s gonna puke on me.”
“Am not,” Kara argued weakly.
“If you’d rather I can sit with her while you go clean that mess up.”
He made a face and shifted his feet out of her way so she could settle Kara down. “You better not puke on me,” he warned.
Kara smacked his leg and curled up with her stuffed animal. She rested her head on the cool pillow Mommy slid under her and stared at the TV quietly.
Liz just barely held her own lunch down as she cleaned up and then went to start the washer with a load of the soiled linens. By the time she was finished and the couch had been remade the house was blessedly silent and the kids were both asleep. Nick’s feet were under Kara’s pillow and her feet were propped up on his thigh and she was certain neither of them could be comfortable. She had a feeling it was just the calm before the storm though; stomach viruses tended to strike in waves.
She sighed and stretched out on the couch for a few minutes, wishing Max was home. A lot of husbands were perfectly content to leave sick kids to their wives, but he had always been right there to pitch in and help her take care of the kids when they were sick. And it was nice to have someone to lean on when she was exhausted from dealing with sick kids all day. Max just had a way of making her feel better and he could even make her laugh after a hellish day when laughing was the last thing on her mind. She thought about calling him just to hear his voice but she knew he was still in meetings and she didn’t want to disturb him.
She was watching the kids when Nick made a face in his sleep and squirmed around restlessly. She got up after deciding to move Kara back to her own couch in case he woke up and needed to move quickly. After making sure they were as comfortable as possible she went into the kitchen to find something bland she could make for them to eat if they felt up to it later.
*****
Andy kicked a rock across the ground, earning him an annoyed look from Theo. “Yeah, like your life sucks that much,” he muttered. “What could you have to complain about? Girls? Your mom? School? Yeah, didn’t think so.”
It was almost time for dinner but he wasn’t in any hurry to go home. He hadn’t really talked to Mom since Sunday night but he didn’t know what to say to her. How could she wanna go out with Michael? Okay, so maybe her and Dad hadn’t loved each other romantically, whatever that meant, but they had still been together. That had to count for something, right?
Would they still be together if Dad hadn’t died? he wondered. She had told him before that even though they’d had problems they had never talked about getting a divorce. Maybe that didn’t even matter though because Dad was gone and Mom was alone. Well, she wasn’t really alone, he rationalized. She had family and friends. She had him. And what happens when you go away to college and she’s still all alone?
He cursed out loud when Scrappy’s irritating voice cut through every other thought in his head. He couldn’t understand how his best friend could say he was the one being unreasonable. Against his will his mind went back to the conversation he’d had with Scrappy the night before when he’d been walking around after leaving Sam’s house.
“So, what you’re sayin’ is you were a dick.”
“No, that’s not what I’m sayin’,” he denied.
“Dude, she said she wouldn’t see Michael if you didn’t want her to.”
Andy shrugged even though the gesture couldn’t be seen. “She didn’t have to say that.”
“No, she didn’t. How can you be so fuckin’ stupid?”
“Why don’t you ask me that again when your dad dies and your mom starts seein’ some other guy, asshole.”
Scrappy sighed in frustration. “Don’t pull that shit with me, Evans. Quit actin’ like you’re the only one who got hurt when your dad died. Did you even look at your mom on Saturday?”
“I don’t wanna talk about this.”
“Good. I don’t want your useless input anyway. Your mom looked happy and ya know what? She really smiled when she was around Michael an’ you’re a selfish prick if you take that away from her.”
“I’m not takin’ anything away from her.”
“You are if you don’t tell her it’s okay. That you’re okay with her datin’ him.”
“So your advice is for me to what, lie to her? ‘Cause I’m not okay with her seein’ him. He was just usin’ me to get to her an’ she deserves someone better than that.”
“Really?” Sarcasm dripped from Scrappy’s voice. “That’s your argument?”
“Don’t you think it’s just a little suspicious that he’s the one who was spendin’ so much time with me? The counselors in Miami hated me, Scrap. So, why’d this guy work so much harder than the other ones?”
“Maybe because he knows what it’s like to be the kid no one knows what to do with. Maybe because he can see you’re not a lost cause. Hell, I don’t know. Maybe he’s doin’ penance for somethin’.”
“Whatever his motives were – “
“His motives? Quit watchin’ those fuckin’ cop shows. You liked the guy until your mom told you they like each other.”
Andy sighed before speaking again, his voice low. “I don’t want him to replace my dad.”
“Who says he’d even try to, Andy? From what you told me about him losin’ his parents he probably understands that he can’t replace your dad.”
“Why do you even care?” Scrappy was making sense and he didn’t want to hear it.
“I don’t know, dickhead. Maybe ‘cause you’re my best friend and it matters to me whether you’re happy or not. You guys were both happy on Saturday an’ that dude’s got a lot to do with it. Just think about it, that’s all I’m sayin’.”
He sighed when he realized Theo had taken them to the park and he stopped on the sidewalk facing Michael’s house. The truck wasn’t in the driveway so he had to be out, he decided. Theo sat down beside him and followed the boy’s gaze before looking up at him and whining. Andy reached down to scratch the dog’s ears as he wondered if Scrappy was right. He lost track of time as he stood there and he didn’t realize it was getting dark until a pair of headlights swept across his eyes, making him squint. He took a step forward when he recognized Michael’s truck but before he could step off of the curb the passenger’s side door opened and he heard a woman laughing.
Andy froze in place, watching as the woman rounded the back of the truck to meet Michael. He gave her a one-armed hug before releasing her to reach into the bed of the truck to snag a couple of shopping bags. The jerk was out on a date! Before he could think twice about it his feet were carrying him across the street.
*****
Chrissie laughed at her brother’s grumpy commentary about their trip to the store and she reached out to pinch his side when he hopped up to balance on the side of the truck so he could reach something that had rolled out of one of the bags.
“Hey,” he yelped, “cut it out!”
She caught a glimpse of movement behind him as he dropped back down on the pavement and she shouted at him to look out as a guy she didn’t recognize shoved him from behind. She heard his head impact with the heavy duty tool box bolted into the bed of the truck but before she could move he quickly jerked around, shoving her between him and the open drivers’ side door.
Michael shook his head to clear it as he tried to assess the situation and he stared at the angry boy facing him. He saw the color drain from the teenager’s features when he saw the damage he had done. His hand shot out to stop his sister when her hand appeared next to his shoulder, a small can of mace ready to fire.
“Mike, what’re you – “
“S’okay, Chrissie,” Michael said, conscious of the threatening growl coming from the dog at the boy’s side.
“Okay?! This little thug just tried to kill you! He probably thinks he’s gonna rob us now.”
“Just relax,” he said as he wrestled the mace out of her hand. “He’s not here to rob us. Are you, Andy?”
Her eyes widened as she focused on her brother’s assailant and she realized that he was just a kid. It took a moment for the boy’s name to sink in but when it did she pushed past Michael to face the boy.
Andy shook himself out of his stupor when the woman moved and he swallowed hard as he stared at Michael defiantly. The sight of the blood on the man’s face had scared him. He hadn’t meant for that to happen when he had pushed him. “You stay away from my mom,” he tried to shout but it came out raspy, his voice shaking. “You’re just makin’ her feel guilty! She still loves my dad an’ if he was here he’d kick your ass!”
“Andy, listen to me, bud – “
“No! You stay away from us! You just made things worse an’ now she’s sad all the time! I fuckin’ hate you!” He shoved Michael’s hand away when he reached out to him and he turned and ran away.
“Mike, do you think you need to go to the hospital?” Chrissie asked.
“No, I’m fine.” His head was throbbing and he could feel the blood running down the side of his face. He could already feel the lump on the side of his head where it was swelling. He reached for the grocery sacks and turned to carry them up to the house, his heart and mind heavy as he went over the encounter with Andy. He had a feeling part of the boy’s anger was being directed at him because he didn’t want to deal with the real issue. He didn’t want to face the fact that his mother was ready to begin moving forward with her life if that included a man other than his father.
“I’m gonna go get cleaned up,” he said as he placed the sacks on the kitchen table. He shrugged out of his jacket and draped it over one of the chairs. “Feed Mojo for me, would you?”
Chrissie sighed when he left the room without another word and as soon as his bedroom door closed behind him she checked his jacket pockets for his cell phone. She flipped it open and scrolled through his speed dial numbers to locate the one she wanted and as soon as she found it she selected it and hit the call button.
Michael tipped his head to the side as he tried in vain to get a good look at the lump on the left side of his head. Talk about lucky, he mused. Another couple of inches and it would’ve been his eye. He downed a couple of painkillers before leaving the bathroom and he frowned when he heard voices coming from the living room. Great, just what he needed tonight.
There was no point in not going out there to face the music. Isabel would barge right in to make sure he was alright if he didn’t make an appearance soon so that she could see for herself that he was breathing. He made a mental note to thank Chrissie for making that call as he walked down the hall to the living room.
Isabel was on her way to find Michael when she ran into him coming down the hall. “Oh my God!” She grabbed his arm and pulled him into the dining room, pushing him down in one of the chairs and tipping his head to the side so she could get a good look at the wound.
“I’m fine, Iz,” he complained, trying to free himself from her grasp.
Her grip only tightened in response to his attempt to get away. “Michael, the lump on the side of your head is almost as big as my fist!” She brushed his hair back to check the wound itself. “I don’t think you need stitches though,” she mused.
“I already knew that,” he grumbled. “I know why you’re here an’ we’re not talkin’ about it.”
“Michael, he attacked you – “
He shook his head and immediately regretted it. “No, he didn’t attack me. Okay, yes, he did,” he relented when she just stared at him. “But, it wasn’t intentional. He meant to shove me, I’ll give you that much, but he never intended to hurt me. Chrissie shouldn’t have called you,” he said with a meaningful look at his sister. “Look, this’s between me and Andy and I’ll handle it.”
“Michael, you’re quite possibly the one person who can’t handle this.”
“Iz, you know I love ya, but this has nothin’ to do with school, so I’m gonna ask you to leave it alone. Yeah, Andy came at me tonight, but he scared the hell out of himself when he realized what he had done.”
“That’s just great, Michael. And if you’d hit that tool box a little differently you might’ve lost your left eye.”
“But I didn’t.” He sighed roughly. “Look, I know how bad this is.”
“Are you gonna talk to his mother?”
“I will talk to her, Isabel.” He looked up at her.
“When?”
“When the time’s right.” He shook his head. “Give me your word that you’ll stay out of it.”
“Michael…”
Chrissie looked between the two of them, waiting to see which one would give in first.
“You promise you’ll talk to her?”
“I’ll talk to her. When the time’s right. I appreciate your concern, but Andy’s not some little stalker waitin’ around to take another crack at me. The kid’s emotions are runnin’ high and he’s reacting without thinkin’.”
Isabel leaned back to sit on the edge of the table as she considered what he was saying. “Are you even listening to what you’re sayin’?”
“What I’m askin’,” he insisted, “is that you stay outta this. The thing with Andy is personal not professional and I will handle it. Just promise me you’ll stay out of it.”
“I’ll stay out of it. But,” she said when he nodded, “if he comes after you again I will get involved whether you want me to or not.”
“Fair enough,” he agreed. He glanced at his sister, his look telling her that she’d be getting an earful about calling Isabel as soon as the woman left.
Max wouldn’t jeopardize his marriage like that. Things may be difficult right now but he doesn’t want to mess things up.