by Skye, M.
Alex dialed Matt's number and waited for a response, after several rings, he hung up unsuccessful. “I’ll talk to him later,” he sighed and looked at the time. He realized it was almost twelve and gathered his things to race over and pick up Meg. She had to be on pins and needles waiting for the appointment to begin. He had assured her several times that this issue was to no fault of her own, but he knew she still felt responsible.
He rode over to her office with the CD she and Allison always listened to on their rides to school playing and laughed. He could just hear the two of them singing and giggling together, and wondered what was going wrong. Allison seemed to love Meg and he knew Meg loved her, there had to be some explanation. He knew that Jordan could have caused some stress to their relationship, but Allison started off completely in love with him as well. True, she had become distant with him as of late, but she was acting like her old self now with the exception of the nightmares.
When Alex pulled up to Meg’s office, he found her, standing outside with her hands on her face. He smiled at her and she smiled back, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. He could tell she was nervous, and he wanted so desperately to dismiss her fears, but what if he was the cause? What if she was resentful of Meg and Jordan because of something he had done? What if he was the blame for all of this?
When Meg got into the car, she clicked her seatbelt and closed her eyes suddenly. Before she could gather herself completely, Alex leaned over and placed a firm assuring kiss on her lips. She reached out for him, and he deepened the kiss, rendering her breathless. When he released her, he wanted to be sure she knew that he was behind her no matter what. When he finally let go, he heard a light sigh and smiled against her full lips.
“I missed you all morning, Angel Face. How has your day been so far?”
“Honestly?”
“Yes, honestly.”
“Nerve wrecking. I’ve been a mess all morning.”
Alex huffed as he drove off. He didn’t like seeing her so out of sorts. He was thinking of a way to make her feel at ease, when he thought about the crazy scene from the morning. “I know something that will make you laugh.”
“What’s that?”
“When I went to drop Jordan off this morning, I pulled up and your dad was at my mom’s and she was just pulling up with her new boyfriend.”
“His name is Rogelio, sweetie, it’s time you started calling him by his name,” she laughed. “But, what was my dad doing there?”
“I really don’t know. He says he’s been spending time with Jordan over there, but why wouldn’t they have just told us about that? It seems strange to me.”
“Yeah, I agree. You don’t think... no, couldn’t be,” she sighed. “My dad and your mom? No way.”
“Well, how else do you explain it? He looked like he had spent the night, his hair was all ruffled and clothes wrinkled.”
Meg placed her hand to her temple and fell back against the headrest. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her dad and his mother would just be too much. “Are you sure of what you saw?”
“Yes, Angel, I know what I saw.”
“That would make us step brother and sister,” she laughed.
“Jokes, very funny, baby. You have a morbid sense of humor.”
“What you think is better than what I thought one day when I picked him up. I smelled mom’s perfume on Jordan, and I freaked out. It turned out to only be Margret’s fragrance, but I had already thoroughly embarrassed myself.”
Alex laughed and patted her knee as he continued to drive. He loved the smile she was now wearing, but then something dawned on him. “Did you say Margret was wearing the fragrance? How could she be? She’s allergic to perfume. We got her a bottle once for mother’s day, and it broke her out. We were so upset because she had practically raised us, and she couldn’t wear our present. Matt cried for days, he always was the sensitive one.”
“Why would they lie to me? You don’t think...”
“Baby, I don’t think you should worry, it’s probably nothing. I’m sure it must just be something she outgrew. Maybe she has certain things she can wear.” He began to think to himself as she stared at him intently. Aiden and Matt were convinced that they had identified the wrong person, but every shred of evidence proved they were wrong. My mother even... my mother. She has been acting strange, and the wanting to keep Jordan at her house, when he has everything he needs at our house, now it all makes sense.
“What are you thinking, Alex? Don’t keep me in suspense.”
“Let me figure some things out.”
“You’re scaring me, tell me what’s going on. Are the kids okay?”
“Yes, our kids will be fine, and don’t be afraid. I promised to never let anything happen to you and that’s not changing. We will talk later, but let’s deal with one thing at a time. Go get our girl,” he kissed her and sat back in the car as he pulled in front of the school.
Alex watched as she walked inside the school and closed his eyes, trying to rid his mind of the thoughts racing through them. There had to be an explanation, there just had to be. There was no way his mother would be hiding Maria at her house, she couldn’t be. Could Maria really be alive after all this time? If it were true, it could fix so many things, but it could also cause so many more problems. It would make the girls so happy, but it could put them at the mercy of that maniac.
He allowed his thoughts to run rapid until Meg and Allison approached and got in. He plastered on his most convincing smile and tried to push all the thoughts out of his head, at least until they could come to grips with what was happening with them, and until he could get solid proof that his assumptions were correct. He wanted to be absolutely sure before he mentioned anything to Meg. He couldn’t bear to get her hopes up just to let her down in the end.
Alex put on the girls favorite track to lighten the mood, and it only took a few seconds for them to start in. He had never seen them so animated, but watching them interact gave him joy that he never thought possible. They were both all smiles for the first time in a few weeks, it was indescribable. When the song ended, Meg reached back and high fived Allison, and he replayed the track, hoping to get a repeat performance. This was the perfect moment, and he didn’t want it to end.
As they pulled into Dr. Steinfeld’s complex, Meg looked back at Allison and smiled at her nervously. Allison reached out and pushed Meg’s hair behind her ear and smiled too. “Mommy, are you mad at me?”
“No, I just want you to tell us and Dr. Steinfeld what’s wrong, can you do that?”
“I don’t know, mommy. You promise you won’t get mad?”
“I promise, you just do your best, daddy and I will be right here for you.”
“Okay,” she grinned.
Alex got out and opened the doors for both ladies and linked their hands. Whatever they were facing, he wanted them to face it together, as a family showing a united front. They boarded the evaluator in silence with their hands still attached, and Alex kissed them both. He needed them to be at ease as they made this step, it was already stressful enough without the tension between them.
They got off the elevator when it reached the floor, and Meg sighed before walking to the door. When they approached, the door was wide open and Dr. Steinfeld greeted them with a warm and sincere smile. Alex shook her hand first, and Meg followed suit. Allison stood behind Meg’s legs peeking out around them. “Allison, come and say hello to Dr. Steinfeld,” Meg requested, pulling her to the forefront.
“Hello, Dr. Steinfeld,” Allison offered shyly.
“Hello, it’s nice to see you again. Are you ready to talk to me?”
“Yes,” she whispered. “I don’t want to get in trouble.”
Dr. Steinfeld saw the terrified look on her face and motioned for Alex and Meg to join her in a corner. “If you don’t mind, I would like to speak to your daughter alone. Maybe she will open up a little more if it’s just me at first. I will keep you informed. I just think it’s best for
right now.” Meg shook her head in compliance, but her eyes held a sadness that Dr. Steinfeld noticed instantly. “Mrs. Hanover, I’m sure it’s nothing you’ve done, from what I’ve seen from you two over the past year, you’ve really shown yourself to be great parents. I think it might just be some residual baggage from the ordeal before.”
“Did you hear that?” Alex grabbed her face. “It’s not you, just have a seat while she talks to her. I’ll be right here with you.”
“Mr. Hanover, take your wife down and get her a snack or something, we will be fine, I promise.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Alex replied, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her towards the hallway. “Come on baby, let her get started.” Meg offered him a light smile and put her hand in his, following him to the elevator as Dr. Steinfeld took Allison by the hand and led her into the office. She looked to the timid little girl and offered her a genuine smile, breaking the ice.
“So, Allison, how are you feeling today?”
“Okay,” she looked around the office skeptically. “Where are my mommy and daddy?”
“They are just getting a snack. Do you feel okay here with just me?” Allison nodded her head, and she sat back in her chair. “So, tell me what has been upsetting you? Are you sad about the new baby?”
“No, I like Jordan, he always smells good,” she giggled.
“So you like Jordan, tell me about him. What do you do with him?”
“I talk to him, he can’t talk back, but he tries. He keeps mommy and daddy awake at night.”
“Does that make you angry when Jordan keeps your mommy and daddy awake?”
“No, they like to play with him.” She put her head down and sighed.
“Allison, does it make you sad that your brother gets more attention than you do?”
“Mommy and daddy say it’s because he is smaller and they have to do more for him.”
“But do you believe them?”
“I don’t know,” she shrugged. “I think so, but...”
“But what, Allison? You can tell me.”
“I’ll get in trouble. She said if I told anyone my mommy would go away. I don’t want her to go away.”
Dr. Steinfeld sat up in her chair, she knew this was the break she was waiting for, and she would have to handle this delicately to avoid shutting down all the progress she was making. She knew now that whatever was going on had nothing to do with either Alex or Meg, it was an outside source poisoning the child against her parents
“You can tell me, Allison. I’m not your mommy or daddy. We’re just talking just us girls.” Allison shifted in her seat and fiddled with her charm bracelet. She kept her head down while Dr. Steinfeld watched intently. She could tell she was extremely nervous, and her heart was breaking for the little girl. She had been through so much in her short life, and here she was faced with another dilemma. “Allison, if you don’t want to tell me, I understand, but I would like for you to know that your mommy and daddy love you very much, they are so worried about you.”
“Mommy cries because of me. I don’t want her to get mad and go away.”
“She won’t, she just wants to know what’s making you sad.”
“Ms. Pierre said that mommy and daddy don’t really want me. She said that mommy will only like me until Jordan can talk and then she won’t need me anymore.”
“Who is Ms. Pierre?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“This is a safe zone, you can tell me anything in here, and no one will get in trouble.”
“I can’t,” she said with tears in her eyes. “Can I see my mommy and daddy now?”
“Yes, I’ll get them. You did great here today,” Dr. Steinfeld smiled and walked towards the door. She opened the door and walked out to greet Alex and Meg and they stood expeditiously. She turned to look back into the room and closed the door. “Mr. and Mrs. Hanover, is there I way I could speak with you privately before we go back inside?”
“Sure,” Meg answered quickly. “What happened, is she okay?”
“Your daughter will be fine, but I have a concern, who is this Ms. Pierre that she’s speaking about?”
Alex and Meg looked at each other questioningly and then back at Dr. Steinfeld. “We don’t know anyone by that name. I don’t know where she could have gotten that name,” Alex explained.
“It seems that the problems you have been having are all the work of this Ms. Pierre. Could Allison possibly have an imaginary friend that she associates all the distress in her life with?”
“She has never mentioned an imaginary friend, not to us anyway.”
“Is there anyone else she could possibly be talking to besides you two?”
“She talks to Marisol, her nanny, but she would have mentioned an imaginary friend.” Alex was trying to figure this out in his own head.
“Your daughter will be fine, she loves you both dearly, but wherever she got these ideas is the problem. She really believes in her heart that if she talks about it, you’re going to send her away.”
“Oh god,” Meg sighed. “What can we do?”
“Reassurance, and love. I want to see her again next week, maybe I can get more from her, but until then, just do what you’ve been doing. Now, let’s join her to let her know you’re here. She was asking for you.”
“Alex, our little girl,” Meg sniffled. “What are we going to do?”
“We are going to love her, baby. That’s all we can do, but you better believe I’m getting to the bottom of this Ms. Pierre shit.”
Alex and Meg walked into the room and found Allison sitting with her head down, refusing to look up. When she saw them, she looked like she was afraid. Meg walked up to her, and Alex sat on the other side wrapping her in their loving embrace. She laid her head on Meg’s shoulder, and let a few tears fall. “Why are you crying, Alli?” Meg, rubbed her head.
“I thought you weren’t coming back. I thought you forgot about me already.”
“Never, baby, we would never forget you. You’re our little Alli bear, we love you.”
“I love you, too. Can we go home now?”
“Yes, sweetie,” Alex smiled. “Anything you want.”
“Can we go and get Jordan first?”
“Of course, he will be happy to see you. He loves his big sister.”
“I love him too, daddy.”
Alex smiled and pulled her into a strong embrace. He held on to her tightly as he tried to hide the tears he was fighting so hard not the shed. He didn’t want them to see the weakness in him. He wanted to always show strength when it came to them because without him, they would begin to lose hope, and that was unacceptable. When he felt Meg’s hand on his back, he suddenly knew that everything would be fine. He pulled her hand down to his lips and kissed it gently before standing to face her.
When he saw the acceptance in her eyes, he exhaled. Here he was trying to be strong for her, and she was offering him the best support he could ever ask for; her love. There was only one word to describe how he felt in that moment, lucky. He had been thinking he needed to do everything to make this right, but he had to remember, he wasn’t alone. He had her, and they had each other. There was nothing stronger than that, he was sure of it.
He clutched her hand tightly unafraid of what would happen next, because he had his equal next to him. Together they could get through anything, and they were going to have to. Whatever sparked this change in their daughter wasn’t going to just go away, they had to take action, and they would start with Marisol and go from there. Something had to give and fast, especially with the other things he was suspecting.
Chapter Eleven
“How are you feeling, big brother?” Maddie smiled and ran her hand across Gio’s face”
“I feel fine, I’m just ready to get out of here. I miss my house.”
“You would be at home if you would have been taking your medicine and attending your appointments. You have no one to blame but yourself.”
“Did you come down here to yell
at me, or did you come to visit?”
“Both,” she laughed. “You scared me so bad, I should beat you senseless.”
“I know, I scared everyone and messed up Alli’s party. I’m an idiot, I know.” Maddie pulled her chair up and sat down. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly. He smiled at her, and she kissed his hand. He had been so occupied with tests and more tests, that he hadn’t had time to enjoy the simple things in life like having a real conversation, or even better, gossip. “So I’m dying to know what everyone has been up to, spill the juice.”
“Where do I start?” She lit up. “Everyone has their own melodrama right now. I wouldn’t know who to start with.
“Start with this engagement! I still can’t believe Emily, our Emily, is getting married. I thought that girl would side step that situation forever. That Aiden must have something really special going, if you know what I mean. I know he’s sexy, but damn. He must be grandstanding like nobody’s business.”
“Too much, Gio, way too much. I don’t want to ever think of him that way. He’s like my brother.”
“From what I hear he could be your brother. Is papa really tapping Melissa?”
“No! That’s crazy. Papa is not interested in her that way, they are just friends, and besides, she has a new boyfriend.”
“The cop,” he huffed. “Right.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“Has he found mom’s killer?” Maddie sat silent just looking at him blankly. “Exactly. Excuse me when I say screw the police. They can kiss my ass.”
“Tell me how you really feel,” she laughed. “It’s good to see you haven’t lost your spice.”
“Never that, I’ll always be me. I don’t know, maybe he’s nice, but I just feel like there is more they could be doing. I still feel cheated, I miss her more and more every day.”
“We all do,” she wiped her teary eyes. “Stop it, you just stop it now. I didn’t come down here to cry with you. Either you ship the hell up or I’m out of here,” she smiled.
