It was starting to make sense; there had been more to the story than Gloria just pulling Hannah away from him.
“It wasn’t the first fight in here for me, and I think she knew it might not be the last, and it wasn’t, but the day I got shanked put me in medical for a long time. I almost didn’t recover; I think that’s when she’d had enough and left with you.”
His hands were shaking, and his voice was trembling; finally, his words sent chills down her spine. “I did this to us. Ruined our family, but it was easier for me locked up in here all these years to blame her.”
Speechless, Hannah sat opposite her dad, hoping her presence was enough to comfort him. She had no words, and no idea what to say anyway.
“Seeing you like this, Hannah, tells me that Gloria was right about one thing.”
“Oh yeah, what’s that?” Hannah managed, though her voice was barely a whisper.
“This isn’t a place for you. I guess your mom did know best. Don’t come back here; I’ll write.”
Hannah shook her head.
“Mom, at the end, was frantic and upset, hating herself for keeping us apart for so long and for not showing me the letters. Dad, she wanted me to have the letters, know you were alive, and for us to forgive her. I choose to believe that mom lied for all the right reasons and handled it all the wrong way.”
As soon as the word dad popped out of Hannah’s mouth, Hank’s ears perked up. He didn’t argue, but hung onto that one word, dad. A buzzer sounded, indicating it was time for the inmates to be taken back and for the visitors to leave.
Hannah stood up, red phone still in her hand.
“I’ll come back as soon as I can.”
“Please don’t. Don’t do that; I promise I’ll write.”
“Up until now I thought my dad was dead and the Captain was a dream in my head. I’m not settling for a piece of paper now. You’re going to have to see me or leave me sitting in the waiting room. It’s your choice.”
She smiled and blew him a kiss.
“Kinda hard for the First Matey to report to duty when the Captain refuses to get on board!”
Grinning, Hannah responded, “Aye, aye Captain! Oh, how I love that man—Captain Fin is back!”
Hank wiped his eyes as he proudly watched her prepare to leave. But she turned around and quickly picked up the phone and pointed for him to do the same.
“I’m your third visitor. Mom was your first, who was your second?”
“What?”
“Gunner. Hang up the phone. Time to go.” The guard nudged him to hang up.
“One second. Please. Just one, promise, that’s my daughter.”
He had no idea why she was curious about his visitor but he rambled off the name anyway.
“Nathan’s brother, Nigel. He visits me on behalf of Nate, Nathan’s son. He’s his uncle. A paralegal. Like family.”
Hannah grinned. “I’ve met Nigel, Sandy’s brother. Nice guy.”
Chapter 36
Nigel
Will you listen to me, please?
We must right this wrong.
~ Nigel ~
Something about the call he’d received, from an inquiry he made, nagged Nigel as he drove home from the office. Running the conversation over and over in his head, he finally decided to make the call.
“Hey, it’s me.”
“Hi, Uncle Nigel. Did you find some more stuff out?”
“I did. Let me fill you in.”
Nigel looked just like Nathan—same build, hair color, and his voice even sounded like his—or the way it used to sound. Nate looked like both his parents; he had traits from Nathan and Sandy, the best of both, everyone always told him. Nigel talked with his nephew for a few minutes, filled him in and gave him most of the information he had gathered that week. After a few minutes, he asked him to put his mother on the phone.
“Put your momma on.”
He heard Sandy in the background asking him who was calling, and he couldn’t help but laugh when Nate refused to tell her. He used to hate it when Nathan used to do that to him when they were growing up and they would fight over answering the phone.
“You’ll see. Answer the phone.”
He knew the look she was likely giving him and the lecture that would follow once she got off the phone, but hopefully, she’d calm down once she realized it was just him on the other end.
“Hello.”
“Sandy, it’s me.”
“Hey, what’s going on?”
“How far do you want to take this project of Nate’s?”
“What do you mean? I’d like him to know what his father was really like, why it was important for him to be there that day, involved in the talks about the pending strike, and what an incredible man he was, not to mention it would be nice if he got an A. Why?”
He stopped at a red light but didn’t realize it had turned green until the cars behind him started honking. Sandy heard the other vehicles and asked if he was okay.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Well, call me when you’re not driving. You don’t sound fine.”
She went to hang up the phone.
“Sandra, hang on!”
Her name, Sandra, rarely used, especially since Nathan’s death, and the sound of his voice startled her.
“What’s going on?” she asked nervously.
“I’m coming over. See you in a few.”
Nate had already eaten, showered, and was hanging out in his room when his uncle arrived. Earbuds in, way into the game on his device, he didn’t hear the doorbell ring. Sandy walked into the kitchen, poured a glass of wine, offered Nigel a beer, and sat down at the table. Pulling out a chair he joined her, slammed half the beer, took off his jacket, and thought about how to say what he was about to reveal.
“Are you going to tell me what this is all about?” she asked, dying to know what was going on that he’d drive all the way over just to talk.
“Let me ask you this…”
“Okay… ask away.”
“When you asked me to help Nate research the events of the night that Nathan was killed and find out what happened during and after the trial, I thought it was going to be cut and dry.”
Sandy nodded. “Yeah. And?”
“Well, it’s not!” He took another sip of his beer. “I dug a little deeper, followed everyone involved that night, and asked around about what happened the following weeks after Nathan’s death.”
“Go on.”
“And that’s where it suddenly got complicated.”
“It shouldn’t be complicated. The murderer was convicted, the trial, newspaper clippings, you’re losing me.”
“That part’s fine; it’s after Nathan’s death and Hank Gunner’s trial where things get messy.”
If looks could kill, Nigel figured he’d be a dead man. Sandy took a swallow of wine, checked the hallway for her son, Nate, and in a firm, muffled voice asked Nigel what in the hell he was talking about.
“God, I hadn’t heard that name in years, and now I seem to be hearing it all the time. Hannah’s return, Gloria’s passing. What does Hank have to do with Nate’s project for school about his dad?”
“Well, that’s the complicated part.”
“Spit it out, Nigel. What is it?” Her voice was nervous and sharp.
“That depends on how you feel about Hank.”
Frustrated, Sandy threw up her hands. She hadn’t thought about Hank, Gloria, or Hannah in years until the funeral, and that wasn’t her doing. Gloria had moved, and after one move too many, they didn’t talk as much, even though she had tried on multiple occasions to contact her and stay in touch.
“I don’t know how I feel about Hank,” she replied. “I haven’t thought about Hank for a very long time.”
Nigel grabbed another cold beer out of the fridge, opened it, took a swig, and leaned against the countertop. He waited for Sandy to calm down and speak first, contemplating how to tell her what he’d found out.
“Why are
you even talking about Hank, anyhow? This project was supposed to show Nate, and his class, how his dad stood up for what he believed in. Give them the historical facts, the truth, and let everyone know that he did it for the right reasons, the talks, the negotiations, the pending strike, and that his life was robbed from him. That the murder was the crime, and not the pending strike.”
Nigel nodded. He remembered, to the day, receiving the phone call and rushing to the hospital. Crying and screaming out promises to his brother that he would watch over his son, and he had, every single day of Nate’s life. Always checking in on them, making sure they had everything they needed, and being the family that Nathan would have wanted. Nigel pulled out a chair and sat opposite Sandy.
“I remember Hank,” Nigel said. “And what Hank meant to Nathan; he looked up to him.”
“He did. He loved him, truly loved him, like a brother.” She reached over and squeezed Nigel’s hand. “He loved you more because you were his brother, but Hank was like his older brother, just like he was your older brother.” Taking a sip of wine, thinking back to those days, Sandy added, “Hank looked out for Nathan; he was good to him, and truth be told, we all loved or love him still.” Blowing her hair out of her face, she added, “Seems so long ago, but I guess in a way he’ll always be a part of our family. I loved the Gunners.”
“I get it. That’s why I’m asking you how you feel about Hank.”
“Why? Why do you need to know that?”
Nigel shook his head. Having no idea where to begin, he downed his beer for extra courage and reached for another.
“Damn, must be bad!” Sandy stated.
“It’s not good, but it’s what we decide to do with it that could be a game changer and change everything.”
Topping off her glass and placing the wine bottle in the middle of the table, Sandy kicked off her shoes, put her feet up on the empty chair next to her, and prepared herself to listen to what Nigel had to say. By the look on his face, she could tell it was important, but she had no idea the information that he had could change Hannah and Hank’s lives forever.
“Go ahead, Nigel, fill me in. What’s going on?”
Chapter 37
Hannah
Now I’ve found you
What to do
Will you love me
Like I love you?
Do you miss her
She missed you!
~ Hannah Gunner ~
It had been a little over two weeks since Hannah had visited Hank in prison, but she still replayed their conversation over and over in her head. Analyzing every word that he’d said and wondering if he’d really leave her sitting in the waiting room when she visited him next. There was only one way to find out: schedule a visit and wait and see. Planning a visit to the state prison was going to have to wait for a couple of weeks. Hannah had to unpack and get settled in Kathy’s house, and even she knew that was a priority. Standing with Cash in the empty apartment that she and her mom had once called their home, she could almost hear her mom’s voice.
Be kind, Hannah. Don’t leave that out, put it away. Did you put your dishes in the sink? Her mom’s voice seemed to radiate through the empty rooms as Hannah walked through each one. Her presence felt, though she was clearly gone. Cash stood behind her and slipped his arms around her waist. She could smell his cologne before she felt his touch. Kissing her sweetly on the cheek, he whispered and asked if she were okay. She wasn’t. Standing in the middle of the living room, surrounded by the memory of the woman she loved the most in the world, realizing all of the mistakes her mom had made, and believing deep down inside of her that Gloria had made those decisions for all of the right reasons, still she didn’t feel okay. Feelings of guilt consumed Hannah for having such thoughts, and a sick feeling was pushed down in the pit of her stomach as she finished her walkthrough.
“Leaving here, I feel as if I’m abandoning my mom, and I know that’s ridiculous because it’s just a building.” She wrapped her hands around Cash’s as he held her. “But despite all of our moves and what she did or didn’t do, she was happy here, really happy, and so was I.”
Cash hugged her tightly. “I know she was, you could tell, but part of that I think was because of you. You were happy, and that made her happy.”
Hannah grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the hallway of the apartment, batting away her tears, trying not to cry. She asked Cash if he would walk with her.
“Go with me, please? As I say goodbye to each room and the memories of my mom here.”
He nodded. “Of course.” But it was the saddest thing he’d ever heard his girl say.
Hannah recalled a different memory she’d shared with her mom in each room while they lived in the apartment. Nervously she put one foot in front of the other and walked into her mother’s room. Being in that place gave her chills; it was as if the room knew she was leaving. Cash kissed the back of her head and left the room, allowing her a minute with her thoughts and her mom. Empty, the room had an eerie feel to it, but the memories were fresh in her mind, and Hannah knew that she had to say goodbye to this place.
“I’m so sorry if I let you down, Mom, if you felt as if you couldn’t trust me, the part where Hank was still alive. I would’ve shared that burden with you, I promise I would have, and I would have listened to your reasons.” Her hand ran across the walls as she walked around the room. “Did the lie grow so big it was too big to retract?”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she wondered if Gloria felt as if there was no turning back.
“I would have listened, tried to understand, and worked with you.” Tears rolled slowly down her cheeks as she spoke her goodbyes to the empty room. “I would have understood; I’m sure of it, the illness, the secrets, none of it matters. But I’d give anything in the world if you were with me now, anything, and I’m certain we would have worked through this mess together.”
Slapping herself on the forehead, she snapped herself out of the emotional downward spiral where she was headed. None of it mattered anyway. Her heart heavy and head pounding, she moved onto the next room. Entering her bedroom, her thoughts switched to memories of Cash and Lindsey sitting on the bed talking, music playing, and holding the conch shell against her ear in her bed when she couldn’t sleep.
“We had some good talks in here.” Cash laughed. “And, almost, well, you know.”
“Stop. Don’t say it!”
Hannah’s smile indicated that was a great day.
“When we’re ready, then.” Ruffling his hair as she walked past him, she added, “We’ll go there, that, you know.”
His eyes lit up. “The that, that, that, the BIG that?”
“Yeah, that,” she smiled. “When we’re ready.”
Pulling her toward him, she kissed him first, and he kissed her back. The past six months had been crazy; too many real-life tragedies going on in Hannah’s life for two teens to be themselves. One thing it had proven to Kathy, Hannah’s new guardian, was that Cash was sticking around, he did love her, and she was just as crazy about him. Would they last? Who knew? Time would tell, but they definitely had a solid foundation.
“I love you; you know that, and it’s when you’re ready, ’cause I’ll wait.”
Hannah’s face glowed, showing him how she felt without saying a word. Standing on her tippy toes to kiss him again, he picked her up as if she weighed nothing. They kissed for almost a moment too long, but long enough to know that they were head over heels in love with each other.
“I love you too. But you know what that means now, don’t ya?” Hannah grinned.
“What’s that?”
“You’ll have to get acquainted with the man behind bars.”
“Whoa. I forgot about that part, but for you, I can do it. In fact, for you, I could do just about anything!”
Chapter 38
Help
I don’t know where to begin
But I do know it could be life-changing.
Are you in?
<
br /> ~ Nigel ~
Nigel fidgeted nervously as he sat opposite his boss’s desk. Michael E. Daniels, Family Law. What was he supposed to say? I helped my nephew with a school project, took it further than it needed to go, and discovered a terrible injustice had been committed? Saying it in his head didn’t sound that bad; it was, after all, the truth. Jessica, the office administrator, stuck her head in.
“He’s on his way in. Did you need anything while you wait?”
“Nah. I could go back to my desk, but I’m afraid if I do that I’ll lose my nerve.”
“Something I can help you with?” she asked inquisitively.
He shook his head. “Not this time, but thanks.”
The one-attorney law firm was located in a mediocre part of town. Nigel had worked as a paralegal for Michael, Mr. Daniels, for four-and-a-half years now. He felt comfortable talking to him about most anything, but for some reason, this felt as if he was crossing the line of work-related and friendship boundaries. Nigel convinced himself that all Michael had to do was tell him he wasn’t interested. Or worse, that he was wasting his time. Either one of those statements would likely shut him down, at least for a while. What he hadn’t expected was Sandy’s cooperation and willingness to help. Her belief in justice was sincere, admirable, and Nathan would be so proud of her and the son he never met, Nate.
The door swung open and Nigel, lost in thought, jumped.
“Hey there, Nigel, what can I do you for?”
A disheveled Michael, with his friendly voice and happy persona, bounced into the room. Looking down at his shirt, he laughed.
“Don’t say a word! I’ve already heard it from Mary Beth. I grabbed one that hadn’t been pressed because I felt like wearing this color today. Purple. It feels like a purple kind of day!”
Nigel grinned. Purple it was.
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