September 20th started out beautiful. Millie and Danny were up super early to make a special breakfast as it was Sasha’s 18th birthday. On his plate was the key to his present – Danny’s old Jeep. The only reason they were giving it to him was because Millie heard Jack say to Penny during Sasha’s 17th birthday dinner that he wanted to give Sasha a car for his 18th. It wasn’t to be a new car but he wanted Sasha to have that American tradition. Sasha would need to pay for his insurance with money he earned as a math and science tutor and his job as a clerk at Barnes and Noble. He’d just started the job a week earlier. Millie was hesitant to let him work but Sasha wanted the added responsibility even though he was busy with school and sports. He might not be happy soon to know part of his earnings would now go towards car insurance.
Breakfast was homemade waffles with syrup, fake bacon, and lots of fresh cut fruit. Although he would get the car now, the rest of his gifts would come at his birthday dinner.
As Millie warmed up the maple syrup with a very sick stomach, the upstairs kids came clamoring down the back steps and the downstairs kids – Sasha and Leo – made their appearance. All his siblings wished Sasha a happy birthday and Millie pulled him into a huge hug, one armed hug while still holding Little Sofie’s hand.
“Papa should be here,” she whispered to him and tried to hold onto her emotions.
“He’s here and that’s what matters,” Sasha replied and touched his heart. Millie had to excuse herself to the first floor powder room to first dry heave into the toilet and then cry for ten minutes while Little Sofie screamed in the kitchen.
She got herself under control, picked up Little Sofie and saw the kids off. Melanie helped her clean up and fill the dishwasher before heading to Dr. Shelly’s office. The house was quiet except for the dishwasher noise and Millie sat at the kitchen table with some apple juice and dry toast. Little Sofie stood next to her with her little hand tucked in the crook of Millie’s arm. Little Sofie had voiced a squeaky happy birthday earlier to Sasha and nearly sent Millie into another crying fit.
As Little Sofie leaned against her, Millie nibbled at her toast and sipped at her juice. Matty was running some errands and the quiet of the house calmed her nerves slightly. She couldn’t believe eighteen years had passed since that night in the rocking chair when Jack called and let them know it was a boy and girl. Today wasn’t just Sasha’s birthday; it was also Ellie’s.
“Shall we go say happy birthday to Ellie?” she asked Little Sofie. Her niece slowly nodded and they went up to Jack’s closet where she had put Ellie’s quilt the day Crystal threw all of Penny’s things away. Millie had to actually save the quilt as Crystal wanted that gone also but there was no way Millie was going to allow that.
She spread the quilt down next to the white garden. A nearby weeping willow tree provided a little shade but not too much so all the beautiful white flowers were able to grow. She settled herself down with Little Sofie next to her. Closing her eyes, she spoke the mourner’s kaddish quietly. It wasn’t the right protocol for saying the prayer but sometimes Millie did her Judaism her way. When she was finished, a sense of peace filled her.
Chapter 31
Rosh Hashanah had been over for a couple hours but there was nothing sweet as the Jewish New Year began. Danny watched as Millie sank to her knees. She was near hysterics and he wasn’t far behind her. Matty crouched down next to Millie and collected her in his arms and Danny felt Melanie put hers around him. He was shaking but feeling the comforting arms of his wife wasn’t helping.
“We don’t know if it means anything,” Agent Reynolds said.
“They could just be doing this to hurt you,” added Agent McLey.
Danny heard the words the agents spoke but they meant nothing to him. The only thing that mattered was that it was a few minutes after midnight. October had officially begun and no video was released from the kidnappers during the month of September.
“Oh, God!” Millie cried in Matty’s arms. “What if they killed him? What if he died from when he was so sick?”
“We are going to make another attempt at contacting the kidnappers,” Agent McLey said. “We’re going to use the previous email addresses the videos were sent from and see if we can get any response.”
“The other choice we have is for Crystal or you two to make a televised plea. I know Crystal will probably jump at that chance but I think it would be better if his siblings made a statement or an appearance. You two are the heart of this family; let the kidnappers see that. Maybe it was wrong not to ask you to make a statement earlier but we thought Crystal had that covered,” Reynolds explained. “But she made it about her and not about the family.”
“But it may be time for you two,” said McLey. “Crystal is too superficial. Like Betsy said, you are this family’s heart.” Danny’s brain finally engaged.
“We can’t make that decision right now,” he said. His voice was flat.
“Of course, Danny,” said Bob. “We will wait for you to contact us.”
“And I’m sure we don’t need to tell you but the media will be all over this as day breaks,” Agent Reynolds said. “We’re going to add a security unit at the entrances to the neighborhood as we expect more attempts by the paparazzi to get to you. Plus, with this development of no video, we want to make sure you are all safe. It’s the weekend. Do the kids have a lot of activities?”
“Can we just get back to you?” Danny asked. He knew he was coming across rude but for the moment, he just wanted to be alone with Millie and their significant others.
“Of course, Danny,” Agent Reynolds replied. “Come on, Bob. Let’s leave them alone. Danny, Millie just give us a call when you are ready.” The agents left. Millie broke down completely. She was still on the floor with Matty holding her. She was having a hard time breathing as she cried. Matty spoke to her in soft words. Danny knew his sister was in good hands. His legs felt unsure beneath him and he stumbled to a chair around the table in the conference room. It was the worst moment of the kidnapping yet.
. . .
None of the adults slept and when the kids wandered down for breakfast, they were quiet. They knew a video was supposed to be released in September but now it was October 1st. None of them said anything, just ate their pancakes quietly. Sasha was the only one who said anything the night before and that was when the four adults walked back into the house from the studio after the FBI agents left. Little Sofie, who had progressed to the point of where she could be separated from the adults for a few minutes, was still up so he was reading to her while his aunt and uncle talked with those in charge of the investigation.
“We have no idea what it means,” Danny told his nephew in a shaky voice, repeating basically what Agent Reynolds said. “Thank you for sitting with Little Sofie. I know it will be hard but run off to bed, okay?” Sasha had obeyed without question and the four adults sat in the family room without talking. They needed to talk, to formulate some sort of plan, but the shock of having no video forced the silence. As the sun came up and Matty started a third pot of coffee, the decision was made. Danny and Millie would, for the first time, get in front of the camera in regards to the kidnapping. They didn’t want to just make a statement where they begged the kidnappers to let their brother go. They wanted something more relevant and it was Danny’s idea to turn to Oprah again. She had done a beautiful job with Jack when he decided to break his silence about the accident and based on that, Matty thought she would be the perfect person to conduct the interview. As soon as the day was going with the kids, Danny would call Owen Hunter, the band’s publicist, to set the interview up. Crystal would probably be angry with them but Danny didn’t care. They were doing this for Jack and Penny and would not accept a single cent for the interview, unlike Crystal.
Matty and Danny made th
e pancakes for breakfast while Melanie, Millie and Little Sofie were holed up in Jack’s study going over the weekend schedule. Little Sofie was very clingy that morning and only wanted Millie. Everyone was worried with this new development, Little Sofie might retreat. Danny knew it was a busy weekend for the kids and they had to decide what to still allow the kids to do. They didn’t want to ban the kids from doing anything – they wanted the kids to have something to occupy them and keep their thoughts away from the video development – but they also wanted the kids to be safe.
“Anyone need more pancakes?” Danny asked, forcing his voice to be lively as Sasha signed for him for Leo. None of the kids, however, asked for seconds which was not normal. Danny sighed and set the platter of pancakes down on the table. “Okay, let’s talk about this,” he said and signed and sat down next to Natalya.
“There was no video,” Leo signed. “There should have been a video in September but there wasn’t. Why?”
“The FBI doesn’t know,” replied Danny. Karie wept and Sasha moved over to her to hug her. The action misted up Danny’s eyes.
“Did something bad happen to Papa?” asked Annie. It was a question Danny knew would be asked but he had hoped very hard wouldn’t be. After all, it was the same question that was on the adults’ minds.
“There is nothing to indicate something bad has happened to Papa,” Danny said, his words low to try to control his emotion. He looked at the faces of his nieces and nephews and all he could see was Jack and even Penny with everyone’s dark brown hair. They were looking to him for answers and answers were just something he did not have. He had to give them something; they needed to be comforted and as always, he was honest. He chose to give the kids a possibility for no video even though he had no idea if it was the truth though. It would give them something. “The people who took Penny and Papa are not nice people. Maybe they are doing this to hurt Papa here,” he said and motioned to his heart. “The kidnappers know we are waiting for a video and they chose not to have Papa make one which would worry us.”
“So they may be doing this on purpose?” signed Leo.
“Yes, to not only hurt Papa but us,” Sasha added. “But we’re stronger than they are. We can’t let them get to us. We have to stay strong together and show the kidnappers and anyone else who might be looking that we can’t be broken.”
. . .
Millie’s head pounded and she had to rub her forehead to try to relieve the stress this new situation caused. Her stomach, which had been better the last week or so, was in knots and her focus was not where it should be and that was figuring the weekend out. For an hour she and Melanie sat at Jack’s desk trying to figure out if they should just cancel all the kids’ activities or pick and choose which ones would be the safest. That wouldn’t be fair, though. If they told Leo he couldn’t play in the soccer game because that was out in the open but Annie could attend her friend’s birthday party at the friend’s house then that wasn’t fair to Leo. And Sasha had a date with Lauren Cohen that night, only their second date. If Millie and Danny told Sasha he couldn’t go out, that wasn’t fair to either Sasha or Lauren. Sasha was now eighteen. Technically, they couldn’t stop him if he defied them but in all honestly, Sasha wouldn’t defy them. He just wasn’t that way.
“You need coffee,” Melanie decided and left the room.
“I need vodka,” Millie noted and for the first time, she regretted tossing the tiny bottle she hid in her room. Penny’s voice suddenly popped in her mind. You don’t need any of that. Just trust yourself. Those were the words spoken by Penny in the aftermath of the accident. Penny had just had the first of several back surgeries and Millie was visiting her for the first time. She felt bad because there was Penny lying in a hospital bed with no feeling below the waist and Millie was crying her eyes out because she was afraid she couldn’t be strong enough to deal with everything after the accident. Even when she was in noticeable pain, Penny was still parenting.
Little Sofie leaned against Millie. She was standing next to the desk chair and looking up at Millie with her usual scared eyes. Millie had no idea what to say to her and leaned back in the leather chair. Her left hand, the one not being held by Little Sofie, went to her baby bump. She had one while Melanie still didn’t look pregnant. They were both roughly the same body type and size and the joke over the last week was that Millie was carrying twins because she was noticeably bigger than Melanie. As the week wore on, this started to become less of a joke and more of a nervous wait. Her first sonogram was scheduled for Monday and they would know then if there would be two new Petrovs or three.
Millie took a deep breath and focused on the family calendar. It was a busy Saturday for all and she wrote down what each child was scheduled for to help her focus more.
Sashawork 9am to 1pm – B&N date with Lauren – dinner, movie
Natalyasleepover @ Becca’s (drop off 5pm)
Karieart class @ 10am sleepover @ Shana’s (drop off 3pm)
Leosoccer game @ 2:00pm
Marshall’s birthday party/sleepover
AnnieStephanie’s birthday party @ 3:00pm
Little Sofieplay therapy @ 10:00am
Danny/Melaniedinner party @ 7:00pm
Millie/Mattypizza, movie @ home w/ Little Sofie & Annie
Despite Little Sofie’s progress over the last month, Dr. Abraham advised Millie and Danny to keep her in the play therapy group. He believed it was this time spent with other adults and kids like her that helped her be able to be separated from Millie at least at home. Half the kids were scheduled for sleepovers that night and although Millie and Danny trusted the families, in light of what was going on, Millie wasn’t sure if the kids should be away. And should they force their stress onto those innocent families? She sighed. In keeping the kids safe, she would be angering them. Although they all understood the seriousness of the kidnapping, they were still kids and needed to be kids. They just needed to be really, really safe.
“I don’t know what to do,” she said to Little Sofie. The little girl climb up onto Millie’s lap and looked at Jack’s desk. She shuffled Teddy and the picture, which still had to be on her person all the time along with the bracelet, to her left arm and reached forward towards the only picture on Jack’s deck. It was a professional picture taken three months before the kidnapping. Jack didn’t often bring in a photographer to take pictures with him in them since his career required him to have professional shots done often but he thought it would be nice to have a family picture taken before things turned hectic with his return to music. He hired Tracy, Carlos’s wife, to take the photos. She was the official photographer of the Petrov family photos and had been taking them since the family moved down to South Jersey and Crystal wanted yearly portraits taken of the kids. She was a darn good photographer; better than some of the professionals the band encountered over the years. Crystal never wanted pictures of Millie taken but Jack insisted. Millie hated the sessions but only did them because they irritated Crystal.
This photo was of the whole family. There was Jack, Crystal, all the kids, and Danny along with Melanie, who had accepted Danny’s proposal the previous February. Jack insisted on Melanie being in the photo since she was practically family with the engagement. Jack and Crystal were sitting on a couple tree stumps on the edge of the woods that surrounded the backyard. Leo was kneeling in between them as Sasha flanked Crystal and Natalya, who refused to smile, stood next to Jack. Each teen had a hand on their parents’ shoulder. Millie stood behind Jack while Danny and Melanie stood behind Crystal. Little Sofie sat cross-legged in front of Leo and on either side of her were Annie and Karie. Everyone but Natalya smiled but as Millie looked closer at the picture, she could see Jack’s smile was forced. He and Crystal barely spoke that morning and when the last picture had been snapped, she left without saying a
word and returned to Atlantic City.
Little Sofie took her finger and tapped Jack’s face. “Papa,” she said and then tapped Penny’s face. “Pwetty Penny.”
“That’s right,” Millie replied and pointed to everyone else in the picture and Little Sofie said their names. She did not tap Crystal’s face and Little Sofie didn’t seem to mind.
“Mel said you needed coffee,” Danny said as he walked in with two mugs.
“Thank you,” she said and took one of them as her brother sat in the side chair Melanie had pulled over to help with the calendar. He pulled Little Sofie over to his lap.
“How is my peanut this morning?” he asked and booped her nose. Little Sofie smiled a little.
“Hungwy,” she replied. Millie wasn’t surprised. She refused to eat any of the Rosh Hashanah meal or breakfast and she would only let Millie give her half of a shake through her tummy button before bedtime last night. Neither Dr. Abraham nor Dr. Shelly knew why her eating was worse now she was coming out of her silence.
“There’s still several pancakes left over from breakfast including a Little Sofie sized one,” Danny said. “And Aunt Melanie was wondering if you’d like to sit next to her while she eats her Aunt Melanie sized pancake.” Little Sofie gave her uncle a cute little look.
“Thewe’s an Aunt Melanie sized pannycake?” she asked in all seriousness.
“Yup, and it’s special. Do you want to know why?” Little Sofie nodded. She was mesmerized.
“Because the Aunt Melanie sized pannycake comes with a teeny tiny pannycake,” he explained.
“Fow the baby?”
“Yes! You are so smart, Little Sofie!” Millie smiled and fought back tears as Little Sofie shyly smiled and her little cheeks blushed. “Do you want me to take you to the kitchen so you can eat your pancake and keep Aunt Melanie company as she eats hers?”
Aftermath (The Deceptions Trilogy Book 2) Page 34
