by Kathi Barton
Chapter 6
North got home from the hospital just after ten in the morning. He was still sore and nursing a couple of sprains, but he was so happy to be there. Amy was in his bed, and he couldn’t have been any happier about that.
“Hello, handsome.” North grinned at her as he made his way deeper into the bedroom. “I made my way in here after everyone left. I thought about calling someone to come and help me, but it wasn’t too bad. The only trouble I had was knowing which side you slept on. I took the middle.”
“That’s a good place to be.” He took off his bloodied shirt. “My dad is going to have to spend the day at the hospital. We’d not realized he must have hit his head at some point. Wats found the wound on him when Dad complained about having a headache. He’s going to be all right, but Wats wanted to make sure he didn’t have anything more seriously wrong with him. How are you feeling?”
“Better now that you’re home.” He left on his boxers and climbed into the bed with her. It took them a few minutes to figure out a way for her to hold him without hurting until they finally settled down. “We sure do make a pair, don’t we?”
“Yes. I was thinking that on the way home. Wats dropped me off with instructions for me to rest with you. I don’t think that’s his normal prescription when he sends people home. Do you?” Amy laid her head on his chest, careful of the several cuts on his side and ribs. “Dad was telling me that he hadn’t noticed how badly he was banged up until he sat in here with you. He said it was difficult to maintain his manhood while talking to you.”
“He cried like a baby. It was both sad and funny at the same time. He has a spot in my heart for saving you for me.” North and Amy laughed. “I love that old man. Did he tell you I hit him?”
“Dad said you also hugged him, so to him, it balanced out. I love you, Amy.” She kissed him over his heart, and he felt the warmth of it all the way to his toes. “I think this is the first time we’ve been really alone since I met you. Usually, there are a dozen people vying for our attention.”
She had to get up to use the bathroom, and he helped her as best he could. It was iffy there for a few minutes when he sat her on the toilet. His nearly falling into the shower with her had him laughing so hard he almost fell on his ass. North realized he’d not laughed this much in all his life before she came into it.
The two of them were in bed again by noon. He gave Amy one of her pain pills—the almost spill had jarred her up a little. North took one of his too. Not that he couldn’t handle the pain right now, but he thought if he wasn’t fussing too much in his sleep about how uncomfortable he was, they both might rest better.
North woke to his cell phone ringing. The room was dark, and he was disoriented for a few seconds. It wasn’t until Amy turned on the bedside lamp that everything came rushing back at him. Sitting up in the bed, careful of both their wounds, North asked the caller to repeat what he’d said.
“Are you all right, son?” He knew the man wasn’t his father, so he told him he thought he was doing better. “It’s your Uncle Hank. I was wondering if you wanted to have some support in the morning for this hearing. I know with all the information we’ve gathered, it should be a slam dunk for Shelton. I thought I’d see if we could offer you support in being there. For you and Amy. We all sure do like that girl.”
“Yes, I’d love to have some support there. I have to be there at eight. I think the divorce decree is about eight-thirty. Then there will be a short question and answer session with Phoenix, Shelton’s daughter.” His uncle told him he had the itinerary in front of him. “Good. Amy isn’t going to be able to go. She is still having some trouble getting around. I’m sore myself, but I think getting a night of good sleep has helped us both.”
“I would imagine. I might have a way for Amy to join you in the courtroom. Remember a few years back when I went on a skiing trip with Penelope? I broke my leg. I hated skiing before—I positively loathed it after that. Anyway, I needed to get out of the house a bit each day, and someone in my firm knew a person— You don’t care about that part. Anyway, I have this incredibly compact wheelchair that elevates a person’s leg very well. Also, because it’s so small, it’s easy to get in and out of it if you need to.” He asked his uncle to repeat what he’d said after putting the phone on speaker so Amy could hear. “I can bring it over today if you want to get used to it. I’m not very graceful, but I had no trouble at all getting it to work for me.”
“I’d love that.” She looked at North when she spoke again. “Would you and the other uncles mind if I called you uncle like North does? I really have taken your family to my heart, and I would love to sort of adopt you as my uncles too.”
Hank was quiet for some time, so much so that North was afraid he’d hung up on them. But when he blew his nose and started talking, Amy held onto him as Uncle Hank spoke from his heart.
“Amy, you couldn’t have made this old man feel any more wanted and loved than you did right there. For a very long time, I wasn’t worthy of being called anything but bastard and asshole. Things have changed—I’ve changed. I’m even going to work on changing more. Yes, love, I would be very honored if you were to call me Uncle Hank. I can also tell you the others would be very touched if you did the same for them.” Uncle Hank blew his nose again. “Now, I have to get off here before I make a complete fool of myself. Well, more of one. I’ve cried a great deal over the last month. But this is, I’m thinking, the first time I’ve cried for joy. Thank you both for this.”
He hung up before either of them could tell him goodbye. North looked at Amy and decided that asking her to marry him wasn’t enough. He wanted her to know how very much he loved her.
“When all this started to peel apart, I had it in my head that I was never going to be a part of anything. Much less a loving family. Then I had a long talk with my dad, and we were, at best, working on a tentative relationship. The more time I spent with all of them—my uncles, my dad, and the other cousins—the more I realized that we were, for lack of a better term, fucked up.” She told him she loved him. “And I love you too. I want to tell you that since I’ve met you, fallen in love with you, my life couldn’t have been better. Even if you think about all the shit that has happened, you still love me enough to hold me in the middle of the night. To be a part of this family, one I thought I’d never want to be around again. I couldn’t have done this, taken enough steps to be a part of my family again, without you by my side. Amy, there just aren’t enough words in the world to even come close to telling you or showing you how very much I love you. And will for the rest of my life.”
“I love you so very much too.” They kissed again, and he laughed when his belly protested the fact that he’d not eaten in about twenty-four hours. “I’m thinking we should order us some dinner and laze around the house for a little while. You up for something to eat?”
“Yes.” She went to her side of the bed and pulled open the drawer of the nightstand again. “Abby was here after you guys left—she came to bring me some things to keep me from being starved. You would have died laughing at me trying to carry a bag of apples and some bottled water while trying to get into bed.” She handed him one of the apples and ate one too.
Getting up, he went to take a shower and thought of ways he could help Amy get one too. By the time he’d rigged up a chair in the stall and got her into the little room, he was ready for another nap. Just as he was pulling out his phone to order something, Mars and Abby showed up with big bags of what smelled like Chinese food. His belly growled so much he had a hard time covering it up and being made fun of.
While Abby helped Amy finish up with her shower, making sure she didn’t slip or anything, he and Mars fixed up a makeshift table and chairs. Uncle Hank brought the wheelchair over but wouldn’t stay for dinner. By the time Amy was refreshed as fuck, she said, they were all ready to eat.
They feasted. There was no other word for wh
at they did when all the little white boxes and the tins of food were spread out on the table. They picked off each other plates. North tried things he’d never had before. Mars and Amy had a little competition going on—who liked their food the hottest. Of course, Amy won, beating Mars with three more shakes of hot sauce than he could stand.
“I was in Turkey a few years ago. I found this little place called Plakasina Sicak—Hot to Your Plate. They had the most wonderful dishes. They also had this hot bar. I have some of the sauces I bought in storage. I’ll have to bring them home the next time I have to go there.” Mars asked her how many languages she spoke. “I never thought about it before. I mean, I can speak a great many of them enough to get myself around. But fluently? I think about a dozen.”
“That’s amazing. I can speak Spanish and a little Cantonese. Mostly the later one so I could order when I went to the restaurant that was close to where I worked.” Mars shook his head. “It’s hard to believe I’ve been out of work for a month and don’t miss a thing about it. I mean, I thought by now I’d be climbing the walls for something to keep me busy. But with all the businesses we’ve gotten and the other things we’re trying to do to help others, it’s like I’m busier now than I was working full time. But I do miss my mom.”
They talked about Holly for a few minutes. It wasn’t until Amy asked Mars how much he was worth that things got back to be silly. She seemed to understand it was painful for them to remember Holly.
“My worth is so huge I think it’s a dream sometimes. My mom, she was one smart nurse. And a good money manager as well.” Mars told her his worth. When she whistled, he winked at North. “How much are you worth, Amy? I know you’ve not taken a thing from your father in a while. He was telling me about that the other night. We looked you up on the Internet and didn’t find anything until Abby told us what you called yourself when you’re working. You have a very impressive portfolio.”
“I’ve been very lucky in finding something I love to do and getting paid for it. And you’re right. I’ve never taken anything from my parents. Not that I think I would have gotten anything, but I made my way in the world fairly easily.” She grinned at him before she answered his question. “While we’re not a multi-multi billionaire, North and I now have about three billion. I’ve invested well. Not on my own, but I’ve a good money management planner. We own properties in several countries that I frequent a lot. I’ve found it much easier to have my own digs while I’m working than to trust someone else with my equipment and darkroom.”
North just stared at her. He hadn’t known that. Not that it had ever come up, but he only assumed, wrongly as it turned out, that she was struggling. Amy certainly didn’t act like someone that— Well, for that matter, neither did Mars. And he had a great deal more than anyone he knew.
“Are you upset?” North asked her why she’d think that. “I don’t know. You have the strangest look on your face. Like you’ve swallowed a lemon or something. I didn’t keep it from you. I just never thought to mention it. You have money, too, right?”
“I do. Not enough for us to live on for the rest of our lives, but I could put a dent in it. You said we own them. Are you saying you’re going to keep me in a manner you’re used to? I don’t have a problem with it if that’s your plan.” She told him she would keep him no matter what amount was in their accounts. “Good. I can handle that. By the way, before the trial tomorrow, we’re getting married at the courthouse. We were supposed to be getting married today, but…well, you know why we’re not.”
“Perfect. I was thinking it should be sooner rather than later. Perhaps we can have sex soon too.” Mars spit water all the way across the room. It came from not just his mouth but his nose as well. Abby fussed at him about having the manners of a baby while she cleaned him up. “Abby, I think now would be a wonderful time to tell us something too.”
“You mean about me having a baby? Well, I’m not so sure now. Just look at this big ape. Spitting out food like he’s an infant. Though now that I think about it, do infants eat food? I don’t know. But I guess there is no turning back—”
“What did you say?” Abby looked at Mars and asked him which time. “The part where you said you were having a baby.”
“Why on earth would I have to repeat it if you heard?” Abby looked at North. “Do you see what I have to put up with, North? He’s forever doing this to me. Acting like a child. Making me repeat myself—”
“Abby Wilkerson.” That shut her up. “Are you going to have us a child? Are you now pregnant with said child?”
“You make things so romantic, Mars. But yes, I’m about four weeks along. About the time we first had sex. I’ll have to remember that in the future. You’re potent.” After they kissed, North asked her how she was feeling. “Really good, as a matter of fact. I’ve not seen a doctor as yet. I didn’t know if Wats would want to take on delivering one of his cousins’ children. It’s sort of scary for me too. I’ve not had a great deal to do with small kids.”
“Me either. I mean, I worked in a laboratory that was, for the most part, men. Not that there weren’t women scientists, but I think my boss at the time, Chris Blevins, didn’t have such a high opinion of women.” Mars seemed to realize he was going to be a father. “Good Christ, we’re having a baby.”
~*~
Fran didn’t understand a thing that was going on. Sure, she’d been caught by the police, but no one was dead, mores the pity. However, it was never her intention to kill anyone. She just wanted to rough up Amy’s soon to be husband. Better yet, paralyzing him would have been so much better. But she’d not, so why was she still in jail? She was going to find out as soon as she got to the courthouse.
Another thing she didn’t understand was why Phoenix had to ride in a second van. No wonder their taxes were so high. Not that she had a clue what they were, but she would bet they were more than most people’s in town. Mostly because she insisted that her home was the best. It never was, but she wanted that to happen someday.
They drove by the Wilkerson mansion on their way to the courthouse. There were trucks and vans parked all over the place, and she wondered about it. Asking the officer driving told her nothing. But then she noticed they were pulling out all the furniture and loading it into a van marked with Billings Antiques on the side of it.
“They’re getting rid of the furniture? Why? I bet that place has more antiques in it than most of an entire town does.” No comment from the front. When they stopped at the stop sign right in front of the old mansion, she could see into the house. “Christ, someone is taking the wallpaper down to the bare walls. What the hell is someone thinking with that shit?”
“Mr. Mars is moving in. After the death of his wife and the scandal with that, Mr. Clayton decided to give it to the rightful heir. Couldn’t have gone to a nicer man, either.” The other cop turned and looked at her. “You sort of remind me of Mrs. Eita Wilkerson. You two must be two peas from the same pod.”
“That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.” The woman laughed and told her it wasn’t meant to be a good thing. “Being compared to one of the nicest and most influential women in this town is a compliment in my book. Thank you for that.”
The rest of the ride was done in silence. Fran had never taken the time to look around her little town. She noticed a lot of old buildings in disrepair—a lot of cars sitting in yards with grass growing up around them. One of them had a tree growing right out of the window in the front. Sidewalks were buckled in places.
All in all, the place was a dump. Of course, this wasn’t her part of town. This was the part of town she rarely entered and never talked about. The closer they got to the courthouse, the more seediness she saw.
“Why don’t people take care of this sort of thing?” She didn’t expect an answer and was surprised when the officer told her a lot of people were out of work. “I don’t believe that. Some of these people look as i
f they’ve just rolled out of bed. It’s nearly two in the afternoon. What are they? Drunks? Dopers? It’s disgusting.”
“Some of these people worked at the basket plant for a lot of years. Now that it’s closed down, it’s difficult for them to find jobs. You’d know that if you were to get your head out of your butt and be a part of the town you live in. I’m betting when you want new clothing, it never occurs to you to buy locally.” Fran asked her why on earth she’d think that would be a good idea. “Because believe it or not, there are a lot of people here that are as talented if not more so than anyone in a larger city. You just think, like most rich, that if it’s expensive, it has to be the best.”
“Well, of course, that’s right. You pay for what you get. If something is cheap, it’s cheaply made. I don’t even know why others don’t know that. Surely you don’t pay second rate prices on the things you buy.” The officer told her she was on a budget. “Yes, well, my husband made more than enough money for me to never have to worry about things like that. My daughter and I had a lot of fun being the family of a rich man.”
“Don’t you have two daughters?” Fran glared at the woman. “Sure, you do. I’ve met her. Amy is a wonderful person. Did you know she’s getting married?”
“She is married—this morning. I was there picking up my assignments for today, and I saw them. Amy was a beautiful bride. All those Wilkerson men standing up for their cousin was a sight to behold. What I wouldn’t give to have a single date with one of those hunky men.” The driver, another female officer, looked at Fran in the rearview mirror. “Not that I think you’ll give a good fig, but Amy has a wonderful husband now and someone that will care for her for the rest of her life.”
“I have that too.” Both women snorted at her. “You’re referring, no doubt, to the rumors going around that Shelton is divorcing me. That’s not true. He loves me. Well, I don’t know if he actually ever loved me, but we’re used to things the way they’ve been. You’ll see. Once I’m out of jail, he’ll be there to pamper me to no end. He’s just been listening to things that Amy told him. That girl never liked me.”
