by Wood, Lauren
Numbness spread over me and I tried to call my parents, to talk them out of their plans, but I realized quickly that it wouldn’t matter. She wasn’t going to listen to me, because she didn’t have to. Maybe this was her chance at parenthood again. I don’t know what her problem was, but she was breaking my heart again.
After setting up an appointment to see a lawyer in the morning, I laid down and tried to get my mind off of all of the problems that were coming my way. As much as I wanted to believe that everything was going to be okay, I was starting to see that maybe that wasn’t the case.
Sleep never did come and if it did, it was such a short amount of time, that it was gone in a blink. It was only when I heard the door opening, that it all sunk in. I was going to have to tell Glenn about all of this. I had failed to keep Stephen safe. He was now with my parents, the king and queen of failed parenting. It didn’t make me feel good in the least bit.
“Liz? Are you home? Why is it so dark in here?”
I could hear him talking and only when he was in the hallway by the room, did I say anything. “I’m in here.”
“What are you doing in here? Are you okay? The lights are off and there is no dinner made. I mean, I don’t care if you didn’t cook, but you always do. Are you feeling alright?”
He was so worried about me and I don’t know why, but it made me burst into tears even more than before. He was so sweet and kind and caring and I had messed everything up. What if he didn’t forgive me? I saw him with Stephen, and I knew how much he cared about him. He was family, but in another way.
“Sit down Glenn, we have to talk.”
“I don’t like the sound of that.”
“And with good reason.”
“Now you’re starting to scare me.”
“I don’t want to do that, but I have some really bad news to tell you. I don’t know how to say it in a way that’s going to be easier to take, so I am just going to say it.”
“Wait, where is Stephen? He shouldn’t be sleeping right now. Is he okay? Is he sick?”
I could see the panic in his face, and I could hear it in his voice. I wanted to calm him down and tell him that everything was going to be okay, but at the same time, I didn’t want to lie to him either. He had been the one to give me bad news not so long ago and now I was the one that was going to have to do it this time. It was not a task that I was looking forward to at all.
Chapter 22
Glenn
My mind was shifted very quickly after I got home. One minute, I was thinking that I was going to have some time to take the woman that I’d fallen for. It was all I could think about at work and even Claudia couldn’t put me in a bad mood. Everything was rainbows and daisies my way, even though that was not usually how I was at all. I was usually the jerk, but not today. Today, I was light as a feather.
Then I got home, and it wasn’t as full as when I’d left it. The baby was gone, and our little happy family had been broken up. It was bad enough that it happened, but worst yet when I realized that it was her own family that was doing it to her. It really was a shame.
“So, what are we going to do?”
“I don’t know. I guess I will meet with my attorney in the morning and we will figure something out. I can bring in all of the people from the christening that saw the ritual. It’s not binding legally, but it shows that it was their wishes. It might get rough, because they are going to bring up my past.”
“I know for a fact that you can’t have much of a past Liz. I mean, come on. You were a virgin when we got together.”
“Why is that synonymous with being bad or good? I got into quite a bit of trouble that my parents made disappear. A few drunk driving, once I hit someone. They were okay, but still. I had one too many drinks, many times and that resulted in doing stupid things. I was in a rebellious stage, I guess. They still think that I’m like that, but everything has changed. I know that you felt the same way. You told me all the time.”
I had said that very thing. She was a bit too much all of the time and I’d said before that she was spoiled. Liz was not that way at all now. She took good care of the baby and she didn’t deserve it.
“I have a lawyer. We will use mine. He is good and he’s on retainer.”
“Why do you have one on retainer?”
“It’s better that way. The type of surgeries I do, it’s better for any malpractice suits of any kind.”
“Have you used him before?”
“No, but a good friend has, and I am confident that he will be able to help us.”
“I’m sorry Glenn.”
“Why are you sorry? I should be the one saying that. I can’t imagine how you feel right now.”
“I feel like crap, if I am going to be perfectly honest with you. I never knew I wanted to be a mom and then I did. Now I feel like a part of me is missing.”
I could see it in her face. Her heart was breaking and mine was breaking right along with hers. I held her for a while, kissing her hair, trying to soothe her.
“It’s going to be okay Liz. We’re going to figure something out.”
“What if we don’t get him back?”
I wasn’t even ready to think about such a thing and I didn’t want her to either. I wanted her to understand that things weren’t near as good as they could be, but they could always be worse.
“Latica and Mario wanted us to raise their son if something happened to them. It’s not only you that needs to go to court to fight this. It’s both of us.”
“How are you going to take off all of that time? It’s not going to be easy. My parents have far too much money and time on their hands now.”
“Well, we have got to hope that sense prevails.”
“What if it doesn’t?”
“We will worry about that when we get there.”
“Will there still be a we?”
“Why would you ask that?”
“Because we’re all together because of their death. We are here, together, because of Stephen. What happens if all of that changes?”
I didn’t want to think about that. Losing Stephen or Liz was not an option. I wasn’t even going to entertain the thought at all. I couldn’t. It would bother me far too much.
“It’s not going to change. We are going to get him back. We’re stable and we are what the parents wanted. Their wishes has to have some legal basis in court. I wish they had a will or something like that.”
“I don’t know why they wouldn’t. The way that Latica was, she wouldn’t have left anything to chance.”
“Then that’s what we need to do. We need to figure out where the will is, if they have one or what lawyer they used. We’ve been so wrapped up in everything else, we need to get our house in order. This is going to work out, you’ll see.”
“I wish I was as positive and confident as you are.”
I smiled at her. “Sometimes you’ve got to fake it, until you make it.”
“I don’t want to fake it Glenn. I want everything back to the way it was, before Mario and Latica got in the wreck and everything got complicated.”
I knew what she meant, but I still felt a sting from her words. If none of that would have happened, we never would have gotten closer, and I can’t say that I liked the idea of that at all. I’d wanted her badly and the more I tried to understand her, the harder it became for me to do so.
“I know what you mean Liz. Life has certainly changed. But I am happy here, with you and Stephen. I want to get back to that and our family here.”
“I like when you call us that.”
“What?”
“A family.”
“Well, that’s what we are Liz. This is our little family and I will do whatever it takes, to make sure that nothing happens to disturb that. We will get Stephen back and soon, don’t worry about that.”
She snuggled up against me and a wave of protection filled me. I never wanted to see her so upset again. I didn’t know how yet, but I was going to make sure that everyt
hing worked out the way we wanted it to. I had to. Liz looked to me for answers and while I liked the gesture that she trusted me, there was also a huge part of me that worried I would somehow mess this all up for her and me. I didn’t want to believe it to be true, but I couldn’t lie to myself anymore.
It was hard enough, lying to Liz.
Chapter 23
Liz
I tried again to talk sense into my family, before we had our first court date. I didn’t want to fight with them, and it wasn’t like I wouldn’t let them see Stephen. I would always let them see him, but they didn’t want that. I don’t know what they wanted. They didn’t want to raise him. Mario and I were raised by nannies and I didn’t see any of that changing. I don’t know what this was about, but mom said she wanted another chance. It was said like we had been so messed up, that now she was trashing me and going to try again with Stephen.
My father was a little easier to understand. He wanted a son, or a boy with his DNA to leave his empire to. I knew a lot about his business when I was younger, learned everything that I could, but he was never interested in how smart I was. It was always Mario that was going to take over.
It was Mario that was groomed, and I was only there. He’d told me more than once, that he wanted another boy. Now that Mario was gone, Stephen was his only option. But my mother, that was harder to swallow.
Glenn was there for me, while I tried to figure it out. He went to the meetings with the lawyers and everything that I asked of him, he did without hesitation. We hadn’t gotten physical again, but we had shared the same bed since they took him. It was a comfort for him to be so close, even if we weren’t doing anything, but laying there in each other’s arms. It was certainly enough for me.
When the time for court came, Glenn was next to me as well. When it was brought up how my past had been, he didn’t even flinch. I am sure that it was a lot for him to take. I didn’t seem that sort of girl, but a long time ago, danger was always fun for me. I wanted to believe that there was nothing that I could do about it, but now I knew that there was. I hadn’t had a reason to change. That had been the problem. The rest of it was all in the past now.
Glenn looked like the model citizen. He’d lived a good life, never got in trouble and he was the one that added the stability to the situation. I wanted to think that we would get Stephen back that first time, but then I realized that things weren’t going as planned. We had another date, with a lot of things to do in between. We were getting there, but I wasn’t going to rest, until we had our family back together.
“This is just the first date. It’s okay.”
“I know. I thought that we would have gotten him back. We had all of our ducks in a row, testimony from over twenty people that were at the christening. I don’t know why that wasn’t heard today.”
“More of your optimism?”
“Something like that. I think we need to put more effort into tracking down your brother’s will. It has to be around here somewhere. I found out who the lawyer is, maybe he will have an idea.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
He smiled at me and kissed me. Glenn made me feel special, like I was the only one, but I knew that it was going to work out. It had to. We were going to get our family back, sooner rather than later I hoped. I did better with all of them around me.
It was a long weekend of tracking down Mario’s lawyer. He didn’t have a copy of the will but knew that the couple had been working on one. There had to be something at the house, because the lawyer had given them some paperwork to fill out. I was convinced that we would find this paperwork, and everything would work out.
The lawyer also suggested what ours had not. He suggested that we get married, so that we would look even more stable, especially because of my past. If they thought that Glenn was a permanent fixture, then they would trust that Stephen would be even better off. It would look good to the courts. I wasn’t really considering it, but I was starting to think that maybe it would be a good idea. Glenn seemed to think so.
“So, you’re telling me that you would marry me?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I? Any man would be more than lucky to be with you. You have everything that a man could ever want and then some Liz. You have to know that. I was your first and I would love to be your last.”
His words made me blush. We had been together through this tragedy and he hadn’t even brought it up. Our encounter had certainly been on my mind, but he hadn’t even tried to make a move. With everything swirling in the air, the unknown far closer than I would like it to be, I was starting to think that now was the perfect time for that sort of thing. We both needed to take our minds off of things, I know that I certainly did.
I wound my arms around his neck. “You know, that is sweet to say, but I want a real marriage, not one in name only to make the lawyers and a judge feel good about this. I don’t want to promise forever to someone.”
“I never said that would be the case, did I?”
“No, no I guess you did not.”
“If we get married Liz, it’s because we’re in love. Are you going to tell me that us don’t feel what is going on between us?”
I wanted to deny it, but he knew that I couldn’t and that was why he had this smug look on his face. He knew that I was hooked, but I also knew that he was as well. Was it really so bad to fall in love, when the other person loved me just as much?
“You know that I love you Glenn. I never would have slept with you, if I didn’t.”
He grinned at me and pulled me in for a kiss. It was the sort of kiss that I had been waiting on. It was the kind of kiss that left me breathless and before long, I was trying my best to pull him into the bedroom with me.
“Where are you taking me?”
“To bed.”
“It’s still early. Are you tired?”
I shook my head that I wasn’t tired, not in the least bit. I wanted to believe that something was going to happen when we got there, I needed it to happen.
“I am not looking to sleep Glenn. I think it’s been long enough.”
“Since what?”
“Since you put your hands and mouth on me. I want you to please me Glenn. You’re so good at it and I need to get my mind off of this.”
He grinned widely. “I thought you’d never ask.”
I would have asked sooner, if I knew I was supposed to. Why was relationships and all of this so complicated?
Chapter 24
Glenn
“I know that you have a lot going on Glenn, but you have to get to work.”
“I can’t. I have court for the next couple of days. I would not ask this of you, if I had another choice. You know that I always work when I am needed and take on more surgeries than anyone else pro-bono for your hospital.”
“Yes, but when you don’t come in on your shift, then we have to bring in and pay double other doctors. I have to have a neurologist on call at all times. If you’re not here, trauma can’t come here. You know how this works. This isn’t something that I want to do Glenn, but I need someone that is going to be here.”
I was a bit shocked that Bill was taking such a hard road on it. I needed a few more days. Granted, I had missed a few days that I worked at the hospital, but that shouldn’t be a reason to kick me out altogether. It would take time to get another association with another hospital. This was a bigger pain than I could have imagined. It wasn’t that I had a choice. I couldn’t lose Stephen and I didn’t want to let Liz do it on her own. It wasn’t right.
“What are you going to do then, just hire someone else?”
“Yes, we have been looking at resumes. I knew that this was going to happen, as soon as you told me about the kid.”
That pissed me off, but I knew that it wasn’t going to be directed at him. It wasn’t his fault. I knew the drill and I had put him in a tight spot recently, several actually, so I could understand why he would feel the way he did. But it didn’t mean that I had to like it.
&
nbsp; “Well Bill, I don’t regret it. If I have to lose this post and hospital, I will find another. I have an impeccable reputation.”
“I agree, but we need a surgeon. It’s law.”
“I know. Well, then I guess that will be the last time I work here. It was good to work with you Bill.”
It wasn’t and when I shook his hand, I went a little heavier on the grip than I would have done, but that was the only way I could show my complete displeasure in the whole situation. I don’t know what was going on, but I did know that this was another blow.
I wasn’t going to let it get to me. I wasn’t going to let it ruin my day. I had to be there for Liz, so I was going to have to stuff down those other feelings for now. I would worry about my career later. Family came first.
“You’re late.”
“Yeah sorry. I had something to take care of at work. It’s no big deal, but I’m sorry that I am late. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, but here, right now.”
She smiled at me and me and I knew then that I had made the right choice. I would open a practice in a hut somewhere if I had to. I never wanted to leave Liz’s side again. When she kissed me, there was a moment that I forgot that we were in the courthouse. It wasn’t the place for such displays of affection, but considering why we were here, maybe it would make sense that we would be this way. We were here to get married after all.
“Are you sure about this? I mean, I know that you say you love me and everything, but marriage? Is it a bit too much? We haven’t really known each other that long.”
I waved her off. I knew why she was nervous, hell I was as well. The last thing that I thought I would worry about, was ever getting married, but now it seemed like the easiest decision that I could come up with. There was nothing else that mattered at the moment.
