Unions Divided
"Come on, Son, time to go." Patrick looked away from his father's eyes, unable to hold the steady blue gaze. "You can say your good-byes."
He turned and left the attic, heading downstairs to the living room where Emily waited. She'd shed her raincoat and scarf, leaving her clad in a dark blue turtleneck sweater and black jeans, her curls gleaming pale gold in the firelight as she stood in front of the fireplace. As he moved closer, he saw that she wasn't merely warming her hands in the warmth from the fire, but looking at the framed photos on the mantelpiece. Most of them were of Ben, but almost hidden by the others was their wedding portrait. He hadn't had the heart to take it down because Emily looked so beautiful and happy in it.
Patrick must have made some noise as he entered the room, because she put down the picture she'd been looking at and turned to him, frowning when she saw that he was alone. "Where's Ben?"
"Saying good-bye to Dad," he told her, stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets to keep from reaching out to her. She was still beautiful, but cold now, at least to him.
"Oh." There was a wealth of meaning in that single word and Patrick hid a flinch. He just knew his father was in for a tongue-lashing when Emily saw him.
Emily turned and sat down on the settee, folding her hands together in her lap. Not quite sure what to do with himself, Patrick wandered over to the fireplace; trying to figure out which of the photos his soon-to-be-ex-wife had been looking at. He felt his throat close up when he saw that their wedding picture was the one out of place. He couldn't help wondering if that meant she regretted going through with the divorce. Before he could think of a way to ask that didn't hint at his own feelings on the matter, Ben arrived with his grandfather right behind him. "Hi, Mom!"
"Hello, Sweetheart." Emily smiled as she got to her feet in time to catch Ben in a warm hug, smiling fondly. "Are you ready to go?"
Ben nodded vigorously, his face almost glowing with delight. "Yep! I'll go get my bag!"
He darted out of the room before anyone could say anything. Patrick watched the smile fade from Emily's face as she glared at John Adams Gates from across the room. "You told him about that bloody treasure, didn't you?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did." The calm, benevolent expression had disappeared from John's face as quickly as Emily's smile.
"I won't have my son's head filled with fantastic stories of lost treasure," Emily almost snarled at her former father-in-law, stalking towards him, unmindful of the fact that he was at least half a foot taller than her. "It's bad enough that Patrick's wasted his life on that treasure. I won't see Ben waste his!"
John drew himself up to his full height, radiating authority and righteous anger as he made his retort, "And I won't see my grandson grow up ignorant of his family's legacy. No matter what the academics and scholars may say, that treasure does exist and we'll find it, even if it takes our family another two hundred years."
"Yes, and be laughed at by respectable society in the process," Emily retorted, more than anger in her expression.
A clatter of footsteps announced Ben's return and the two combatants drew apart, their anger fading as quickly as it had appeared. "I'm ready, Mom!"
"Is your raincoat in the closet?" Emily asked, smoothing Ben's hair back from his face lovingly.
As he watched her fuss over their son, Patrick felt a surge of jealousy. She used to fuss over him in much the same manner, though the love behind it hadn't been remotely maternal. Then their marriage grew strained and the fussing disappeared. Now they hardly even touched.
"Say good-bye to your father, Sweetheart, and we'll go." Emily kissed Ben's forehead and gently pushed him towards Patrick.
Ben looked up at his father with solemn blue-gray eyes, holding his arms open. "I'll be good, Dad. I always am."
"I know, Son." Patrick crouched and wrapped his son up in a tight hug. He didn't like how Ben had to spend time with each of his parents in turn, but Emily clearly hadn't changed her mind about the divorce. At least she still wanted to be a part of Ben's life. "I'll miss you."
The dark head burrowed into the crook of Patrick's neck, the whisper for his ears alone. "I wish we could be a proper family."
"You and me both, Son," he whispered back, kissing the top of his head.
Reluctantly, he released Ben and watched as he and Emily disappeared into the entryway. John crossed the room to stand by Patrick's side as they listened to the sounds of Emily helping Ben into his raincoat and the front door opening and closing. Afterwards, John sighed, "What did you ever see in her, Patrick? She doesn't--"
"Stop it, Dad." Patrick sighed wearily. How could he explain to his father that Emily completed him in a way that no other woman ever had, nor would? "I'm going to bed now."
He was at the foot of the stairs when his father's voice stopped him in his tracks. "Why did you give up the hunt?"
"I don't have the heart for it, Dad," he answered in a low voice, not looking at him. "Not anymore."
Without another word, he continued upstairs to his room. He changed for bed and climbed under the covers. Once there, though, he remained awake for a long time, watching the rain streak down the window. If he looked at it just right, it looked like the window was crying. Eventually, he fell asleep, his thumb absently rubbing the wedding band he now wore on his right hand.
End