Young Hero written by Sammy
Casey ran outside to the garage, the small basketball under her arm. She adjusted her hat a final time and then dropped the ball on the ground. The 4-year old girl looked up at the hoop. She could barely reach the edges with her hands. She looked up at the hoop. What was it she had been told? Look at the hoop and throw the ball. She picked the ball up, lifting it in the air. She aimed at the hoop and threw the ball. Parfait! It landed right inside the hoop.
"Yes!" she yelled.
She picked the ball up, unaware that someone was watching her from the street. She threw the ball once more and again it landed right in the hoop. Suddenly she heard someone clapping his hands behind her. She turned and saw a stranger standing opposite her. He smiled at her.
"That was very good. You're a natural talent." he said, bending down to Casey.
"Thank you." Casey replied reluctantly. She knew her parents always had told her not to talk to strangers.
"Where's your daddy?" the stranger inquired, smiling at her.
"At work."
"And your mommy?" the stranger asked further.
Casey turned her head and pointed at the house.
"In there. She's cooking dinner for us."
"I think I can guess your name. Shall I give it a try?"
"No, you can't." Casey giggled.
"You're Christopher, right?"
Casey shook her head wildly, "Wrong. That's my brother. I am Casey. Who are you, mister?"
"An old friend of your mother's."
Suddenly they both heard Rita calling for Casey. Dinner was almost ready and the girls needed to take a bath before dinner.
"I have to go. Bye."
Casey waved her hand at the stranger while running into the house. She found her mother waiting in the kitchen for her.
"Young lady, I told you that you have to take a bath before dinner. You can't just take off to play basketball."
"Mommy, I met an old friend of yours." she smiled, putting down the basketball.
"Who? And where?"
"Outside. He didn't tell me his name. Look, there he is!"
Casey pointed at the door in the kitchen that lead to the backyard. A knock was heard as a friendly smiling man appeared.
"May I come in?" he asked upon opening the door.
Rita froze. How could he dare! How could he dare come here! She had told him to stay out of her life more than once.
"Eric, what... ?!" she exclaimed.
"Oh, you won't get rid of me so easy, little Miss Rita. And it's nice to see you as well."
Eric closed the door behind him and walked into the kitchen. He smiled at Casey, who smiled back.
"I saw your son playing basketball outside. If you ask me, he got that from his father. He's a natural talent."
"SHE got that from HER father."
Rita lifted Casey's baseball hat. Her long brown curly hair fell over her shoulders. Rita handed the hat to her daughter and ushered her out of the kitchen.
"Eric, what do you want?" Rita asked harshly. This was a conversation she hated more than anything else. She folded her arms in front of her chest and stared at Eric.
"Just a little visit, to see how my lovely Rita is doing."
"Get out of here now!" she yelled. "I don't want to talk to you. I don't have anything to say to you."
Eric shook his head and turned. He saw the family photo standing on the kitchen counter. He took it and looked at it.
"What splendid kids you have. The girls are triplets, right?"
Rita took the photo out of Eric's hand and placed it back on the counter.
"I am only going to repeat this once. Get out of here now! I don't want you near my kids. And if you ever, ever dare to come here again, I can't guaranty for your safety."
"Oh, Rita, why do you have so much hate inside you? That doesn't suit you. Smile a bit. Where's that little Rita smile I loved so much?"
"OUT OF HERE!"
Rita pushed him outside the kitchen and slammed the door shut. She leaned against the frame and sighed. She'd hoped that that chapter of her life was finished and never had to be opened again, but how wrong she was, how wrong. She went over to the counter as she heard her son calling from the living room.
"Mommy, Matty's crying. Sarah took his dummy!"
Rita went to the living room, seeing little Matthew sitting on the ground. He whined, reaching for the dummy Sarah had in her mouth.
"Young lady, what are you doing with Matthew's dummy?" Rita asked. She lifted Matthew on her arm and tried to calm him.
"Nothing, sorry." Sarah apologized. She handed the dummy to her mother, realizing the look she gave her.
"Go up and tell Hannah and Casey that I will come up in a minute to bathe you, okay?"
Sarah rushed out of the room. Rita turned to her son who sat at the table, doing his homework.
"Chris, you'll do your homework while I am up bathing the girls and Matthew?"
"Yes, mommy, I am almost finished."
"Okay."
She kissed him on his forehead and then headed upstairs to the bathroom.
"Aaaahhhhh, Sarah, that is my doll!" Hannah shouted. "Give it back!"
"No! This is my doll. Grandpa gave it to me. You stole it!"
"No, you stole it!"
Both girls pulled at the doll. Suddenly, each one had part of the doll in her hand, Sarah the head, and Hannah the rest.
"You broke it!" Hannah screamed.
"No, you broke it. Mommy, Hannah broke my doll! Whaaa!"
Sobbing loudly, Sarah ran into the kitchen, the head of the doll still in her hands. She held it up to her mother, who was holding a squirming baby boy on her arm.
"Hannah broke my doll. She broke it!"
Rita rolled her eyes, "Honey, you have enough toys to play with, so why do you always fight about them?"
"Because this is my doll and she stole it!"
Rita tried to say something, but was cut off by the door bell.
"One minute, honey. I'll be right back."
"Tell Hannah she better be sorry about that!" Sarah yelled after her mother.
Rita was already at the front door, opening it. It was Cassy.
"Hi Rita." she greeted her, entering the house.
"Hi Cassy. Hey, Matthew, look who's there. Mommy's come to pick you up."
Matthew squealed with delight when Cassy took him out of Rita's arms. She bounced her son in her arms, causing him to giggle.
"Thanks for watching him, Rita."
"No problem. The kids like having him around." Rita objected. They walked to the kitchen, where Sarah was still pouting.
"Hello there Hannah." Cassy said.
"I am NOT her!" Sarah screamed. "Hannah broke my doll." She slammed the doll on the counter and ran out of the room.
"Ooh!" Cassy exclaimed, looking after her.
"That's normal at the moment. Hannah and Sarah fight about the dolls all the time. So, how are the plans going?"
"Just great. The wedding is set 4 weeks from now." Cassy replied. "I really don't know how he talked me into this."
"Oh, I think I know. He can beg and plead on bended knees if he really wants something so bad. And then Matthew officially will have a daddy."
"Oh, he has his daddy and he knows it. You know what, Matthew toddles along the couch holding on for support when he sees him and he goes like 'dada, dada', whirling his arms through the air to be picked up and - puff - he's sitting on his bottom."
"Sounds familiar to me." Rita giggled.
Casey was curled up on her parents' bed, sound asleep when Chris entered the room. He placed his robe aside when he spotted his daughter lying in the bed.
"Geez!" he exclaimed and sat down on the bed. "Casey, come on, go to your bed."
Casey shifted positions, but didn't show any signs of waking up. Chris shook her slightly. Casey groaned. She reached for Chris' hands and placed them aside.
"Casey Lorenzo, go to your bed!" Chris repeated, this time sounding really harsh.
"Don't wanna." Casey mumbled sleepily, turning to her other side.
"That's it. You'll go to your bed."
Chris grabbed his tiny daughter and dragged her out of the bed.
"Whaaaaa! MOMMY! MOMMY!" Casey whined when Chris carried her down the corridor. She kicked Chris with her feet.
"DON'T WANNA! NO, NO! MOMMY!" she cried.
"Stop that whining or I'll give you something to cry about!" Chris yelled at her as Rita stepped out of the bathroom. She saw her daughter lying over Chris' shoulder, fighting him with arms and feet, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"MOMMY! MOMMY!" Casey whined, reaching out her arms towards Rita.
"What the hell is going on here?" Rita asked, taking Casey from Chris' arms. The girl immediately buried her face in Rita's long brown hair, sobbing loudly.
"I only wanted to get her to her bed, that's all." Chris replied innocently.
"Why is she crying then?"
Rita shook her head and carried Casey to her bed. Quietly, so as not to wake Hannah and Sarah, she sat down on Casey's bed and gently shifted her on her bed.
"It's okay, sweetie, I am here. Everything's all right."
"He yelled at me." Casey sobbed.
"It's okay, it's okay." Rita soothed her daughter, rocking her gently in her arms.
"Did she settle down?" Chris asked annoyed after Rita had entered the bedroom. She stopped right in front of the bed and watched her husband who lay in bed, several file folders covering him.
"Yeah, she did." Rita replied, taking a deep breath. "You and I need to talk."
"Not now, sunshine. I have all those files to go through as soon as possible. It has to wait."
"This can't wait. Your family is more important than those folders." Rita objected. She sat down on the bed, her back turned to Chris.
"Okay, 5 minutes."
"5 minutes for your family, that's so nice, Chris. Your family needs more than just 5 minutes from you."
"My family HAS more than just 5 minutes from me." he argued, finally placing the file aside he was reading in.
"Yeah, maybe 6." Rita replied sarcastically. "By any chance, did you realize that your kids are afraid of you?"
"Afraid of me? Rita, you're seeing things. They are not afraid of me. Who can be afraid of their father?"
Rita shook her head, "Did you forget so much of your own past over the years? Open your eyes, Christopher."
She grabbed her pillow from the bed and stood up.
"Where are you going?" Chris asked, watching her leave the room.
"I am going to sleep in the guest room. I can't sleep next to you if you're going to work all night long. G'Night."
As Rita headed down the stairs to the guest room downstairs, the phone rang. She grabbed the receiver, wondering who would call at that time of the day.
"Hello?" she answered.
"Just the person I was looking for. Hiya sweetheart."
Rita sighed, "Eric, what do you want?"
"Whatiwant? I want ya, gal!"
"But I don't want you, can't you understand? I have my own family."
"You're mine, ya know that, little Miss Rita. I'll be back."
Suddenly the line was dead. Rita placed the phone back and moved to the guest room, the pillow clutched to her chest. What had happened to her? She chose to sleep in the guest room while her husband was upstairs in the bedroom, a former lover was threatening her on the phone. No, that wasn't how it was supposed to be, definitely not!
Cassy walked through the palm tree doors the next morning, Matthew bouncing in her arms. She sat the little boy down on her desk.
"Hey, Cass, Cass, he's in there." Tom whispered, leaning over the desk.
"Who's in where?" she asked back, already getting an answer from who Tom meant.
"Sgt. St. John, this is the homicide department and no kindergarten!" a dark male voice yelled.
Cassy whirled around, hiding Matthew behind her back. She tried to hold him still at least for a moment.
"Cap. Schneider, what a pleasure to see you." she tried to appease him, grinning sheepishly.
Cap. Schneider approached. He stared at Cassy as a small head appeared behind her back. Matthew smiled up at Cap. Schneider, waving his tiny hand.
"He will be gone within a minute, Captain, I promise."
"I sure hope so, Sgt. St. John." he replied through gritted teeth. "You're a homicide cop for god's sake."
"And I am a mother for god's sake." she muttered after Cap. Schneider had walked off to his office.
"Gosh, this guy is... horrible, Thomas. Horrible! Don't you think we should try talk Harry into coming back to the department? There's never been a better Captain, never!"
Tom giggled, "I don't have any problems with him. And I think you wouldn't have any, too, if you kept Matty out of here."
"Very funny, Thomas. What would you do if the baby-sitter called you on short notice that she had to see the dentist because she lost a filling?"
"Ugh... Okay, we're going to arrange this somehow. Cassy, you have a case to investigate. I, Tom, have nothing to do. So, you think I could be a good baby-sitter for Matty?"
"I appreciate the offer, but I called Rita already. She'll be here any minute."
"Argh, and there I thought I could help you, Ms. Cassandra. You know, Matty likes me."
Cassy smiled, "I know, Tom."
Chris and Rita walked in the squad room a while later, their 4 kids in tow. Christopher rolled his eyes annoyed when Chris kissed his kids on the forehead and headed for his office. The girls had already spotted Matthew sitting on Cassy's desk. They ran over to him.
"Matty, yoohoo!" Sarah cooed at him.
Little Matthew stared at her wide eyed. Suddenly a smile broke out on his face and he slapped her right in the face.
"Hum! Ya!" he giggled, slapping her once more.
"Hey, don't do that! No, no! Bad!" Hannah said, waggling a finger at him.
Cassy and Rita stood by and watched them, smiling.
"I think it's just a matter of time until they'll tell you they want a little brother." Cassy teased, lifting her son up from the desk.
"Oh, please! They already started telling me that! 4 kids are definitely enough." Rita stated, giggling. "Kids, time to leave for school!"
"I don't wanna go!" was suddenly yelling from 4 different corners of the squad room.
"Okay, mommy's working in the medical lab and in George's office today..."
Suddenly the kids appeared right in front of her, waiting to be taken to school.
"Now, that works every time." she chuckled, taking Matthew from Cassy's arm.
"I am going to pick him up around 5. Is that okay?" Cassy asked, after she'd kissed her son on his cheek.
"That's okay with me."
"Matthew, you know, be a nice boy for Rita, okay?"
Matthew smiled at his mother, waving his hand as Rita carried him outside the squad room.
Cassy arrived around 5 to pick her little son up. Matthew came crawling towards her in the backyard, flashing his best smile when Cassy scooped him up.
"Hey, were you a nice little boy for Rita?" she cooed at him, placing a kiss on his forehead.
"Oh yeah, you bet he was." Rita answered. "He took his nap without any complaining."
"Now, that's my big boy."
"Ugh, Cassy, you have a minute?"
"Sure."
"I think we better talk inside. Matty can stay with the kids outside."
Cassy nodded shortly before she placed her son back down.
"Kids, you'll keep an eye on him, won't you?"
"Yes, Cassy!" Hannah called after Cassy, who followed Rita inside.
The two women sat down on the couch, sitting there in silence for a couple of minutes. Rita was about to say something, when the phone began to rang. She groaned before she got up, heading for the phone.
"Hello?" she answered the phone. "Eric, no, I don't wanna talk to you, I thought I made that clear the last time... YOU'RE DRUNK! You don't know what you're talking about... you son of a..."
With that, she slammed the receiver down. She rubbed her temple intensively, sighing, before she turned to Cassy.
"You have a problem?" Cassy asked concerned, watching Rita pacing the floor.
"That's my problem. Eric Russell. I've never seen anybody worse than him."
"Who is this guy?"
"I used to date him before Chris and I got involved. Don't ask me why I did that, he was a complete idiot and he still is. He spends most of the day drinking. The last time we saw him, I thought he had that under control, but now..."
"You're not over him."
"I am not over what he did to me while we were together. I think if Chris hadn't been there for me, he would have ruined not only my career, but also my life, everything! I thought I could forget about all that, but now he's back. He was watching our house yesterday, especially Casey who was playing outside. He called me in the middle of the night, totally drunk. And now, he called again. I am afraid he might do something to the kids."
"Did you talk to Chris about it?" Cassy asked.
"No, I can't talk to Chris about that. He has his own problems at the moment. Besides..." Rita suddenly stopped and plumped down on the couch.
"Are you and Chris having problems? Hey, if you do, tell me and I will try to help you the best I can, you know that, Rita."
Rita forced a weak smile, "Thanks, Cassy, but I think we have to work it out on our own. It's something between Chris and me and I don't want you getting involved in that."
"I am there if you need someone to talk."
"Thanks, Cassy, I appreciate it."
Suddenly, the two were interrupted by Hannah, who walked in the room. But she wasn't alone. In front of her, Matthew was toddling, holding on tight to Hannah's small hands.
"Mommy, Cassy, look, he can walk!" she shouted happily.
Matthew giggled loudly before he let go off Hannah's left hand, waving at his mommy. He lost balance immediately and sat down on his bottom. He pulled a strange face, "Ow! Ya!"
Cassy smiled happily as she plucked him from the ground, "Hey, you almost walked alone, munchkin!"
Matthew's face lit up when his mother praised him. He pulled her face close and placed a big wet kiss on her cheek, "Ya!"
The Lorenzo family sat at the eating table, having lunch. Christopher pulled a monster face for Casey, who rewarded him with showing her tongue.
"Mommy, Casey showed Chris her tongue!" Hannah exclaimed, throwing mashed potatoes over the table. It landed right in Sarah's face instead of Casey's.
"Whaaa, Hannah threw potatoes at me!" Sarah whined, wiping the mashed potatoes out of her face.
Christopher was still pulling monster faces for everybody at the table, ignoring his dinner on the plate in front of him.
"Christopher, stop that! Casey, stop showing your brother your tongue, and you, young lady," Rita grabbed Hannah's fork out of her hand, "stop playing with your food."
"I am not playing, mommy!" Hannah objected. "Casey did bad, she needed punishment."
"Punishment? Hannah, sweetie, nobody needs punishment in this house." Rita uttered, softening her voice. "Punishment is something really bad. You first have to try talking about the things you don't like about other persons. You understand?"
"But..."
"Did you understand that?" Chris asked harshly.
Hannah's head shot around. She jerked at her father's cold tone. She looked down at her hands before she replied softly, "Yes."
Rita shot Chris a look over the table that could have killed. He just shrugged his shoulders, got up and left for the living room.
"Come on, kids, it's time for bed for you."
Sarah, Casey and Christopher muttered quietly before they got up, heading for the stairs. Hannah remained in her seat, sobbing from time to time. Rita knelt down next to her.
"Come on, sweetheart. Daddy didn't mean to yell at you. He probably had a hard day at work." Rita tried to soothe her daughter before she lifted her from the chair.
"I didn't do anything wrong. He always yells at me." Hannah objected, while Rita wiped the tears out of the corner of her eyes. "He doesn't love me, mommy."
"No, don't you say something like that. Your daddy loves you very, very, very much, I know that. And I love you very much, and Chris and Sarah and Casey. Hey, smile a bit, you're my big girl."
"You gonna put me to bed, mommy?" Hannah asked hesitatingly.
Rita smiled lovingly at her, "Yeah, I will. Now, go upstairs and change in your jammies. I'll be up in a few."
Rita kissed Hannah on the cheek before she stood her on the ground. She watched after her daughter who slowly toddled towards the stairs and then disappeared. She sighed heavily, before she started cleaning the table.
Meanwhile, Christopher had already changed in his jammies and was back down in the living room. He walked over to his daddy, who stood at the book shelf, sorting through the books.
"Daddy," he began, tugging at his leg, "Daddy, I have my baseball game in two days. You remember?"
Chris glanced down at the boy standing next to him. The baseball game! He had totally forgotten about that!
"Daddy's going to San Francisco for 2 days." Chris said, sitting down on the couch. Christopher stood in front of him, flashing his best puppy look. That look was one of the so many things he had inherited from his father.
"You promised me you'd be there for my baseball game, daddy. You promised!" he whined.
"I know I promised you, Chris. I will be there. I would never miss that. I am taking the first flight from San Francisco I can get and will be here just in time for your baseball game."
"You said the same thing the last time and you weren't there." the boy objected.
"Look, I am truly sorry about the last time, but there was fog above San Francisco and the plane couldn't start. This time I am there, I am giving you my word on that."
"You gave me your word last time already!!!" Christopher shouted at him, running upstairs.
Rita, who had watched the scene from the doorway to the kitchen, now stepped into the living room.
"Chris, do you realize what you just did?" she said harshly, placing her hands on her hips.
"What do you mean?" Chris replied.
"You lied to your son! You know you won't make it to his baseball game in time."
"No, I won't, but..."
Rita cut him off right in the sentence, yelling, "Chris, I don't know you anymore. You're not the kind of man I married a long time ago. You started becoming a kind of guy you always hated. You lie to your kids, you start yelling at them and don't have time for them! I am always the one who has to appease them afterwards."
"What am I supposed to do?" he yelled back. "I have like two jobs, one here as a police officer and a second in the firm in San Francisco. It was YOU who asked me that we not moved there. I agreed! Hell, what should I do?"
"The firm is working without you as well as with you. Besides, we don't need the money. You could sell it."
"I can't. I put so much in it after pop died."
"Some day, Christopher, some day you're gonna have to choose what is more important to you. Your family or the firm in San Francisco. But if you don't find the right time, it'll be too late and I and the kids probably won't be there anymore. Think about it!"
"Are you threatening me with leaving with the kids?" he shouted after her when she was about to leave the living room, heading upstairs.
Rita turned, speaking more quietly, "I love you, Chris, you know that, but I don't wanna see you lying to the kids, yelling at them, practically ignoring them and ruining their future! Think about it."
"You're gonna be there, you won't forget?" Christopher asked Chris again the next afternoon.
"I am not going to forget about that, I promise." Chris replied annoyed while he packed his briefcase for San Francisco.
"You wrote it down in your notebook, didn't you?"
"Yeah, I did it!"
"And you're not gonna forget it?"
"NO!" Chris yelled at him. "Will you PLEASE stop it?"
Christopher jerked for a moment. He stared at Chris wide-eyed.
"You're not gonna forget it?" he mumbled again. "You forgot it the last time."
"Christopher, I said you should stop it!"
"I am gonna make a cross in your notebook."
Christopher reached for Chris' notebook and headed off with it. Chris ran after him and tore the notebook out of his hands. Then he grabbed his son by his upper arms and shook him.
"What do you think you're doing, just heading off with my notebook!"
Tears welled in Christopher's eyes. Chris let go off of him.
"Christopher!" he called after his son, who ran out of the house. "Christopher! I'm sorry!"
Rita heard his calling upstairs. She moved to the living room, where she only found Chris finishing packing his briefcase.
"What did you do now? Why did you yell at him?" she exclaimed.
"Nothing." Chris replied, closing his suitcase.
"Oh, now you start yelling at your kids because of nothing, that's freaking great, Chris."
"I have to go or I will miss the plane."
"Chris, we're not finished here." Rita uttered sternly, blocking his way, but Chris pushed her aside.
"We are finished, there's nothing I need to talk to you about. I'll call you."
Rita was in the kitchen preparing dinner when Casey and Sarah toddled in the room. They sat down at the counter and watched their mother.
"Where's Hannah?" Rita asked, handing each of her daughters a brownie.
"Upstairs, pouting." Casey replied, before she bit a huge piece out of the brownie.
Rita frowned, "Why?"
"Because Chris has her coloring book and won't give it back." Sarah stated, finishing her brownie.
"And where's Chris?"
Casey and Sarah stared at each other, shrugging their shoulders. Then Casey turned to her mother.
"Can I have one more, please?"
"Okay, but just one." Rita replied, before she headed to the stairs, calling for her son. No response. She called again.
"He's not upstairs!" Hannah responded, hopping down the stairs. "Ooh, brownies!!"
Her tiny hands immediately reached for the brownies.
"Christopher?" Rita called again. "Girls, when was the last time you saw him?"
"Ugh, before daddy left?" Casey uttered, her mouth full of the third brownie she was eating.
"He yelled at him." Hannah murmured, reaching for another brownie.
"No more brownies, that's enough." Rita said before she placed the cookie jar with the brownies on the top of the shelf in the kitchen. "You three go and set the table and I will see if Chris is in the garden."
Rita went to the backyard, looking for her son, but all she found were three fallen over tricycles that lay in the yard and a lot more toys the triplets had left there. No sign of Christopher anywhere. Rita went back to the kitchen and gabbed the phone, dialing a number.
"Harry, this is Rita. Have you seen Christopher?... No, he isn't at home... I am worried, Harry. Chris yelled at him before he left... Yeah, that's fine. Thanks, Harry."
Rita placed her finger in the cradle and dialed another number. This time she got only an answering machine, so she left a message.
"Cassy, this is Rita, I need some help. Christopher ran away. I don't know if maybe Eric..." she paused for a moment. "Call me when you get home, please!"
Rita hung up the phone, staring at it for a moment, when suddenly a low voice spoke up behind her, "Why did Chris run away?"
Rita turned and saw Sarah standing in the doorway. She scooped her from the ground, pushing strands of her hair behind her ears.
"Daddy yelled at him. Did he run away because of that?"
"I don't know, sweetie. Your grandma will be here any minute so that I can go look for him."
"Can I go with you?"
Rita shook her head, "It's better you stay here with Hannah and Casey. Maybe Chris will come back while I am gone. Someone has to be here then."
"What if Chris never comes back?" Sarah asked, a fearful tone in her voice.
Rita shook her head slightly, hugging her daughter and holding her close.
"He will come back, Sarah, he will come back."
Tom was carrying two bags of grocery when he slammed the trunk shut. He stumbled up the stairs towards the door of his apartment when he caught sight of a small figure, sitting on the top of the stairs.
"Christopher?" he asked disbelieving, setting the bags down on the stairs. "What are you doing here?"
"I am waiting for you." the boy murmured.
"Does your mom know where you are?"
Christopher looked down at his hands, shaking his head no.
Tom sighed as he picked up the bags, "Come on, Chris."
Christopher sprung up and followed Tom inside the apartment. Tom placed the bags on the counter in the kitchen, always keeping one eye on Christopher who had climbed up on one of the chairs.
"Okay, now tell me. What are you doing here?" he inquired, leaning over the counter.
"I ran away." came out of Christopher's mouth.
"Why did you ran away, champ? Your mom is probably worried sick about you."
"I don't wanna live with my dad anymore!" Christopher blurted out. "I want to live with you instead."
"With me? Hey buddy, you have a family that loves you. You have your mommy and daddy, you have Hannah, Sarah and Casey. Why do you want to live with me?"
"You keep to your word. And... and..." Christopher paused for a moment, "you love me, I guess."
Tom went over to Christopher and lifted him on his arm.
"I love you, Chris," he began as he made his way to the living room, "but you have your own family that loves you. Your mommy, your daddy..."
"He doesn't love me!" Christopher cried, tears welling in his eyes. "I know he doesn't love me."
"Hey, don't you say something like that. He loves you, I know that. Maybe he has a different way of showing you his love."
"Does yelling at me and the girls mean he loves me?" Christopher objected.
Tom rubbed his temple. This was going nowhere.
"What about your mom? What about her? Don't you love her anymore?"
Christopher shook his head frantically.
"You think we should call her and let her know that you are all right?"
Christopher nodded reluctantly.
Rita was about to leave the house when she ran into Cassy, who walked up the path to the front door with her sleeping son on her arm.
"Rita, I got your message. What happened?" Cassy asked breathlessly, carefully shifting Matthew to the other side.
"Christopher had a fight with Chris and ran away." Rita replied. "I have no idea where he is at the moment. I just wanted to go and look for him myself."
"Who's with the girls?"
"Frannie is. Harry is already out looking for Chris. I tried to get a hold of Tom, but couldn't reach him."
"I will go with you." Cassy stated, heading off towards the front door to bring Matthew inside.
"No, that's not necessary." Rita objected the moment Frannie appeared outside.
"Rita, Tom is on the phone. He says it's important." Frannie called.
"Tell him I am already out looking for Chris."
"He says Chris is at his place."
Rita turned and stared at Frannie. She rushed past her and grabbed the phone in the hallway.
"Tom?" she asked breathlessly. "How's Chris?"
"He's fine, don't worry. You can come and pick him up if you want. I think you two need to have a little talk."
"Thanks, Tom. I'll be there in a few."
Rita hung up the phone when she saw Frannie and Cassy standing behind her. She let out the breath she had been holding and leaned against the small phone table.
"Uhm, I have to pick Chris up. Frannie, can you stay with the girls and call Harry?"
"Sure, honey. You go and get your son and I will stay with my granddaughters."
Rita flashed a weak smile, "Thank you, Fran."
"Come on, I'll give you a lift." Cassy stated, as she gently pushed Rita outside the door.
Christopher was sitting at the kitchen counter eating a slice of pizza when Cassy and Rita walked into the apartment. Tom silently indicated the boy sitting on the chair. Rita nodded and headed for the kitchen. She stopped next to the chair, bending down to him. Gently, she pulled his chin towards her. Christopher stared at her for a moment, then threw his arms around her neck.
"Oh, Chris, Chris, Chris! Don't do that again to me, you hear me?" she said harshly, but at the same time having a soothing tone of relief in her voice. She rocked her son back and forth.
"I am sorry, mommy." Christopher sobbed. "I didn't mean to make you worry."
Rita sat down on one of the empty chairs and pulled her son on her lap.
"Why did you run away, sweetheart?"
"I was bad." he replied low, turning his face away from Rita. "I am always bad. Daddy yells at me."
"No, you aren't do bad, Christopher. I know that daddy yelled at you, but that doesn't mean you are bad."
"And why does he yell at me then?" Christopher asked with a trembling voice.
"I don't know why he does it. But I do know that he loves you. He probably didn't mean to yell at you."
"I don't wanna live with him if he yells at me!" the boy exclaimed.
"Christopher, your daddy loves you, I know that. It would break his heart if one day his big boy wasn't there anymore. It would break my heart if I had to live without my big boy. I know he doesn't mean it when he yells at you, but you have to understand that he is working very hard. He has a dangerous job that needs all of his attention every day."
"I know that, but... but... mommy, I love daddy, but I don't like it when he yells at me or the girls."
"I am going to talk about that with him and I promise you he won't yell at you again. We'll work this out. If there isn't any other way, if it gets worse, we're out of there. Deal?"
Christopher nodded silently, while Rita wiped the tears out of his face, "I promise you something, Chris. I will always be there for you and your sisters. You can always come to me when you have a problem, but you need to talk to me about what bothers you and not just run away. You think you can do that the next time?"
"I think I can. I love you, mommy."
"And I love you, sweetheart."
Rita stood up, her son carrying on her arm, and went back to the living room where Cassy and Tom were waiting.
"I am going to take Chris home now. Thanks for everything, Tom."
"You're welcome." he replied, ruffling Christopher's hair.
"Come on, I'll drive you home, Rita."
Rita was sound asleep, Christopher sleeping next to her in the huge bed when the phone on the night stand began to ring. Rita's hand sleepily searched for the receiver before she answered the phone.
"Hello?" she mumbled groggily.
"Hiya gal, it's me... HIC!" a male voice on the other side said.
"Eric, there's nothing we need to talk about. Bye."
She placed the receiver back down. Rita turned on her side, looking over to her son who's eyes were barely open.
"Mommy?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.
"It's nothing, sweetheart. Go back to sleep."
She kissed him on his forehead after he'd closed his eyes. Christopher snuggled close to his mother when the phone began to ring again. And again, Rita reached for the receiver.
"Hello?"
"Oh, little Miss Rita - HIC - why did you hang up the phone?"
"Please, what do you want? It's in the middle of the night."
"I want ya, ya're compleely mine, don't ya know that?"
"No, I am not yours, and if you ever dare to call me again, I swear to you, Eric, it's not going to be pleasant for you."
Rita smashed the receiver down, taking a deep breath. She glanced at her son, who was still snuggling close to her. This time he didn't wake up. She pulled the sheets up and placed an arm around her son's shoulders before she drifted back to sleep.
When Cassy shuffled through the palm tree doors she found Rita standing next to the coffee pot, pouring herself a hot steaming cup of coffee. Cassy walked over to her, greeting her.
"Hi. How's Christopher doing?"
"Better." Rita replied, sipping on her cup.
"What did you tell Chris?"
"I haven't talked to him since he left." she replied curtly, walking over to her desk.
"You didn't tell him his son ran away?" Cassy asked in disbelief. She followed Rita to her desk and sat down on it.
"What should I tell him? Chris, you yelled at your son and he ran away because of that? Nah, no way. It's better he doesn't know anything about it."
"When I met you two for the first time 5 years ago, I thought, hey, those two are perfect for each other, they love each other more than anything. And now, what happened to you?"
Rita shook her head, "I don't know, Cassy, I really don't know. All I know is that it can't go on like this. I don't want to see my kids suffering."
"What do you want to do?"
"I have to make a decision, and this is not going to be an easy one."
"You should...
Cassy was interrupted by the phone on Rita's desk. Rita reached for the receiver, answering immediately, "Lt. Lorenzo."
"Whoo, Lt. Lorenzo, that sounds really good, sweetheart."
Rita rolled her eyes, "Mr. Russell, I have nothing to say to you."
"Mr. Russell now? Rita, honey, it's Eric for ya."
"The call is finished."
BANG! The receiver landed right in the cradle of the phone. Rita leaned back in her chair, burying her face in her hands.
"Eric again?" Cassy asked.
"I don't know what to do." Rita sighed. "He called me Twice last night. It seems I can't get rid of him."
"Talk to Schneider about it. He could help you."
"Are you kidding me? Talking to Schneider? He's... he's..."
"He's what, Lt. Lorenzo?"
Rita whirled around in her chair and stared right into Cap. Schneider's face.
"I am waiting, Lt." he uttered.
"Rita just wanted to say that you are our superior and that we shouldn't bother you with such irrelevant things." Cassy replied, grinning sheepishly. "I mean, you already have a heavy workload, don't you?"
"Nice save , Sgt. St. John."
Cassy and Rita glared at Cap. Schneider as he walked out the palm tree doors. They weren't really closed when they opened again and Tom walked into the squad room. A big grin broke out on his face as he approached the two women.
"Sgt. St. John, Lt. Lorenzo, what a pleasure to see both of you." he uttered in the most polite tone they'd ever heard.
Both Rita and Cassy raised their eyebrows. What was going on now? They stared at each other for a moment, then turned back to face Tom.
"Huh, I got ya, didn't I?" he chuckled, seeing their stunned faces.
"What was that all about?" Rita whispered after Tom had headed for his desk.
Cassy just shrugged her shoulders, "I have no clue."
"Mommy, is daddy here yet?" Christopher asked for the 50th time that afternoon. He was dressed in his baseball outfit, waiting for the game to start and waiting for his daddy to come.
"I don't know, honey, but I think he'll come soon."
Suddenly, Christopher felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned, smiling, in hopes he would see Chris, but all he saw was Tom, standing behind him.
"Hey champ, I thought I'd bring you this." he uttered as he placed a dark blue baseball hat on Christopher's head.
"Thank you." Christopher replied, disappointed, before he walked off to his team mates.
"What's wrong with him?" Tom asked Rita, as they headed for the small grandstand next to the field where the girls were already waiting with Harry and Frannie.
"Chris promised him to be there, but he isn't."
"Uh oh."
Rita and Tom sat down next to the triplets. Frannie, sitting at the other end of the bench, leaned forward, "Rita, darling, where's Chris?"
"Probably still in San Francisco." she replied.
"I thought he said he would be here for Christopher's game."
"Sure, he did, but sometimes work seems to be more important to him than his family."
Frannie was about to say something, but Harry immediately cut her off by raising his hand. Though she knew that was something they had to work out alone, it hurt her to see her grandson always getting disappointed by promises his father made and never kept. She leaned back and pushed the record button of the video camera, Harry had forgotten to push as every time he used it.
"Hey, way to go, buddy!" Tom whistled when Christopher shot his first home run ever.
"My grandson, that's my grandson!" Harry stated proudly.
Christopher came running over to the fence, smiling all over his face, proud of his first home run ever.
"Mommy, daddy, grandpa, grandma, did you see that!" he rejoiced, looking around when he noticed, that Chris still wasn't there.
"Where is he? WHERE IS HE?" he yelled. He bashed his bat against the fence and ran off over the field.
"Christopher!" Rita shouted after him, starting to run after him.
His trainer stopped him in the middle of the field, where Rita and Tom caught up with him.
"Christopher, I am sorry." she began as she took her son into a hug.
"He promised he'd be here. HE LIED TO ME!"
Tears streamed down Christopher's cheeks while he sobbed into Rita's chest.
"I am so sorry, sweetheart, I am so sorry."
Rita carried him to the grandstand where she sat him down on the bench. Frannie, Harry and the girls immediately were by his side.
"Hey, you were fabulous, Christopher!" Harry smiled at him, patting his shoulder. "That's my grandson."
Christopher looked up at Harry with tears in his eyes, as he nodded reluctantly. Harry glanced at Rita who just shook her head. Now it was Tom 's turn to try and cheer him up at least a little.
"Okay, buddy, what do you think, you and me go out on a men's night. Just you and me. I'll let you pick the food. Kentucky Fried Chicken? Wendy's? Sizzler's? Little Ceasar's? You can choose all alone."
Christopher just stared off at the distance with blank eyes. The game was still going on, but everybody knew he didn't want to play any longer. Casey snuggled close to her brother, placing her arm around his shoulders.
"You were great, Chris." she whispered in his ear. "You're the best."
She placed a big wet kiss on his cheek that made her brother smile for at least a second.
Rita had put the kids to bed. It was a major battle with Christopher. He hadn't talked a word after Chris hadn't showed up at the baseball game. He wouldn't eat anything for dinner, nor would he go to bed.
"See, Chris, I think daddy really wanted to come to your game," Rita had said, "but I think there was something very important in San Francisco. We're going to show him the video when he gets back."
Christopher had shaken his head silently. Rita had kissed him on the forehead.
"I know it's not the same. The next time we're going to kidnap him right before the game and drag him to the field. What do you think?"
Christopher had nodded silently. Then he'd turned around in bed and had pulled up the covers.
Rita sighed as she got herself a glass of wine from the kitchen. She went to the living room with it. She turned on the tv and lit the candle on the table. Then she lay down on the couch comfortably. She was right in the middle of an interesting movie when there was a knock at the door. She turned the tv off and went to open the door. Opposite her a total drunk was leaning against the frame.
"Hello there beautiful. Won't ya lemme in?" Eric hiccuped, pushing Rita aside and walking inside the house. He accidentally dropped his bottle on the ground. "Oops! Sorry 'bout that."
"Eric, what are doing here?" she said sternly. "I told you at least a thousand times in the last couple of days that I don't want to see you again for the rest of my life. I already thought I made that clear the last time we met."
"Blablablablabla..." he replied, rushing beside her into the living room. "This is really great. I like it."
"You better go, I don't want the kids to see you here."
Rita grabbed him by his arm, trying to push him towards the front door. Eric grabbed her wrist, whirling her around.
"Don't you touch me like that!" he yelled at her, moving his head closer. "You only touch me when I tell you to."
"Go, Eric, or I will call the police."
"Whoo, I always thought little Miss Rita is the police. How things can change..."
"That's it."
Rita reached for the phone on the small table. Eric realized what she was trying to do and pushed her aside. She lost balance and fell against the table, knocking the candle over. Neither of them noticed it.
"It was a mistake to dump me, a huge mistake." Eric screamed, kicking her in her stomach. Rita doubled over in pain as she felt him smack her right across the face.
"You bitch, you bitch!" Eric cried uncontrollably. He kicked her again and again, each time harder than before. Suddenly everything around Rita went black. Realizing what he had done, Eric ran out of the house. The door slammed as the couch caught fire from the candle. It was just a moment later that it was engulfed in flames and it didn't take long until the table was on fire as well. Rita lay about a yard away from the table, still unconscious.
"MOMMY!" Christopher suddenly screamed from the top of the stairs. He ran downstairs, kneeling down right next to his mother.
"Mommy, mommy, please, wake up. The room's on fire!" he pleaded, shaking her slightly. "Mommy, please!"
Rita didn't respond to his pleadings. Unsure about what he should do now, he began to cry and sob, "Mommy, wake up, please!"
Rita groaned softly. She stirred and coughed, but still remained unconscious. Christopher got up and hurried upstairs, screaming loudly, "Fire! Fire!"
He ran into the girls' room and dragged their sheets away, first Sarah's, then Hannah's and then Casey's.
"Up, girls, the house is on fire! Get up!"
He shook Casey wildly, knowing that she would be the first to wake up. Casey rubbed her eyes and sat up in bed.
"Chris, why did you wake me up?" she asked sleepily.
"There's a fire in the living room. Mommy's not waking up. We need to get out of here!!"
He dragged his little sister out of her bed and then went to Sarah. She was still sleeping. Christopher bent down and screamed loudly right in her ear, "Saaaaarraaaaah!"
Sarah shot up like lightning. She began to whine. Hannah was now awake as well. She cried like her younger sister.
"Come, we need to get out of her. Fast!" Christopher yelled. He dragged his little sisters behind him downstairs. The curtains in the living room were now on fire, too. He ushered the girls out of the house and advised them to stay outside in the yard. The girls stood there crying, watching the house with horror, as Christopher rushed back inside. He kneeled down
next to his mother again."Mommy, please, wake up." he pleaded, trying to drag her away from the fire, but he couldn't. He ran to the phone in the kitchen and dialed 911.
"Hello, this is Chris Lorenzo, 312 Lakeview Point. Our house is on fire."
Then he placed his finger in the cradle, dialing another number.
"Grandpa?" he asked as he heard someone answering the phone on the other side. "Grandpa, our house is on fire. Mommy doesn't wake up. Please, come, grandpa. I am afraid."
Suddenly the line was dead.
"Grandpa! Grandpa!" he sobbed, wiping the tears out of his face. He rushed back to the living room where the flames had reached his mother's side.
"MOMMY!" he screamed, dragging her away from the fire. He succeeded in dragging her about a yard away. He didn't notice he'd burnt his hands. He ducked over his mother as he heard a loud bang. The fish tank had burst into a thousand of small pieces. He sobbed into Rita's chest until someone rushed in the house, dragging him away. It was Tom.
"No, no, mommy!" he screamed, kicking Tom.
"Calm down, Chris, I'll get your mommy." he reassured him. He sat him down on the grass and then ran back into the house. A moment later he appeared outside, carrying Rita. They both coughed as he laid her on the ground carefully. Christopher immediately was by her side while the girls stood aside, totally frightened.
"Mommy, mommy, wake up, please!" Christopher cried. He shook her, but she
didn't respond."Chris, stop that, look at your hands!" Tom uttered calmly.
Christopher stared down at his hands, suddenly screaming loudly, "Aaaahhhh, I am hurt! Tom, it hurts, it hurts!"
In the distance they heard the sirens blaring. The firemen arrived along with the paramedics. Rita was brought into the ambulance immediately. Two other cars stopped at the scene. Harry Lipschitz exited one, Chris the other.
"Oh my god!" Chris screamed as he saw his house on fire. He rushed around the ambulance where he bumped into Tom.
"Tom, Tom, what happened?" he inquired impatiently.
"I don't know what happened. I heard over the radio that someone reported a fire at your house. When I arrived, I found the girls outside. Chris was inside with Rita, trying to drag her away from the fire."
"Where are they?"
"Rita's in there."
Tom pointed around the corner of the ambulance. Chris made a step forward, but Tom held him back.
"You can't do anything for her right now. She's unconscious, the paramedics are checking her out at the moment. Go and look after your kids. They need you."
"But..."
"Go! Your son needs you most."
Chris nodded silently, turning. In the other ambulance he saw Christopher. Harry and Frannie stood in front of the ambulance. Three girls were clinging to their grandmother. He went over to them.
"What happened?" he asked as he watched the paramedics checking out his son's hands. Tears trickled down Christopher's cheeks.
"Chris called me saying that the house was on fire." Harry answered.
"You weren't there!" Christopher cried. "Mommy's hurt and you weren't there!"
"I am sorry, Chris, I didn't know..."
Chris tried to take his son into his arms, but Christopher turned away. He sobbed until Harry hugged him close.
"Harry, I... I... god, help me!"
Chris paced the floor in the waiting room. The girls had fallen asleep in the chairs earlier. Christopher was sitting on his grandpa's lap, his injured hands resting in his lap. Frannie sat beside them, absently stroking Sarah's chestnut brown curly hair.
"Chris, please stop pacing." Harry demanded, gently stroking Christopher's hair.
"I can't, Harry, I am sorry. I wasn't there, but I should have been! I should have been there for my family!"
Chris saw the doctor entering the waiting room. He approached him.
"Mr. Lorenzo, your wife was brought to a private room now." he explained.
"Will she be okay?"
"At the moment she's still unconscious and I think she will be for at least the next 48 hours. Your wife suffered several burns on her neck, left arm and left leg. She also has 4 broken ribs, two of them broken twice. When we checked her out we found signs of internal bleeding. Her
spleen was ruptured, so we had to operate.""But, but how did she suffer from broken ribs and a ruptured spleen? I don't understand."
"Mr. Lorenzo, it looks like she was beaten badly."
"Beaten, but..." Chris ran his fingers through his hair. He turned to his son and kneeled down in front of him. "Chris, what happened at home?"
Christopher shook his head, "I don't know. I heard mommy screaming and then the door slamming. When I came down the room was on fire."
"Did you see anybody?"
"No. I only heard mommy screaming." Christopher sobbed silently. "Will mommy be okay, daddy?"
"Yes, she'll be okay. You saved her life. I am proud of you, son."
Chris had fallen asleep in the chair next to Rita's bed when sunlight fell into the room, tickling his nose. He barely opened his eyes, seeing a nurse who checked on Rita.
"Good morning, Mr. Lorenzo." she smiled at him, hooking Rita up to a new IV.
"Morning." he replied, stretching in his chair.
"There's someone waiting outside for you. She said it was important."
"She?" Chris asked confused.
The nurse nodded silently before she left the room. Chris rubbed his temple, moving to Rita's bed. He took her hand in his and squeezed it lightly.
"Sammy, can you hear me?" he began. "I know I am certainly the last person you want to see at the moment, but I just wanted to let you know that I am here for you. I love you, sunshine, more than I can say. Don't you quit on me right now." He brushed a tear out of his face, "I... I
will get myself a cup of coffee and be back in 5 minutes. 5 minutes, Sammy, I promise."He leaned over and placed a tender kiss on her forehead, "I love you, Rita."
Then he left the room and walked down the corridor where he walked right into Cassy.
"How is Rita?" she asked, concern showing on her face.
"No change. She's still unconscious."
"Uhm, can I talk to you for a minute? It's important."
"Yeah, sure. I just wanted to get a cup of coffee. Join me?"
Cassy nodded silently. She followed Chris to the cafeteria where they sat down at a table after they'd gotten themselves two cups of coffee.
"I think I might know who did this to Rita." Cassy began after a moment of silence. "Eric Russell."
"Eric? Why him?" Chris inquired.
"I don't know for sure if it was him, but I know that he called Rita a lot of times the last couple of days. I guess he was threatening her, but I am not sure about that."
"No, no, you must be mistaken. She would have told me if he was bothering her."
"Believe me, he was. I was there when she got one of the calls. Ask Casey. Rita told me that he went after her one day."
"He went after my daughter? That son of a bitch! Why didn't she tell me?" Chris ran his fingers through his air staring of at the ceiling. "God, he almost killed my wife!"
Cassy silently slid a small piece of paper over the table. Chris took it and read an address in Tom's handwriting.
"That's where he lives at the moment. I will take you there to go get him in for some questions."
Chris stared at the note for a moment, but then shook his head, "I can't leave Rita, not now, not after what happened between us. And I guess if I go now, I will kill him."
Cassy nodded, understanding completely what he meant, "Tom and I will go. We will tell you if there is any news."
"Thanks, Cassy."
"You're welcome."
Tom knocked at the door of a shabby motel room in downtown Palm Beach. As there was no response, he knocked again. He looked over at Cassy, who shrugged her shoulders. He knocked a third time.
"Mr. Russell, this is Sgts. Ryan and St. John, Palm Beach PD, open up!" he yelled.
A moment later, a door was opened, but not the one to Eric's room. A young woman stepped out of the room next door, a cigarette in one hand, a bottle of whiskey in the other.
"Din't let ya in, no?" she asked, leaning against the door frame. "He's in there. Din't leave today."
"Thank you, Miss." Cassy replied as she reached for her gun.
"I count to 3. 1... 2... 3!"
At 3, Tom and Cassy burst into the room, their guns drawn. The room was empty - at least it looked like it was. They put their guns away. Tom opened the door to the bathroom and went inside, while Cassy walked over to the bed where she found an old photo of Rita and a note lying next it. She grabbed the note and was about to read it when Tom came out of the
bathroom."Cass, you better look at this."
"What?" Cassy asked, peering through the open door inside the bathroom. All she saw was a lifeless body lying in the bathtub. Eric had shot himself.
"Oh god!" she uttered.
"I'm gonna call it in."
While Tom called it in, Cassy stared at the note in her hands. Finally, she decided to read it. It was addressed to Rita. 'Does it make you feel good seeing men shoot themselves in the bathtub because of you?' was written in big letters. Cassy took a deep breath before she handed the note to Tom and hurried out of the motel room.
Tom met Chris outside the hospital. As cell phones weren't permitted inside the building, Chris had left the building to make a call.
"No, I am absolutely serious about that, Joyce. It can't go on like this. I am gonna sell it. I need to sell it!... You'll take care of that?... Okay, okay. Send me the papers when everything is arranged and I will sign them. Bye."
Chris placed the cell phone back in his pocket as he spotted Tom standing behind him.
"Hey Tom. Any news about Eric?" he asked right away, entering the hospital.
"Yeah, we do. You should read this." Tom handed the note Cassy had found. "It was lying on the bed in his room next to a photo of Rita."
Chris read the words on the paper. He ran his fingers through his hair.
"What does this mean, Chris?"
"Rita's father, he shot himself in the tub when she was 7. She found him when she came home from school."
"Oh my god! I guess he wanted her to find him lying there as well."
"You mean Eric's dead?" Chris inquired while they waited for the elevator.
"He shot himself in the bathtub."
"God, this guy was crazy. And to think he went after my little angel..."
Tom frowned, "Huh?"
"Cassy said Rita told her he went after Casey the other day."
"DAMN! By the way, how is Rita doing?"
"Still unconscious, no change at all. It's driving me nuts! I should have been there for her, than none of this would have happened. And all because of this damn firm. I should have sold it earlier."
"You sold it? You're kidding me, right? It was a gold mine, why did you sell it, Chris?"
"It was about to ruin my life. Nothing in this world is more important to me than my family. It took me a little while to realize that, but I was about to lose everything because of that damn firm! And all because I thought I owed it to my dad!"
Chris always sat by Rita's side until she woke up about two days after Eric had beaten her up. She blinked her eyes, looking around in the room. When she tried to turn her head, she cried out in pain.
"No, no, don't!" Chris objected, sitting down on the bed next to her. He took his hand into his and squeezed it gently.
"You have some pretty bad burns." he started. "Your spleen was ruptured and several ribs are broken."
"The kids?" she asked weakly, moistening her lips with her tongue.
"The girls are okay. Chris burnt his hands when he tried to save you, but he'll be okay. The whole living room is destroyed, and Alfred didn't make it, I am sorry."
A light chuckle escaped Chris as he said that, but Rita didn't find that funny at all. She shot him a look, "Where were you? Where were you when I needed you? Where were you when your son needed you?"
"I am sorry, Sam, I am really sorry. I missed the plane and took the next one."
Rita winced in pain when she shifted position, trying to get comfortable, "Remember that I said one day it will be too late? Now, it is too late, Chris. Too late for everything."
"No, don't say something like that!" Chris pleaded. "See, while you were unconscious I made some decisions, decisions I should have made a long time ago. I sold the firm yesterday, I really did. I am gonna ask for personal leave at the force and you and me and the kids will go on a long trip once you're felling better. That's something I should have done a long time ago."
"It's too late, Sam." Rita objected quietly.
"No, Sammy, please, listen to me. I almost lost you and I felt so helpless... what was I gonna do without you, without the kids. You 5 are my life, you are everything I have. I know I made a lot of mistakes, and I am so sorry for that. I guess I thought I owed it to pop to keep his firm, but that almost ruined my life the same way it ruined his. Please, Rita, I need you and the kids. I need you more than anything in this world. I promise I'll be a better husband and a better
father. Please forgive me. I was such a jerk!"Rita tried to smile a bit, "Yeah, you were a jerk, you can say that."
"I guess I deserve that now."
"Chris, it's not as easy as you might think. You really have to work on it if it is gonna work."
"I will, Rita, I promise I will. It will be like it was when the kids were still little."
"Then go and look after your kids. I will be fine, Chris."
Chris nodded, "You know I love you more than anything, sunshine?"
Rita nodded silently before she closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep.
The kids sat on the couch in Harry's and Frannie's living room, Chris kneeling in front of them. Christopher stared off at the wall, not wanting to look at his father.
"Chris, will you please look at me?" Chris demanded, gently pulling his face to him.
"I know I've been a total jerk. I promised you things and didn't keep to my word, I yelled at you and most of all I didn't have enough time for you. I am so sorry for that. I never wanted to hurt you because I love you so much. Especially you, Chris. I know it would have meant a lot to
you if I had been there at the games. I promise I will be there from now on. No more going to San Francisco ever."The kids just stared at him, saying nothing.
"I know it's hard for you to forgive me, but do you think you can give your old daddy a last chance? I promise I'll make it better from now on, and this is a promise I'm not gonna break."
"A real promise?" Sarah asked reluctantly.
"And you're not gonna scream at me again?" Hannah added.
"No, I promise I won't be mean to you again, sweetheart. I am so sorry for that. I remember my dad yelling at me and that was something I hated and feared. I guess I forgot about all that. I really wanna be a good daddy for my angels, you think you can help me?"
Casey hesitatingly climbed from the couch and wrapped her arms around Chris' neck, snuggling close to him. Chris held her close as a tear rolled down his cheek. A moment later he had all four kids clinging to him.
"Never forget I love you all so much, my angels."
"Geez, Sam, slow down!" Rita laughed as Chris pushed the wheelchair along the corridor towards the hospital entrance.
"I said I will race you to the car. I have a surprise waiting outside for you."
"A surprise? Christopher!"
"No, no, no, don't say Christopher like that. It makes me feel as if I am in trouble."
"You are still in trouble, my friend. Don't think I can forgive you that easy for what you did to the kids."
"Just you wait until you see the surprise I have for you."
Chris raced the wheelchair outside. The first thing Rita spotted was their car. On the roof, 3 little girls and a little boy were sitting, dressed identically in blue jeans, a white t-shirt with Mickey Mouse printed on it and black tennis shoes. They smiled broadly when they saw
their mother."Oh, jesus, what did you do to them?" Rita chuckled, but with a serious tone in her voice.
"Ugh, nothing, nothing, really." Chris replied innocently. "We just went shopping the other day. That's what they picked."
He lifted her out of the wheelchair and stood her on the ground. He carefully had an arm around her waist for support when she hugged her kids who were still sitting on the roof.
"Are you feeling better, mommy?" Christopher asked.
"Yeah, yeah, I do. And someone told me you were the one who saved me, young hero."
Christopher blushed as Rita placed a kiss on his cheek.
"Enough small talk. Tell your mommy what kind of surprise we have for her."
"Daddy bought you a new fish tank. With a new Alfred." Casey began.
"He told Cap. Schneider that he wouldn't come to work for a few weeks." Sarah went on further.
"He said he would take us to Disney World!" Hannah rejoiced, glancing at Chris. "Oops! I wasn't supposed to say that. I should say that from now on he won't yell at us again and that he will keep his promises."
"And he said that he loves us more than anything and wouldn't want to miss us." Christopher finished what his sisters had begun.
Rita couldn't face her husband right at the moment or he would have seen the tears welling in her eyes. She placed her hand on top of his and squeezed it gently. She didn't need to do more. Chris knew exactly what she wanted to tell him.
"I love you, too." he whispered in her ear.
It was a beautiful sunny afternoon, the air filled with joyous löaughter of several children. Rita lay in the bedchair in the backyard, dozing. She still felt dizzy because of all the medication she was given.
"Play ball!" she suddenly heard her son yelling.
"Play ball!" echoed a darker voice, Chris' voice.
Rita blinked when she barely opened her eyes. She struggled to sit up and saw Christopher standing in the middle of the backyard, his baseball bat in his hands. Chris pulled his Michigan hat out of his back pocket.
"All right, show me what you can do, Chris." he yelled, throwing a ball at his son. Christopher hit the ball and it flew straight against the back fence.
"Hey, not bad, not bad at all!" Chris praised his son. He approached, a bright smile on his face. "One thing, you gotta widen your stance. Put more weight on the back, on the right foot, Chris."
Christopher nodded and did as he was told. He imitated what his father showed him. He focused where the ball had hit the fence, the bat always ready in his hands.
"Now, drop your shoulder a bit. All right!" Chris stood in front of his son and studied him. "Yes, not bad! Okay, girls, on base!"
The triplets each made their way to a certain spot in the yard while Chris remained right in the middle. He turned his hat around before he picked up a baseball. He nodded his head and focused on his son, a slight smile on his face.
"Two outs. Christopher Lorenzo is at the plate, Chris Lorenzo pitching. Casey Lorenzo is at first base, Hannah Lorenzo at second and Sarah Lorenzo at third base."
Chris raised his eyebrows, regarding the big smile on Christopher's face. Then he threw the ball. Christopher swung the bat and hit the ball. It flew straight... through the window into the living room!
"Uh oh!" Christopher murmured, looking at his father, fearing he would be in big trouble now.
Rita raised from her chair, but decided to lay back down once her burns began to hurt her and once she saw the expression on Chris' face. He burst out in loud laughter.
"Christopher Lorenzo, you hit a home run!" he shouted, raising his arms in the air. He moved over to his son and picked him up, placing him on his shoulders.
"Yeah!" Chris yelled, dancing around with his son.
"Yeah!!!!" Christopher repeated, laughing loud.
"A home run, Chris!" Casey suddenly yelled, running over to her father and her brother. She threw her arms around Chris' feet. Chris stumbled backwards. He barely could take Christopher off of his shoulders before he fell backwards onto the ground. Casey and Christopher lay on top of him, giggling. Chris looked up and glanced over to Rita. He saw her
smiling at him."Kids, give me a minute."
Christopher and Casey crawled off of their father. Chris got up and walked over to Rita. He knelt down next to the bedchair and gazed right into her eyes.
"What are you thinking?" he asked her, brushing her hair out of her face.
"Ugh, nothing important. I just saw you playing with the kids and..."
Chris turned over and looked at his 4 kids who were now playing baseball on their own, "Chris is really good at baseball."
"I know. I saw him play several times."
Chris turned his head back to Rita, leaning closer. He took her hand into his and squeezed it gently.
"I am so sorry I wasn't there. But from now on I will. See, I was with Chris at his training while you were in hospital. I took them to the playground, we went shopping, I put them to bed, made them breakfast and dinner... I was there for them. Geez, I think I was more than just an idiot. Our kids are the greatest gift on earth and I made so many mistakes, things I can never ever undo."
"Just be there for them now, Chris. That's all they want. Be there for them and let them know you love them."
"That I will do. I will be there for them when they need me - and for you as well, sunshine. You mean everything to me. More than a million dollars. Heck, what do I say? More than any money in this world! I love you, Sammy, more than words can say."
Chris kissed Rita tenderly on the lips. For the first time in a long time he felt that she responded to his kiss with the same tenderness. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his face closer to her.
"Daddy, daddy, we need our pitcher!" a small voice suddenly yelled.
Both Chris and Rita smiled when they broke the embrace.
"I am coming!" Chris shouted, his eyes still locked with Rita's.
"Go!" she mouthed.
Chris placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before he got up and returned to his playing kids.
Several days after Rita had been released from hospital, a wedding was set.
"We've come together to witness the marriage of this man and this woman." the priest began.
He stopped for a moment when he heard a baby boy began to whine. Frannie had Matthew on her lap while his hands reached out for his mother. Cassy, the bride, turned and waved at her small boy. Matthew stared at her. Then he waved his hands and stopped whining. Cassy turned back and glanced at the man standing next to her, her soon-to-be husband - for the second
time! Tom smiled at her, nodding silently. Then he turned to the priest."Thomas Ryan, do you take Cassandra St. John to be your wife, to honor her your whole life long, to keep her in sickness and in health, in prosperity and adversity and be faithful to her as long as you live?"
"I do." Tom smiled.
"Cassandra St. John, do you take Thomas Ryan to be your husband, to honor him your whole life long, to keep him in sickness and in health, in prosperity and adversity and be faithful to him as long as you live?"
Cassy nodded, "I do."
"The rings please."
Tom turned to Chris, his best man. He handed one ring to Tom and one to Cassy. Tom slipped the golden band he had in his hands on Cassy's finger, "Cassy, with this ring I show you my love. There's no person in the whole world I love more than you. You've given me the greatest gift in life - your love and our beautiful son."
Cassy wiped a tear away before she slipped the band she had in her hands on Tom's finger, "Tom, this ring is a sign of my ever lasting love for you. It took us too long to realize what we really have in each other, but I think this made our love even stronger. And you've given me the greatest gift in life as well - your love and our son."
"You may now kiss the bride."
The whole crowd applauded while the newly weds kissed. Only little Matthew covered his eyes with his hands - and that didn't go unnoticed by a small group of people.
"Now, look at that Heschy! How cute!" Frannie chuckled.
"Oh, yeah, very cute!" Rita echoed.
"Very well raised, definitely. Reminds me of our son, Mrs. Lorenzo. He did the same at that age." Chris commented, nodding.
"I did that?" Christopher cut in.
"Yeah, you did that."
Christopher blushed, "How embarrassing!"
Frannie, Harry, Chris and Rita broke out in laughter. They were still laughing when Tom and Cassy broke the kiss and turned to the crowd. Tom winked at Frannie who stood Matthew on the ground right in front of her. He toddled at her hand for a few yards, then let go of Frannie's hand and waddled towards his parents all alone.
"Oh my god! He's walking!" Cassy exclaimed. She bent down and Matthew walked right into her arms. She scooped him up and whirled him through the air. "You're walking, munchkin, you're walking!"
"Daddy and son did some training while you were out, mommy." Tom chuckled.
Cassy leaned over and placed a kiss on Tom's lips, "Thank you."
"Oh, thank me when I am telling you where we're going on our honeymoon, Matty included. HAWAII!"
"Oh, we go there as well!" a low voice suddenly cut in behind them. Tom and Cassy turned and saw the Lorenzo triplets still sitting on their chairs.
"You'll be in Hawaii?" Tom asked disbelieving.
"Daddy said he always wanted to take mommy there. Now we go there tomorrow."
Cassy rolled her eyes, "Thomas, you think we can book a flight to the Niagara Falls instead?"
"See the positive in this, Cassandra darling, we don't have to worry about a baby sitter!" he chuckled, earning a bump in his side. "Okay, okay, I'll see what I can do about the Niagara Falls."
Chris and Rita had observed them from a little distance.
"You remember when we were newly weds?" Chris suddenly asked, glancing over at Rita.
"Yeah, every single day. You left me thinking you were dead when I was pregnant with Christopher." she replied.
"That wasn't my choice, you know that." he argued, sounding a bit hurt.
"I know, Sam. Thinking about our first two years of marriage after you came back, I guess they were the happiest two years in my life. We had four kids together..."
"A creation of our love."
Rita finally looked over at Chris, a smile on her face.
"We're married 7 years in December, Rita. What do people say? That damn 7th year. Guess we know what they meant."
"I am grateful for one thing in life, Chris." Rita absently said.
"What may that be?"
"I have the man I love, more than anything in the world, back with me."
A big smile broke out on Chris' face before he kissed Rita tenderly.
"I love you so much, heart and soul, I love you, Sammy."
"I know." she replied, grinning mischievously at him.
"Oh, I know that smile, I know that smile, there's a dangerous thought on your mind..."
"What makes you think something like that, Christopher?"
Chris rubbed his temple, grinning as well, "That's it. That grin and you calling me Christopher, you HAVE something on your mind, sunshine. Spill it!"
"Oh, I was just thinking about something Cassy said the other day." Rita responded huskily, placing her arms around Chris' neck and pulling him closer to her.
"What did she say?" he inquired impatiently.
"Ah, woman talk, Sam, nothing important." she teased. She knew Chris was dying to know what Cassy had said, but Rita had decided to play this a little longer.
"Oh, c'mon, Sammy." he muttered. "Should I beg and plead on my knees?"
"That you can do." she grinned devilishly.
"Spill it, woman!"
"What do you think about another baby?"
Chris raised his eyebrows, "Another baby? Hey, hey, where did that thought come from? I mean you always said 4 kids were enough."
"The last couple of days got me thinking, Sam." Rita began. "I saw you with the kids after I came home from hospital. I realized you can be a great father. Not that I thought you never would before we decided to have the kids, but now and after all that happened the last couple of months... I know how much having a son means to you. And how much having a little brother like Matthew means to the kids. So I thought maybe someday we both decide to give our kids a little brother. That's only if you promise me you never won't be the kind of guy again you were the last couple of months."
"That I can promise you, Sam. Never again in my whole life. I will only be a police officer, if you don't mind," he saw Rita shaking her head, "and a loving husband and father - of 4 at the moment, maybe of 5 some time soon. Who knows what life will bring for us?"
"Yeah, who knows? I love you, Sam."
"And I love you."
The end
Standard Disclaimer: The characters of Chris Lorenzo, Rita Lee Lance, Thomas Ryan, Cassandra St. John, Frannie and Harry Lipschitz and Eric Russell don't belong to me, but to Stephen J. Cannell and USA Network. However, the characters of Christopher James Lorenzo JR., Hannah Rose Lorenzo, Sarah Lee Lorenzo, Casey Denise Lorenzo and Matthew Patrick Ryan DO belong to me!! No infrigement intended.As usual, thanks go to Karen for editing this tiny little piece here ;) I apologize to one special person right away... Sis, sorry for always teasing ya with this story! Didn't want to be mean, you know I NEVAH can be mean, huh???
I know I left some blanks with this story, but the next and maybe last part of this series will fill them. Hey, what can I say, I am running out of good ideas for this series, yuck!!! Any comments, and may they only be to tell me how GOOD this story was, are always appreciated!!
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