A new beginning part 2

by dorisann

part two of lost love

"Lost Love" Part 2: "A New Beginning"

by

Dorisann Anderson

Sixteen year old Rosea stood by the edge of the water watching the waves come and go. Thinking back over the last week, she still remembered the day her mother came to her school.

Rosea sat in her Math class when the teacher walked over to her with a piece of paper she carefully put in Rosea's hands.

"Rosea, your mother is waiting for you in the Principal's office. You need to get your things together and go see her."

As Rosea walked into the office, she could see her mother sitting in a chair with tears running down her face.

"Mom, what's wrong?" she asked as she sat down beside her mother.

"Rosea, we need to go to the hospital right away. I just got a call that your dad has been in a car accident and is badly hurt."

They had been sitting in the waiting room for less than an hour when the doctor walked in with a sad look on his face. He walked over to Lisa and Rosea.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Anderson, but there was nothing we could have done for your husband."

Lisa stood at the window watching her daughter watch the waves. "What's wrong with her, Aunt Jane? Why doesn't she show some kind of emotion? I know she knows Steve wasn't her real dad, but he was the one who raised her." Tears began to fall once again down Lisa's face.

"Lisa, she has to deal with this her own way. Now tell me, are the tears for Steve or Ponch?"

Lisa looked at her Aunt Jane. "You know me well, don't you? I don't know if I really loved Steve. Maybe I did in a way, but not...not...the same as Ponch. I feel so bad. I just buried my husband, and here I am wishing I could run into the arms of my first love."

Jane hugged Lisa. "It's not bad, dear. With Ponch you felt safe, protected, and loved for the first time. It's not surprising that now you want to feel that again. You're hurting, and you will be able to deal with this, as Rosea will in time."

Rosea held in her hands the shoe box that was her mother's, thinking to herself, 'I need to find my real dad. I want to be with my real dad.'

That night, Rosea took the money she had saved from her baby-sitting jobs and her allowance and called for a taxi. Leaving a note on her bedside table, Rosea ran out of the house and got into the cab waiting to take her to the airport.

Getting up a little late, Lisa went to the kitchen to fix breakfast. She noticed the wind had picked up and quickly turned on the radio.

"This is the National Weather Forecast. The Hurricane has changed direction and is now headed for Florida. Residents are urged to seek shelter."

"Aunt Jane, wake up! We're going to have to board up this place and go to a shelter. The hurricane is headed for us now."

"Okay, Dear. Get Rosea up. We need to get some things we will need at the shelter."

Jane quickly got up and was getting things ready when she heard Lisa's yell. Running into Rosea's room, Jane saw Lisa standing and looking out the window with a piece of paper in her hand. "Lisa, what's wrong? Where is Rosea?"

Lisa turned around to face her aunt Jane with tears running down her face as she whispered, "She's run away to Los Angeles...to find her real dad. I need to call the airport for a ticket to L.A. I've got to find my baby! I can't let her walk around the streets of L.A. by herself!"

Jane walked into the living room to see Lisa sitting on the couch with her hands over her face, weeping. "Lisa, what's wrong?"

"All the airports are closed due to the hurricane."

"We will just have to trust God that Rosea will find Ponch and he will take care of her 'til you get there."

Getting off the plane, Rosea asked the clerk how to get to CHP Central. She got the directions, then picked up her suitcase and headed out to find Ponch.

Rosea stood on the side of the highway, trying to decide what to say if someone stopped to pick her up. 'I guess I could tell them that I need to go to the CHP Central Division, and that it's an emergency.' Lost in her thoughts, Rosea didn't hear the siren at first. She turned around to see a CHP motor officer coming toward her.

Ponch couldn't believe his eyes as he saw a young girl with a suitcase in her hand walking down the highway. "7 Mary 4, possible runaway, send a unit to my location." He got off his motor and approached the girl, trying to shake the feeling that he'd seen her before.

"I'm Officer Poncherello. What's your name? Do you know how dangerous it is to hitchhike? You want to tell me who or what you're running away from?" Ponch shook his head. 'Why do I feel like I have seen her before? She reminds me of someone. I just can't think who,' he thought to himself as he waited for an answer to his questions.

Rosea couldn't believe her real dad was standing there before her. Seeing the look of concern on his face, Rosea answered, "I'm not running away, Officer. I'm looking for someone...for my real dad. My name is Rosea Anderson."

Pulling up behind Ponch's motor, Bonnie smiled as she saw the two walk up to her, then looking closely at the young girl and at Ponch, she shook her head. 'I wonder if the girl could be Ponch's? She sure looks like him.' Bonnie thought. She watched them as she got out of her cruiser. 'She even walks like him.'

"Rosea," Ponch began, "This is Officer Bonnie Clark. She is going to take you in to Central so we can talk, Okay? Bonnie, this is Rosea Anderson."

"Am I going to be arrested?" Rosea asked as the tears fell. She shook with fear as Ponch spoke softly to her.

"No, Rosea. You're not going to be arrested, but we do need to talk to you." He took her by the arm. "Look, you have to tell us where you're from and why you're running away. I want to help you but you must tell me the truth."

Picking up the suitcase, Ponch put it into the back sea, still trying to think who the young girl reminded him off.

Bonnie helped Rosea into the cruiser. Looking back at the young girl, she asked, "How long has it been since you last ate?"

Rosea wiped the tears away. In a weak and scared voice she answered, "It's been a few days, officer. Was Officer Poncherello mad at me?"

"No, Rosea. Ponch wasn't mad, but we have all seen young, innocent girls run away and end up in the wrong hands. Some end up dead. What you were doing, hitchhiking, is also very dangerous. Ponch was only very concerned for you. I tell you what. I'm hungry. I didn't get to eat breakfast this morning. How about we go to a hamburger place and get something to eat?"

"Yeah, I'm hungry too."

"Can we talk with Officer Poncherello when we get back to the station?"

Bonnie watched as Rosea ate, wondering if Rosea knew something she and Ponch didn't know about.

"Sure. You can talk to Ponch when we get there," Bonnie said as they started to leave.

Sitting in the break room, Rosea and Bonnie waited until Ponch got there.

Seeing Ponch walk in, Bonnie walked over to him, whispering, "She wants to talk to you and only you."

Ponch looked at Rosea as he sat down at the table, a cup of coffee in his hands. "Rosea, I want to help you, but you need to tell me the truth. Who or what are you running away from?"

"My mother told me who my real father is. He's a CHP officer here in L.A. I want to see him. My stepfather died, and I just want to be with my real dad."

Just then Sgt. Jon Baker walked into the room. "Ponch, I want to talk to you in my office. Bonnie will stay here with Rosea."

Jon took a long look at Rosea and smiled, thinking to himself, 'Bonnie was right. She does look like Ponch.'

Walking into the office, Jon turned around to face Ponch, "Why did you turn down the promotion to Sergeant again, Ponch?"

Ponch looked at down at the floor. "Jon, I'm a street cop. I will always be a beat cop. I just don't think sitting behind a desk is what I want to do." Looking up at Jon, Ponch could tell his words had hurt, but they were the truth. "Jon, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

He could still remember the day it all ended for Jon as a beat cop.

Ponch's mind went back some six years ago. The image of Jon falling and the car that ran him over was still clear in his mind. He could still see the car's tires as they ran over Jon, and he could still clearly see the pain on Jon's face. No longer able to walk with out the use of a cane, Jon took the promotion to Sergeant, which had been offered him early.

4 Jon sat down behind his desk, knowing what Ponch was thinking. "Ponch, you couldn't have stopped what happened. It's okay. I miss being on the streets, but we both know I can't do it anymore. You're not getting any younger either, Ponch. You really need to think about it."

Walking over to the window and looking outside, Ponch's voice was barely more than a whisper. "I have no reason to stop, Jon. No one to go home to, no one to care if... Maybe one day I will, but for now I'm still a street cop."

"What are you going to do about the runaway? Ponch, don't you think she looks a lot like you?"

Well, she does remind me of someone, but I can't think who. Look, Jon, she's just lost her stepfather, and she's scared. Let me take her home with me over the weekend. Maybe she will tell me who her real father is, or at least call her mother. I'm sure I can get her to tell me. She just needs to feel safe."

"Ponch, you know you can't do that. We'll have to call the Department of Children's Services. She'll be put into a foster home until we can find out who her parents are."

Looking over to Jon with his arms crossed, Ponch shook his head. "Jon, please let me take her home. Patty is here visiting. It'll be Okay. She's too frightened to be placed in a foster home, Jon. Besides, what if she really IS mine?"

Jon favored his friend with a worried expression. "Look, old friend, you need to think back some sixteen or seventeen years and try to remember who your girlfriend was at the time."

Ponch laughed. "You really expect me to remember that?"

"For your own good, you'd better start to think about it. OK, you can take Rosea home as long as Patty is there, but you'd better get her to tell you who she is and how to get in touch with her parents."

"Sure, Jon. I will. I'll get her to talk," Ponch said as he walked out of the office.

He walked back into the break room and sat beside Rosea. "Look, I'm going to have to take you to my place. It's very important that you tell me everything. I don't want to have to call Children's Services."

Rosea sat quietly in the car, wondering just how to tell her real dad the truth. Looking over at Ponch, she thought, 'Maybe he already knows.'

Ponch opened the door to his apartment. "Mmmmm...from the smell of things, it looks like my sister, Patty, has dinner cooking."

Rosea followed him into the apartment.

"Here, Rosea. You can put your suitcase in this bedroom," Ponch said, pointing toward one of the rooms. "I'll get you a cot to sleep on."

"Ponch, dinner's ready." Patty walked into the living room. When she saw Rosea come out of the bedroom, she spilled the glass of tea she had in her hand.

"Patty, this is Rosea. She's staying here with us until we can get in touch with her mother."

"Ponch, she looks..."

"I know, Patty. I know."

After dinner, Rosea went into the bedroom. She came out with a shoe box in her hands. She sat on the couch, unsure where to begin, and started to tell her story.

"All my life the other kids teased me, saying I was adopted. They would say my real mother and father didn't want me." With tears running down her face Rosea, kept on telling her story, "I would ask my mom about it and she would just get upset with me and tell me. 'I'm your mother.' I hated it. I just wanted the truth about my parents, but my mom would start to cry every time I asked, so I stopped asking. Then when I was fifteen, my teacher gave us an assignment to do our family tree, so I looked in my mom's closet for any information about my parents. I found this shoe box in the closet. Inside were pictures of my mom and my real dad."

Ponch started to think of his past girlfriends. He shook his head. 'I never went out with someone with the last name of Anderson. I'm sure of it," he thought as he listened to Rosea tell her story.

"Mom told me how she met him and why she left him, and how she has always regretted the decision to leave him. See, he's a CHP officer. Mom didn't think she could be brave enough to be his wife." Rosea looked over at Ponch, her face wet with tears. "My adopted dad died a few weeks ago, I just want my real dad. Me and Mom lived in Florida."

Suddenly Ponch felt his heart skip a beat. He had tried for a long time to forget the one person he knew who'd left him and moved to Florida. He looked at Rosea. "Honey, who is your mother? Are you saying...I'm your dad?"

"My mother is Lisa Ann Rush, and yes, you're my real dad."

"You ran away form Florida?" Patty asked. "Did you know they are having a hurricane right now?"

"We lived in a beach house right on the beach. Mom would have gone to a hurricane shelter. I didn't know...!" Rosea said as the tears began to fall again.

Ponch put his arms around Rosea. "It's Okay, Baby. We'll find a way to get in touch with her." Trying to comfort her, he held her tight, stroking her hair and talking softly to her. "You know, finding me won't take away the pain you're feeling over your stepfather's death. It's okay to say you loved him. He may not have been your real dad, but he's the one who raised you, the one who helped keep you safe and gave you a home and fed you. He loved you and cared for you. It'll hurt for a while, but in time it won't be as painful. I didn't know about you, but I'm here now and I'll help you all I can."

Rosea cried herself to sleep in the loving arms of her real father. Ponch slowly carried her to the bedroom. He watched her for a moment as she slept, thinking of all the questions he wanted to ask Lisa when he got in touch with her.

He walked back into the living room, picked up the shoe box and began looking through it. He put the box down, staring at the picture he held in his hand, and went to the door. He looked back at Patty for a moment. "I need some air," he said as he walked out.

"Jon, I'm worried about Frank. He just found out Rosea is his, and that Lisa is the mother. He said he needed some air, but that was four hours ago. I'm really worried."

Jon sat on the edge of the chair, having the feeling that something was wrong with Ponch. He thought about all the places his friend could have gone.

"Don't worry, Patty. I'll find him. I think I know where he is." Jon said his good-bye and started out the door.

Sitting on the rocky ledge overlooking the ocean, Ponch remembered the love he had shared with Lisa and the fun times they had. Once again, he felt the pain of never knowing why she left him.

Jon sat down beside Ponch. "Seems to me you could find a easier place to get to if you wanted to go and think. Patty called me. She's worried about you."

"Sorry, Partner."

The sadness in Ponch's eyes and voice told Jon just how upset Ponch was.

"Patty told me Rosea is your daughter and Lisa is the mother."

"Yeah. I saw the pictures she had, and the birth records. Why, Jon? Why didn't she tell me? I loved her. No one ever made me feel like she did. I've always loved her, even though I tried to forget her."

Jon sat looking out over the ocean, remembering the day Ponch found out Lisa had left him. "Ponch, I don't know. That's something you will have to ask Lisa, but I bet it has something to do with her being pregnant and you being a cop."

"I was in the hospital! She just walked out of my life...just walked out."

Jon could hear the pain and anger in Ponch's voice. "Ponch, stop it! Don't eat yourself up over it. Is Lisa still in Florida?"

"Yeah, and they're getting a hurricane, Patty said. I need to find a way to get in touch with her, Jon, to let her know Rosea is Okay and that she's with me."

Jon looked at Ponch, knowing how hard he had taken Lisa's walking away from him and wondering if this would only open up old wounds that had never healed. "I guess I could fax the police station in her town and have them to look at the hurricane shelter for her, to tell her that Rosea's okay. Or I could get in touch with the Red Cross and have them tell her. I'll see what I can do first thing in the morning, Okay? Now how about going home so Patty will stop worrying over her baby brother?"

The next morning, Ponch walked into Jon's office with Rosea beside him. "Hey, Jon, did you get in touch with Lisa?"

Jon looked up from the many papers he had to fill out for that day. "No, Ponch. I wasn't able to. The phone lines are down from the storm."

Ponch put his arm around Rosea's shoulder. "Don't worry, love. We'll think of a way. I'm sure your mother will come here to look for you."

Five days after finding Rosea's note, Lisa stood in front of CHP Central, remembering all the good times she and Ponch had. "This is not going to be easy," Lisa whispered to herself as she walked in the building. Walking up to the desk, Lisa asked the young officer behind the desk for Officer Poncherello.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am, but Officer Poncherello isn't working today. Do you want to speak with Sergeant Baker?"

"Jon's a sergeant now? Yes, please. I must speak with Jon."

The officer took Lisa to Jon's office. As she entered the office, Lisa noticed the cane.

"Jon, I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Lisa Anderson. My sixteen year old daughter ran away four days ago looking for her father. Ponch is the father, Jon. I need to talk to him right away."

Jon looked at Lisa with concern on his face. 'Ponch, I'm afraid you're going to get hurt again.' Jon thought as Lisa sat down. "Yes, Lisa, I remember you, and what you did to Ponch. Rosea found Ponch. She's been staying with him. He took some time off so he could be with her. Lisa..." Jon paused for a moment, "...if you take Rosea away right now, you will truly hurt him."

"Why do you say that, Jon? What's wrong with Ponch?"

"Five years ago Ponch's wife was killed in a car accident. He was one of the officers who responded to the accident. Mary was six months pregnant at the time, and Ponch has never gotten over it. I don't think he can handle losing Rosea."

Lisa stood, crossing her arms over her chest. "Look, Jon, I know you won't believe me, but I never wanted to hurt Ponch, and I don't want to hurt him now. My concern is my daughter, though. I need to know where she is so I can go get her."

Jon shook his head. "I'll have someone take you to his place. Lisa, Ponch almost gave up on living. Whatever you do, please don't hurt him again."

Standing outside Ponch's place, Lisa knew she would have to face a hurt and angry man.

Ponch opened the door, and his face paled when he saw Lisa standing there. "Hello, Lisa. Come on in. Rosea's in the bedroom. I'll go get her."

He left Lisa standing at the door and headed toward the back of the apartment. A moment later, Rosea came running out of the bedroom.

"Mom, I didn't mean to make you worry, but I just wanted my real dad!" Rosea said as the tears fell.

Lisa took Rosea by the hands. "Rosea, when we get home you're grounded for the rest of the summer! You scared me to death! Do you know how stupid and dangerous this was? If I hadn't found that note in your bedroom I would have had no clue were to find you! You couldn't have even called because the phone lines were down! You really messed up big time, young lady!"

"I'm sorry, Mom! I just wanted my dad," Rosea said, tears running down her face. "Please, Mom, let me stay with my dad."

Ponch stood beside the ladies. "Rosea, how about you go out to the pool awhile so your mom and I can talk?"

With Rosea gone, Lisa looked over at Ponch. "I have to take her home, Ponch. She's my daughter and belongs with me in Florida."

The anger in Ponch showed clearly in his dark eyes. "You never gave me a chance to be Rosea's father! I want to see her! I want to be a father to her!" Ponch looked down on the floor as if to find the right words there. "Dammit, Lisa, why didn't you tell me? Why did you leave me? I was hurt...in the hospital...you just left. Why?" Suddenly he stopped, unable to find the words he wanted to say.

Lisa held back her tears. "I didn't come here to fight, Ponch. I just want to get Rosea and go home."

"Lisa, please stay here in L.A. for a while. I just want to get to know Rosea better. I'm not ready to give her up yet. Please? You could get a hotel room and stay for a while."

Remembering what Jon had told her, Lisa knew she could not hurt Ponch. Seeing him standing there, wanting to hug him, to be in his arms again, Lisa put down her suitcase. 'Stop that, stop thinking about him,' she told herself. "Okay, we can stay for while, I guess, until we can work something out."

Ponch reached out to her as if to take her in his arms, then stopped and just looked at her. "Thank you. Would you like something cold to drink?"

"Yes, please."

They walked into the living room. "I was surprised to see Jon had made it to Sergeant. How did he hurt his leg?"

"We were chasing some bank robbers on the freeway. They took an off ramp into the city and tried to get away on a side street. A little boy ran out in front of Jon. When he swerved to miss him, he lost control of the bike and skidded in front of an oncoming car. The driver couldn't stop in time and ran over Jon's leg. The were able to save the leg, but he was left with a lot of permanent damage."

"That is so sad. I know he loved being on the street," Lisa said as Ponch handed her a glass of iced tea.

"Yeah, it is, but at least he had a wife who really loved him and stayed with him to help him through the hard times," Ponch said with a hurt voice.

Lisa felt her heart break at Ponch's harsh words. With tears running down her face, she looked over at Ponch. "Nothing you say could hurt me more than the day I made the mistake of leaving you. I just couldn't handle being a cop's wife. I couldn't live with the fear of the two AM phone call." Lisa got up. "Ponch, I need to call a taxi to go to a hotel. I will be back tomorrow to check on Rosea." Patty, having heard her brother's harsh words, walked into the living room. "Lisa, I'll take you to a hotel and come get you tomorrow for breakfast. It will give us some time to talk."

She gave her brother a stern look over her shoulder as they left the apartment.

Getting up from the couch, Ponch watched as the door close, knowing his words had hurt and feeling bad for saying them. He walked out onto the patio.

Patty came back to the apartment to find Rosea lying on the bed crying. "Rosea, dear, what's wrong?"

Rosea sat up, still crying. "Aunt Patty, I thought my mom and dad said they still loved each other, that they never stopped loving each other, but now look...they act like they hate each other. It's my fault! I made them get back together." Rosea laid her head on her Aunt's shoulder and cried.

"Rosea, they don't hate each other, but there is a lot of hurt and pain there. They will work it all out, but it's going to take some time."

The next morning at the breakfast table, the tension was thick. No one knew what to say.

Finally Patty turned to Rosea. "Dear, go get your bag. I want to take you on a tour of L.A."

After Rosea left the room, Patty stood up. "Look you two, I know you both are hurting and I know you two still love each other, but you have to get though the pain and hurt to find the love again. You're both hurting Rosea. You need to think of her now. She and I will be out for most of the day so you two can talk, so TALK!"

With that said, Patty and Rosea left.

Looking over at Ponch, Lisa began to tell her story. "Ponch, it wasn't easy for me either. I was married to a man I didn't really love, hoping that when I went to sleep I would wake up to the one I did love. Steve was a good man. He was good to me, but he never gave me time to get over you, and I never really loved him. I had always loved you. I made a bad decision to leave you and I have lived my life regretting it. I know I hurt you, Ponch, but it wasn't easy trying to love another man knowing my heart belonged to you."

Tears ran down both Lisa's and Ponch's face as he played with the food on his plate.

Slowly, he stood and walked over to her. He reached for her hands.

"I know I've been acting like a jerk. Please forgive me. I have always loved you. I have never stopped loving you." He held her in his arms. "Lisa, please move back here to L.A. Please, let's be the family we were meant to be."

Once again, Lisa was in the arms of the one she loved. "I want to, Ponch, but we need to take it slow. Maybe we could move back and get a small place close by so we can work together to be a family. My Aunt Jane will be so happy. She's always said I made a big mistake letting my fear of your job rule my heart."

Ponch held Lisa close. "Together we will do it right this time. I've been offered a sergeant's position, but I never had a reason to take it. If it means I can come home to you and our daughter every night, I just might have found that reason."

One month later Ponch stood in front of Captain Joe Getraer accepting his Sergeant's stripes.

Looking back, Ponch saw Lisa and Rosea sitting in the front row beside Jon and his wife.

One year later Ponch and Lisa sat in the living room of their newly bought home.

"Ponch are you sure this is what you want to do on your day off? Just sit around the house?"

Ponch put his arm around Lisa and pulled her close as she put her head on his shoulder. "Yes, love, all I want to do is to be with you and Rosea. Ummmm...is she still seeing that boy?"

Lisa laughed. "No, you ran him off. You scared the poor boy away."

"Good! That's what I wanted!" Ponch said with a smile on his handsome face.

"Ponch, she's going to have boyfriends. You've got to get used to that."

"Not if I can help it."

Lisa laughed. Looking up and touching Ponch's face, Lisa whispered, "Ponch, I'm pregnant."

continued in part III