Chapter 10 – Confrontation

No North Texas fans were harmed in the making of this chapter.

A/N: I wrote the last part of this chapter first to find out how I wanted the first part to go. I hope y'all enjoy it! This chapter takes place two weeks after the previous one. Anna Rose is now a month old. James is now about 3 months. It is getting close to spring time now.

Victoria

For the first time in a week, the sun had finally decided to let us know that it was still around. Rather than the constant cover of clouds and rain we had had for the past week, the sun finally was out. Since I was tired of being at home, Harry had surprised me with a baby carriage that he had fixed up. We had taken Anna out for a walk around our neighborhood earlier in the morning and that had left me feeling refreshed. After Harry had left to go help Jack with some repairs at their house, Anna and I had gone for another walk since it was such a pretty day. Anna was growing so fast and was a delight to be around. She'd chatter and babble on in her own language and would laugh with delight whenever she saw a bird or a friendly face.

Since Harry had been at the Dawson house when Anna and I had left to go on our second walk, I didn't even bother to go home first. I knew he would probably still be over there, helping Jack as needed. I opened the gate at the front yard of our house pushed Anna's carriage up the walk and inside our house. I left it in the den area and after checking for Harry at home, I decided to go next door and see if he was still there. I picked Anna up out of the carriage and let myself out of the kitchen door. Harry had laid a stone path leading between our house and the Dawsons' house and had cut a gate in the fence to make it easier for me to visit Rose. I opened the screen door and knocked on the main door, but opened it myself without waiting on a response. "Rose?" I heard Jack call out from the back that she was upstairs with the baby. I saw my husband with Jack. "Having fun?"

Harry looked up from the sink. "Clogged. Jack and I are fixing it, or trying to at least." He bent down to hand Jack some sort of wrench. "Not sure if we're making any progress or not."

"I see. Well, I'll leave you men to the chores while Anna and I go visit Rose upstairs." Harry kissed Anna and me as I left them at the sink. I was about halfway up the stairs when Harry came over to the baby and me and I gave Anna to him for a minute while he took a break from the sink. I walked upstairs, leaving the clogged sink, Jack, Harry and Anna downstairs.

"Rose?"

"In here." I heard her call out from behind James's door. I pushed it open to find her changing the baby. "This is the part of being a mother I do not like." I watched as Rose was fastening the diaper then pulled James's pants back up. "I'll be glad when you get potty trained. That can't come fast enough, so please make it quick." James's only response was to laugh at Rose. She tossed the soiled diaper in a hamper next to the changing table. "Where is Anna?" She picked James up who let out a laugh when he saw me in the room. I held out my arms and he clapped again, but buried his face in Rose's shoulder. "He's being silly today. Jack kept trying to reach for him but he's playing peek-a-boo with everyone."

"She's downstairs. Harry took a break from your sink to spend some time with her. The sun is out and it's not quite as cold as it has been which is strange for this time of year, so she and I went for a short walk after Harry and I got done with our walk earlier. That carriage that Harry found has come in handy. Anna loves being in it." I turned my attention to James as he stared at me before laughing at me and hiding his face once again. "And how is this little guy?" I held my arms out and James responded with a gurgle and another laugh before Rose handed him off to me. "You're so handsome. I bet you get told that all the time." I wrapped my hand around one of his tiny hands and he responded by shaking his arm and laughing again.

We made our way back downstairs where the men were. "Get it fixed yet?" Rose looked as Jack had his upper body under the sink. I peered over the counter and all I could see was a pair of legs sticking out with Harry standing over the sink, looking at Jack through the hole where the drain was supposed to be.

"Almost." He stopped doing whatever it was that he was doing long enough to look at us. "This drain line is really messed up."

Rose and I exchanged a silent humorous glance towards the men and went to the living room to sit down and talk. Harry brought me Anna so he could help Jack finish up.

We were about to start our conversation when Harry and Jack announced they were going into town to pick up something for the sink. After watching our two handymen walk out the door, Rose and I had to exchange a glance.

"Think they have any idea what they are doing?"

I shook my head a little, "Harry might. He is good at stuff like that. He's fixed a broken door hinge at our house not too long ago and the door opens and shuts just fine, but I'm not sure how he is with plumbing just yet. How about Jack?"

"His forte is artwork, not plumbing. I told Jack we should call someone, but he said that he could handle it himself and that was some time yesterday and it's still not fixed. How's Anna doing?"

I shifted her to where she was cradled in my arms looking up at me which was how she preferred to sit. Her blue eyes were fixated on something above my shoulders. "Doing well. She isn't sleeping through the night very well lately. Harry is real helpful though. He goes to get the bottle and on the way back to bed, he stops in the nursery and brings me Anna and then he goes back to sleep while I feed her."

Rose laughed. "Sounds like Jack. He wasn't much help at first. Between the two of us, we hadn't a clue what to do. Took me forever to figure out how to fasten diapers. Mrs. Miller had to show me probably a dozen times before I finally got the hang of it but she's been a jewel for us both. I am so thankful for all the help she has given us. Who knows where I'd be without her right now. I'm sure if James could talk, he'd have a few words to say to me. I always had attendants and Jack, well, he's a man. He's not supposed to know but little by little, we're working it out. I guess if James grows up different than everyone else, we'll know why. Maybe by the time the next one comes, we'll have all this down."

"I used to hear my mother telling my father when I was little that no matter how much practice you have, you never really get it. I guess now with Anna, I know what she means. It's all just a shot in the dark sometimes."

"True. Do you miss your mother? I know it's different with me. I chose to leave mine. You didn't have a choice."

I swallowed hard. This was a topic that I had thought about often since Anna was born. I had told Harry quite often that I wished my mother was still alive for a number of reasons, but most of all so she could help me with Anna. "It's hard. It was really hard. It is still really hard. I've told Harry a lot that I wish every day she would be here with my father and still be here for Shannon. She'd love Harry and Anna both. I would love to hear nothing more than the advice she has. The childbirth scared me. I felt so, drained. I was terrified the same thing would happen to me as it did my mother."

Rose was bouncing James on her knee but stopped when she realized what I meant. "She died with your sister, right?"

I nodded. "Yes. She passed away from severe blood loss during Shannon's birth. With Anna, I remember drifting in and out of consciousness and hearing Mrs. Miller say something about the blood loss with me. It scared me. I was hearing what she was telling Harry, but when I started to sleep, I couldn't respond. I could hear what was going on around me, but it was almost as if I was paralyzed and couldn't do anything. I guess that was the part from the blood loss. I could hear Harry's frantic voice and the fright as he tried to wake me up. I could hear what I was screaming in my head that I was trying to wake up and for him not to worry, but I couldn't get my body to cooperate with me. I could hear you next to me and I could hear Mrs. Miller, but I couldn't do anything about it. I was just too weak and I was afraid of leaving behind Harry and my baby. Then when I passed out the second time, I was afraid I'd leave my baby and my husband for good."

"Oh, Torie, I had no idea."

I smiled at Rose, "As for my mother, I was mad at Shannon for the longest time for killing our mother but then I realized that I couldn't be mad at her even if I wanted to be. I came realize that even though our mother was gone, I was at an advantage. I got to meet her and spend the years with her before she died. Shannon never got a chance to meet her. All she's seen is a few oil paintings and has had to listen to stories about her from our father and me. I can't imagine what that's like for her. Do you believe that it's been a long time since my mother died and I still feel like it was yesterday?" I used the edge of the sleeve of my dress to wipe tears out of my eyes that were falling. I missed one and it hit Anna on the head and startled her. She stopped waving her hands in front of her face long enough to look up at me. "I'm okay, sweetie." I kissed her head before I finished telling Rose my story, "The pain subsides, but it never goes away. Shannon is lucky I guess. She doesn't have the pain of losing our mother. She just has the pain of never meeting her."

Rose started to say something, but we were stopped by a knock at the door. "Expecting company?" I looked at her and she shook her head after I spoke.

"No." She got up to walk to the door. "Maybe Jack forgot his key or Harry needs you?"

"Harry would use the side door like he always does. I don't think he knows this door exists." I stood up and walked a few steps behind her. As Rose opened the door to expose the person knocking, even though I couldn't see who it was, I could see the horrified look Rose had on her face as we saw who had knocked.

I heard a male voice that sent shivers down my spine. "Hello, Rose."

I was frozen. Rose was frozen. "Cal?" Rose took a step back.

Cal stood at the doorway with a smirk on his face. "It's been a while. How are you?" He looked over Rose's shoulder and saw me with Anna. "Miss Metcalfe, how are you doing this fine spring day? Is this your child?" I shifted Anna to my other hip to get her out of Cal's line of sight. "I see." His attention went back to James and Rose. "And to my Rose. My dear, sweet Rose. I'm so glad you're alive."

Cal reached out for Rose's cheek but she slapped his hand away and took another step back. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh Rose, young Rose. Still so feisty even to this date. I'm here as a promise to your mother. We feared you dead. Your mother is just worried sick about you and when she found out you were alive, well, here I am." I watched as Cal stepped inside Rose's house. He looked at her and smiled. It made me shiver in my boots from across the room. "I guess a better question, what are you doing here? You belong to me."

I'm evil, aren't I? I had to leave y'all hanging until I got the next chapter up. Be nicer to me than I was to you by leaving me lots of reviews.