A/N: Please Review!
The next day, Kevakus and I headed to visit Angel. Gazzy, Nudge, and Fang couldn't bear to see her just yet and Iggy went to chug a few drinks.
The guards new what had happened to Angel and agreed to let us see her. I guess they figured enough damage had been done so there was no harm in letting us see her.
We arrived at her cell not knowing what to say. Angel looked sad and dejected rather than alive and fiery. She didn't even look up when we came in or when we sat down or even when we started speaking to her.
"Come on say something sweetheart, please!" Kevakus begged. "Fine. Something. There. Now can you two just go? I really would like to be alone right now." Kevakus got up but I sat him down. "No. We're not leaving you."
"Well you'll have to some time. They'll kick you out." Angel turned away from us.
"Ugh! This is all my fault. Angel didn't kill those women, MobBoss Tony did." Kevakus wiped a tear from his eye. "I knew that, too yet I agreed with him. He threatened to kill both of us if I didn't go along with it. I helped set up the evidence for him and even worse then that, I made her believe the lie."
Angel jumped up from her metal cot. "What are you saying Kev?" Kevakus tilted his head down. "I'm so sorry…"
"Damn right you should be! What the h***? I trusted you. I loved you!" Angel stared at the ring on her finger. "But…but…"
"I proposed to you after because I felt guilty also I knew that it would only be a matter of time before you found out. I knew you would leave me but with us being engaged and all…" Angel clenched her fists. "But but what about the baby?" Baby?
"He'll die not having to know what a horrid father you are. Get out. Leave town. Now!" Kevakus started to cry. "But honeybun…" Angel rattled the barbed wire. "Leave!" After Kevakus left, I waited a minute.
"Pregnant? But how? I mean you looked overweight but not really pregnant." Angel breathed loudly. "Guess this jumpsuit hides it well. You can use it if you ever need to say, 'I'm not pregnant, I'm just fat!'"
"The judge…" I started. "The baby's do the end of December. Kevakus was going to take care of it, but I guess now someone else will have to." Angel rested her hands on her head. "Well you do it, Max?" I had to take a second to process all of this.
"Max you were always there for me even when you were far away. You always looked out for me. You did a great job raising me and you'd do a great job raising my child. I know you would." I looked her in the eye. "Okay. I'll do it."
Just as we finished, Elton came barging in. "I have new evidence. I can save you. I can put them on a trial of staging fake evidence. I can do it. I swear, I can!" Angel smiled weakly. "Thank you, Elton, but that won't be necessary." Elton looked at Angel quizzically. "Don't you understand, it's almost certain!"
"I'm not questioning you Elton. I just believe this is my destiny." Angel looked up. "God is watching me somewhere. If I should live, then I should live. If not, then-then I'm not really missing out on much. You did your best Elton. Max, you did even better. I truly appreciate all of your help. I think tat guard wants you to leave now. Trust me. He isn't very friendly." A tear fell down Angel's cheek. "Goodbye Max, Elton."
As I left, I refused to look at Elton and flew home as quick as I possibly could.
I told everyone at the apartment what had happened. "But how could you let her refuse help from Elton? He can save her!" Nudge exclaimed. "She didn't want it. She's been through so much already, I think she's had it. She trusts her fate to God. She's finally found peace with God, so just let her be."
"But she's pregnant! I never knew!" Nudge exclaimed. "She didn't tell any of us."
Iggy stood up. "That's not true. I knew. She told me but begged me to keep it a secret from you all. I have no idea why but that's what she wanted and I tried my best to respect her wishes."
That night, I could not sleep at all. I tossed and turned until I got a few short periods of rest starting at 6:00. AT around 10:00, I finally got up. I spent the day thinking about everything that had happened until dinnertime when I got the call.
They said Angel went into labor at midnight and was facing complications. They could've operated on her, but she refused. They also told me that Angel named me as legal guardian and that she had a baby girl at a health 7lbs, 14 ounces.
I journeyed to the hospital with Fang and Nudge as we set our eyes on Angel's baby daughter. She had tiny baby wings that barely stuck out. The doctor said she would never be able to fly and could have them removed later in life.
He put her in my arms while she was fast asleep. Her hair was a light blond and she had Kevakus's eyes . What she did have was Angel's expression of peacefulness. Yea, in that moment she looked exactly as Angel did when she was at rest.
"What will you name her?" Fang asked. "I know exactly what I'll name her. Trisita." Fang looked at me. "Trisita?"
I nodded. "It's what she named all of her dolls." Fang was still unconvinced.
"She loved that name. She even told me once…" I smiled as I reflected back to the days when everything was. When all of us were happy.
"Okay. That sounds great then." Fang wiped a tear from his eye.
"I bet somewhere…somewhere in heaven Angel is looking down. She's smiling." Fang nodded in agreement as I rocked Tistita gently.
"Don't worry Trisita. Everything is going to be okay. Yes. Everything will be just fine."
Nudge came over toward us. "I talked to the doctor. He says-he says she's perfect." Nudge wiped her eyes with a tissue.
"Perfect height. Weight. Healthy heart, lungs, everything. Also, says she couldn't be stronger." Nudge continued.
"Yes. She also couldn't be more beautiful." I beamed in delight as I gently swung her back and forth and hummed softly.
I held for hours as she slept peacefully. When she woke up, the doctor gave me a bottle of special formula to feed her.
"Would it be okay if I fed her?" Nudge asked quietly.
I nodded. "Sure go ahead."
At 7:00, the doctor informed us that visiting hours were over. He said that only one of us could stay and that all of us could return at 7:00 the next morning.
Fang and I agreed to allow Nudge to stay with her tonight as we gathered our things, said goodbye to Trisita and headed back home.
When we arrived, Iggy hugged Fang, then me. "I made some arrangements at Conwell funeral home. I arranged the wake to be at 10:00 on Saturday and the funeral to follow. Here's the brochure."
I read: Conwell Family Funeral Home: We look forward to serving your needs. The pamphlet included the information about all of their services. It came with a wake, funeral, and the service of the minister of our choice.
"Iggy, look at the prices. I mean, yes I want to give Angel the best, but I haven't worked in weeks, I have bills to pay, and I will have to support Trisita." I exclaimed.
"Trisita?" Iggy asked quizzically.
"Angel's daughter." I responded as Iggy smiled momentarily.
"Well that's not a problem. Elton agreed to sponsor it. He really feels bad about what happened, Max." Iggy said.
"Well. That was nice of him." Fang noted.
"It was." I still was mad at Elton and wasn't exactly ready to forgive him.
I know, I know. I mean I was a lawyer myself and I always did my best to make both parties happy but sometimes I just couldn't fulfill my promises. I had tried my best and failed. Of course, when I failed nobody died. They may have ended up extremely miserable and not so well off financially, but still. No one died. I was sure that if Angel were free, she would've felt responsible for taking care of Trisita.
That night, Fang handed me a box wrapped in newspaper. By the way the edges were crumpled up to fit the box and how it was taped in random places I could tell Fang wrapped it himself.
I ripped open the paper and opened the box. "My cell phone! You got it fixed!"
"I figured you might need it. You know, to keep in control of every situation and everyone." He smiled sheepishly.
"Why?" I asked.
Fang picked up a manila envelope from the table. "My phone bill came yesterday. You racked up the bill like heck. 545 dollars and 39 cents."
With that I hugged Fang in a tight embrace.
After dinner, I checked my messages. Karen called like twelve times. My boss called. Unfortunately it was to fire me.
It was amazing when I thought about what had happened these past two weeks.
At the start, I was sort of rich, married, and completely independent from every member of the Flock. To my knowledge or to my ignorance, everyone was fine. In two weeks, I learned how not fine everyone was. I became more aware of what had could happen when the Flock was broken up and how much we truly needed each other.
At the beginning of two weeks, I appeared to have it all. A husband, a good job, happiness. But I didn't. Not really. I was just under the illusion I had it all. In the end, though I lost everything. My husband, my job, my happiness and even what I didn't realize I was missing. Yet I had gained something too or regained something.
I regained the essence of the Flock. I regained the feeling of our importance. I regained something I had been missing for a long time: a purpose, a real purpose.
I guess I had fallen asleep because at midnight I was awoken by a call on my phone. "Hello?" I asked sleepily.
"Oh hello, Max." It was Randall.
"What do you want you f****** son of a bitch? What do you want from me you- you murderer? Yeah. That's what you are. A murderer. A cold-blooded, heatless killer."
"Max, Max, Max. Settle down. You know this isn't my fault. You could've stopped this. Angel could've easily won the trial and retained her will to live. Yeah, I heard what happened. Such a shame." Randall snickered.
"I swear Randall, I'll get you! I will! You will pay!" I screamed.
"Easy there Max." I could sense that Randal was smiling.
"You're right. Two wrongs don't make a right."
"Two wrongs? As in your two wrongs?" Randall asked.
"Randall. You're delusional. You let your spite take place in a place you shouldn't have messed with. You went through so much trouble embellishing claims, allowing your siblings to fake their way to making false claims, brainwashing so many people to agree your lies!" I felt the scorching pain in my vocal chords as I screamed.
"Don't be so selfish. This wasn't for you. Did you really think this was about you?! No. For two years you pushed me to the limit. For two years you forced me through h***! Did you give a damn about me? No. No you f****** bitch!" How dare he!
"Oh, I guess it doesn't do any harm in telling you this now. I knew the truth. Angel did not kill those women. My sister's colleague found there was no way she could've pulled the trigger. But my sister is shall we say very persuasive? She is a highly respected professional and it was her who tripled the records of marijuana, cocaine, and heroine in her system. My brother, the wonderful police man he was helped come up with many exaggerated, no false, actually, claims." Randall continued.
"You- you! I'll-I'll get you locked up. I can. I have connections! Randall, are you listening? Randall? Randall! You better not have hung up on me!" I threw my phone across the room. It hit the wall and the back fell out.
"Don't tell me you broke the phone again." Fang smiled.
With that I burst into tears. "What's the matter? I heard you yelling. You woke me up. You know I need my beauty sleep."
The tears rushed down my cheek even faster and I found it harder to catch my breath. "Oh Max, what's the matter? Who was it on the phone?"
"R-Randall. H-h-h-e was telling me- me that- that he set up everything. I mean I knew he was behind this but still!" I poured out to Fang everything that Randall had told me.
"That son of a bitch!" I nodded in agreement. "My thoughts exactly."
"You know what? I will go after him. He will get what he deserves. I will pursue him. He cannot get away with this." I assured.
"You will. I know you will." Fang hugged me.
"I-I can't believe I married that a******. I mean I was extremely wasted and all of that, but still!"
"I told you that you would be better off with me." Fang smiled.
I resumed my sobbing. I guess it was too much. Everything, all of this, just all at once. It was all so much!
"I-I'm sorry Fang. For everything. I should've been nicer. I shouldn't have been such a jerk to you! I'll be better to you, I promise!"
Fang shook his head and said, "You do that and I'll make sure you don't give up and back down on that promise. Deal?" I nodded.
"Deal."
Fang gently pushed my head down to the pillow and placed the sheets over my body.
Then, without warning, he pressed his lips to mine and gently stroked my hair.
"Fang?" I let out.
"Goodnight, Max." With that, Fang got up, walked out, and closed the door. We may have experienced our disagreements and differences but one thing was for certain, Fang really knew how to close out a deal.