Special thanks to myboygeorge for ideas on this chapter!
December 21 (same day), 7:30 PM
Manhattan, Sophia's Point of View
When Agent Avery took Jeffery, Gabriella and me from the house in Washington Terrace, I was given the task of keeping our youngest companion quiet, just in case we were caught, and it wasn't an easy task because Gabriella had turned into a blubbering mess the second we started heading away from the bedroom where we had left her mother and Melissa. It was a twenty minute ride to the elevated train station where Avery dropped us off, and the whole time, I sat in the back seat with Gabriella, holding her close and talking to her in a soft tone so she would be a little calmer by the time we got there.
Once we arrived, I carried Gabriella on my hip and she immediately relaxed, which gave me a good chance to listen with Jeffery to Avery's last minute instructions about changing trains and catching subways. Avery gave us our tickets and left, but the second he had vanished into the crowd, I realized how incredibly brave he was being in letting us go when he knew that Jeffery and I knew exactly how much trouble he was going to be in later on.
But you know what? It was all worth it because it meant that Gabriella was on her way back to being with Jessica's parents—Javier and Lanie Esposito—plus, it meant that Jeffery and I were experiencing freedom for the first time in our lives. And later, we're going to meet our mother's husband, Jim, and their only other surviving child who is now an adult. Her name is Kate, and we've heard nothing but wonderful things about her, but… I'm nervous about all of it, and I know Jeffery is, too.
Since we were traveling from Washington Terrace, a neighborhood inside a neighborhood located in one of the northernmost pockets of Manhattan itself, I already knew that we were going to be traveling all day, but when you factor in an increasingly excited five-year-old, falling snow and freezing temperatures, it's easy to not realize how tired you'd get by the time you actually reach your destination.
I was more than ready to sit down because my feet felt like they were bleeding, and when I looked over at Jeffery and Gabriella and saw that they had slowed down considerably, I knew they were both ready for a break, as well. Even though my brother had put himself in charge of navigation and I was in charge of Gabriella, it had also fallen upon me to decide when we were going to take breaks from walking. I would have let us have one, but I wasn't about to stop because after we had come up to the sidewalk from the subway and I consulted a map, I realized that we were just around the corner from the Emergency Room entrance to Saint Brigid's Hospital, the one hospital that Jessica and Melissa instructed us to go to because they have lots of connections there.
When I informed Jeffery and Gabriella of this, they both got very excited and vowed to keep moving against the bitter December wind.
All I was concentrating on was getting the other two to safety before I could worry about myself, even though I knew we were all going to need medical attention from being out in the cold with improper winter clothes. (By now, I was positive that my feet were bleeding because my shoes are worth nothing and the soles had holes in them, allowing for sidewalk debris to get in and cut the bottom of my feet up) Jeffery and I stopped suddenly because Gabriella did, and we had to make an extra effort to not trip over her because she had stopped without warning and was now standing in the middle of the sidewalk.
As soon as my brother and I crouched down in front of the little girl we've always regarded as a sister, and looked at her closely, we could tell that something was really wrong. Even though her tiny hand had an iron grip on my own hand, we could see that Gabriella had a vacant look on her face and was definitely staring into space. She didn't make a response or sign of acknowledgment when Jeffery waved his hand in front of our face. (Gabriella didn't even blink) She certainly didn't respond when I called her name to her over and over.
During this time, a crowd of curious onlookers had gathered—but that was unavoidable when this kind of thing happened on a sidewalk in Manhattan, even in the dead of December—and we ignored them because Gabriella was our number one priority.
She was having a seizure.
"Bella," I called softly to her, trying not to cry. "Please come back to us. Tío Jeffery and I need you right now. Please, princess? Can you believe that we're almost to the hospital? It's just around the corner, so we just need to go a little bit longer."
No response.
"I don't know if you can hear me right now," Jeffery spoke to Gabriella in a calming and steady tone as he placed one of his hands on her back. "But if you can, I need you to concentrate on breathing, okay?"
He made a show of inhaling and exhaling.
"Inhale, exhale, Bella. Inhale, exhale."
Gabriella gave a sudden start and blinked rapidly for a few seconds before focusing on us.
"D-did I have a 'episode'? That's what mama calls 'em when they happen…"
"Yes, baby girl," I told her. "You just had an episode."
"I don't remember anything 'cause I lost some time!" She was clearly upset, so she tightened her grip on my hand even more. "How long did it take? I'm so scared!"
It was obvious that our little friend wasn't herself at the moment, but it was also obvious that it would be mean to not answer her question, even if she's just a little girl.
"It was about five minutes. Do you really not remember anything, Bella? I kept calling your name to you."
The little girl's cloudy eyes immediately filled with tears as she shook her head in response. When she became aware of the gathered crowd, she did something that any mortified little kid would do: yell at them to go away. The crowd was taken aback, but they listened when Jeffery and I both started shooing them off.
"Sweetheart, they're gone." I told her when we knelt back down in front of her. "We need to get you to the hospital, but it's right around the corner. Are you going to be able to make it?"
Gabriella shrugged and sounded noticeably distant in her answer, which made more warning bells go off in my head.
"I don't know, but I really gotta tell you something."
She was now using her free hand to pat me on the shoulder repeatedly, and I suddenly realized that she wasn't even aware of what she was doing because she hardly had control over her own movements.
"What do you have to tell me?"
Her medical ID bracelet slid up and down on her wrist as she continued to pat my shoulder. "I actually gotta tell both of you about it, okay? Not gonna be too mad?"
"Of course not." Even though Jeffery was still acting calm for the sake of our little companion, I could tell that he was also getting weirded out by her bizarre behavior. "We're not going to be mad about anything that you tell us right now."
"Good, good. That's good…"
"Focus on us." I urged. "Do you remember what you were going to say?"
She came back to her senses for a second, and it broke my heart to see that she was crying harder when she answered me.
"I accidentally wetted myself when it happened, Tía Sophie and Tío Jeffery, and I don't gots any clean clothes. Or shoes. I'm really, really sorry."
Jeffery gave Gabriella a back rub in an attempt to keep her from having a second seizure in less than ten minutes, even though it looked like it was going to happen again.
"It's okay, Bella. We're not mad about that, but we can fix it later by cleaning you up and getting you some new things to wear, all right?"
"Okay…"
Gabriella spaced out again and this time, it lasted for only two minutes. When she came to, she sounded like she was in shock.
"My breathing feels funny…"
I could physically feel my heart plummet at the little girl's admission, but Jeffery reacted faster than me because he took off his jacket, wrapped it around Gabriella and held her close to him like she was a little baby, and we hurried as fast as we could to the Emergency Room. Once we got there, I was ready to collapse because of how much my feet hurt, but I wasn't ready to let the doctors take a look at me yet, but I didn't argue with Jeffery when he found me a wheelchair to sit in. He placed the still-sick Gabriella in my lap, and I held her as close as I could to keep her warm.
We didn't get too far inside because we were intercepted by a stern looking older woman dressed in a work dress, high heels and white lab coat.
"These wheelchairs aren't for playing with." She told us. "They're for serious medical emergencies only."
"This is a medical emergency!" Jeffery stressed. "My sisters and I were just outside in the cold!"
The doctor just raised an eyebrow, like she didn't believe him. (I could see what she was thinking because Gabriella isn't the same skin color as my brother and I, but it still hurt) She looked like she was going to make some sort of snide remark, but we had to move aside as a set of paramedics came rushing in, pushing a gurney in between them. In a matter of seconds, two more sets of paramedics hurried in, pushing more gurneys. Each new patient looked worse than the previous one.
"As you can see, we have a very busy night, and more casualties are coming in soon. I don't have time to worry about—"
The rude doctor was cut off when another doctor—a tired looking man, dressed in colorful scrubs and sneakers—caught sight of us and hurried over.
"Doctor Hawthorne, what's going on here?"
Doctor Hawthorne looked startled at the appearance of the newcomer.
"These three are stirring up trouble—"
The other doctor didn't wait for Doctor Hawthorne to finish, because he was looking at Jeffery and me closely, as if he was trying to figure something out, but that was when he caught sight of Gabriella and recognized her.
This man looked trustworthy, so I didn't stop him from trying to pick Gabriella up.
Gabriella came to her senses when she saw him and offered him a weak smile.
"Tío Thomas, I'm home now."
He have her a gentle hug and then gave her a cursory examination. When he saw that she was unwell, he turned back to me, ignoring Doctor Hawthorne for the time being.
"What happened to Gabriella? Did she have a seizure?"
I was close to tears, but I was able to explain everything to him because even though we hadn't been properly introduced, I knew that this man was Thomas Ryan, one of the doctors we'd been instructed to look for. He told off Doctor Hawthorn for neglecting that the serious nature of the situation, and then sat Jeffery, Gabriella and me on the nearest to assess the damage.
Because Gabriella had had two seizures and breathing problems, Thomas wasted no time in getting her hooked up to an oxygen tank to get her breathing back to normal. He also wrapped her up in an electric blanket to regulate her body temperature. Thomas was even able to locate both of the hospital's trauma surgeons—a husband and wife team—and got them to take a look at Jeffery and me.
We were both diagnosed with hypothermia and immediately wrapped in electric blankets like Gabriella had been, but my feet were so torn up that Lady Doctor Sato took extra time to clean them, disinfect them and wrapped them in fresh gauze. She then told me that I was confined to a bed for the rest of the night. I liked the idea, but a sudden thought occurred to me that made me burst into tears.
"What's the matter, sweetheart?" the doctor asked, kneeling down beside the wheelchair that she had just helped me into. "It's not going to do you any good to get overly excited right now, especially since you must be pretty tired."
I nodded and took a few calming breaths, realizing that she was right. "Who's going to pay for mine and Jeffery's bills? We don't have a home right now, and we've never really had a parental figure in our lives who's taken care of that kind of thing for us before!"
Doctor Sato patted my hand gently and gave me a kind smile. "It's all right, Sophia—you don't have to worry about that. I know who you and your brother are, and I know what you two went through to bring Bella back here."
I wiped my tears away with the back of my hand. "How do you know who we are, Doctor Sato?"
"My daughter, Amaya and her fiancé, Jim Beckett, both talk about you and your brother a lot. Please don't worry about bills and things like that, all right?"
"Okay."
"All you have to worry about is how excited Amaya and Jim are to meet you and Jeffery. Can you do that for me?"
I nodded confidently. "Yes, I can."
"Good answer." She got back to her feet. "And you're almost family, anyway, so you may call me by my given name: Sakura."
Wondering if I could coax her into giving me any extra pain medication for my feet, I complimented her.
"I think that Sakura is a really pretty name."
My new friend beamed. "Thank you, Sophia, but if you're trying to sweet-talk me, you just failed. You're not getting any more medication because I told you that you don't need it."
"How did you…?"
"I'm a mother of a grown daughter and I have five grandchildren." She answered with a twinkle in her eyes. "I've seen all of the tricks over the years. Nothing gets past me."
Sakura cast a glance towards the other side of the ER when she saw that the others were no longer with us and her husband and Thomas could be seen pushing Jeffery and Gabriella out into the main corridor. Sakura turned back to me and fixed my legs up so that they were elevated straight out in front of me—my feet weren't allowed to touch the floor—and we hurried after them.
Twenty minutes later
Pediatric Ward, Room 557
After Sakura got Gabriella clean and helped her dress in clean underwear and pajamas, Jeffery had to hold Gabriella in his arms while she was hooked up to a better oxygen machine. The part that got Gabriella worked up was that the breathing tube had to be inserted in via her nostrils, but she had a total fit when Sakura's husband, Kenji Sato, had to hook her heart and brain up to a few more wires to monitor her, just in case she had another seizure.
(It took Jeffery awhile to get Gabriella calm again)
Even though my brother and I were in the pediatric ward when we were than old enough to be in the regular patient ward, we didn't really mind because we were both off our feet and warm for the first time all day.
I could tell that Gabriella was missing Jessica and Melissa bunches, but for the time being, she was deliriously happy to be back with people that she knew.
After we were all settled, Sakura shooed Thomas out of the room so he could go be with his wife and newborn baby boy. When he was gone, Sakura and Kenji started making phone calls to different people, and while Sakura was on the phone with a woman called Madison, she put a hand over the mouthpiece and turned to us.
"Madison and her family are a few blocks away and they want to get food for you three because you must be starving by now. What would you like to eat? You can have absolutely anything you want."
Gabriella spoke first. "Mama Sakura, please can I have chocolate chip pancakes with syrup and whipped cream also?"
"Of course you may, Bella. Thank you for asking so nicely."
Sakura turned back to us. "What would you like?"
I shrugged. "I don't know because we've never been able to choose what we want to eat when we want to eat."
"This is true." Jeffery confirmed. "It's kind of stupid, but we wouldn't know what we want because we were never starved, but we've never had good food to eat…"
Sakura looked sad, but resumed her conversation with Madison. "Jeffery and Sophia don't know what they want, so yes, that's an invitation to surprise them—Bella specifically requested chocolate chip pancakes with syrup and whipped cream—Yes, I will. See you soon."
She hung up the phone and put it in her pocket as she addressed the three of us at large. "Madison is going to be here in twenty minutes or so, depending on traffic and things like that. Are—yes, Bella?"
The little girl was fidgeting around in her colorful kid-sized bed, and she looked like she wanted to ask something.
"When gon' call the buelos? Don't forget Buela Ophelia, please! I want her, also!"
Kenji walked over to us, pocketing his own phone. "Bella, I just called her and your mama's parents."
Gabriella was temporarily stunned and couldn't say anything, so she just waited for Kenji to finish.
"It's going to be a little while, but they're all coming here to see you, and they're all really excited about it."
"Is Gracie coming, too?" the little girl squeaked. "I love her very a lot!"
Kenji smiled at her. "She's coming, too, so don't worry."
All Gabriella could do was clap her hands together in delight because she had actually been rendered speechless this time. In all the time I've known her—practically her entire life—I'm pretty sure that I've never seen her so happy.
Across town, at the Esposito house
(Same time)
Esposito's Point of View
Lanie is three days away from her due date, and she is slowly going berserk because the baby is big and has a habit of kicking and punching whenever his heart desires it. Because of that, Lanie can often be found crying in frustration. It doesn't help matters at all that she swears up and down that the baby she's carrying now—our son—is the biggest of any of our children, and she's pretty sure that he's also the heaviest one.
That's why I had originally intended for us to have a movie night together once Grace went to bed, but sometimes…
Plans go astray.
"Javi," Lanie sighed as she waddled into the kitchen, holding both hands in the small of her back. "What is taking you so long? It doesn't take ten minutes to make popcorn and put it in a bowl!"
I put my phone in my pocket and walked towards Lanie so I could hold her in my arms. After the news I'd just gotten, I was a little stunned and wanted nothing more than to hold my wife.
"What is it?" Her expression became one of concern. "Who were you just on the phone with?"
I took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Chica, I just got off the phone with Kenji Sato."
Lanie raised an eyebrow. "Amaya's dad? What did he want?"
"He told me that Jeffery and Sophia are back, and that they brought Gabriella with them."
"R-really?" Lanie put a hand over her heart. "What about Melissa and Jessica?"
I shook my head and steadied her as her knees buckled slightly. "They're still gone, Delaney. The twins know where they are, but won't say."
"Why not?" Lanie's tone was close to a whine but it was warranted.
"Why do you think? It's because they're probably scared of getting hurt, and they don't want to risk their newfound freedom."
"When did our lives become so difficult? When did things get so dark?" she demanded angrily. "Things were dark when we were kids because of where we grew up, but what the hell? There's some kind of war going on around us, and it's more apparent now that Jessica Rose and the Dragon—whoever he really is—are the main players, but there are probably a few more, right under our noses!"
Lanie obviously freaking out, and there was nothing I could do but let her vent and keep a hand on her belly so our little boy wouldn't also get freaked out.
"Javi, things have really changed in our lives in the past few years, but they really changed when my mother—who was AWOL from our lives for ages—was shot in a grocery store robbery gone way wrong! They've even gotten Alexis' and Kevin's mothers, too! Who's next, huh? Me? Kate? Jenny? We're all perfect targets, and you know it! You and I grew up violence, but I never expected it to stay in our lives!"
She gave a little sob and rested her head on my shoulder while she composed herself. Since she was pressed up against me, I could feel the baby kicking up a storm.
"I wish I had all of the answers for you, Delaney." I kissed her on the top of her head. "I really wish I did."
She looked up at me, tears fresh in her eyes. "I know you do."
I kissed her again. "Are you going to be okay to get yourself ready while I get Grace ready?"
She nodded and stepped back, massaging her belly. "Baby boy and I will be just fine. Go get Grace."
I hurried upstairs to our youngest daughter's room and entered, turning on the pixie lamp on the bedside table next to her crib. Grace opened her eyes and blinked at me slowly, like a tiny owl.
"Baby come?" she inquired.
"A couple more days yet."
I was a little surprised when she gave me an evil eye that was identical to the one that Lanie has given me on numerous occasions. Grace's expression pretty much said "Then why the hell did you wake me up?" It made me shudder because I realized that I'd just had a brief glimpse into the future, with Grace as a moody teenager who loved sleep.
(Scary…)
"Sleepy-time." She growled at me and put a finger to her lips. "Shhh! Way loud!"
"No can do, Gracie. We need to go because Bella is at the hospital."
Joy immediately swept over my little girl as she realized what I meant and she stood up on her little legs and held her arms up to me. I lifted her out of her crib and set her on the floor, but as soon as I did that, she was off like a rocket and out of the room. Before I could figure out what could have possibly made her move so fast, she was back, but this time she had Gabriella's beloved stuffed Velociraptor, Detective Fuego, clamped under her arm.
It went without saying that Grace wanted to be the one to reunite Gabriella with her favorite toy.
When I managed to get my daughter to keep still long enough, I managed to change her diaper and get her into some warm clothes before we went back down to the living room, where Lanie was already bundled up and waiting patiently for us on the couch.
We were at the hospital in no time, and when we reached the correct room in the pediatric ward, Lanie and I stopped short when we saw one of the occupants—my mother. She was dressed in a stunning red floor length dress, the kind that cost a pretty penny, and the kind that wealthy women would wear during an attendance of a Broadway production. I looked at Lanie, and saw that she looked just as surprised as I felt about my mother's outfit.
(Never in our lives had we seen my mother wear something that fancy, even when she did dress up)
The other two occupants of the room—a teenage boy and girl, whom I immediately recognized as Jeffery and Sophia Beckett, saw us and waved before turning back to watch Gabriella, who was wrapped up in a story that mama was telling her. They didn't even notice us.
That is, until Grace decided to slide out of my arms and run towards the bed, still holding the dinosaur.
"BELL!" she cried joyously. "BELL, BELL, BELL!"
Mama plucked Grace off the floor and set her on the bed, whereupon Grace was finally able to give Gabriella her beloved toy. Gabriella pulled her little aunt into a hug and then began chattering away with her at top speed. (Sometimes we wonder how they can understand each other, when Grace's vocabulary is a mixture of English, Spanish and Toddlerspeak) It was a minute or two before it dawned on Gabriella that Lanie and I had to be nearby if Grace was in the room.
When our granddaughter saw us, she immediately beckoned us over and was more than happy to let us shower her with lots of hugs and kisses. Gabriella enjoyed the attention, but it was diverted when Grace pointed out Lanie's pregnant belly to her. Lanie happily let the girls talk to the baby while she and I turned to Jeffery and Sophia, who were both nearby, him in a chair and her in a wheelchair with her legs elevated.
"What happened to Bella? Why is she hooked up to all these wires?" I asked them as mama left the room to take a phone call. "Kenji didn't tell me on the phone because he said that you two could."
"Mama Jessie might tan our hides when she finds out," Jeffery shuddered at the thought. "But Bella had two seizures outside in less than ten minutes."
"We've seen Bella have seizures when she was a baby," Sophia added, suddenly looking like the memories were physically wearing her down. "But in five years of knowing her, we've never seen anything quite like this…"
She proceeded to tell us the exact account of what had happened to our granddaughter, from spacing out in the middle of the snowy sidewalk to accidentally wetting her pants to even making repetitive movements that she probably hadn't been aware that she was making. By the end of it, Lanie was in tears and holding one of Gabriella's hands against her huge belly, just wanting to make sure that the little girl was really there. (Gabriella didn't mind it, but she kept talking to Grace) I, meanwhile, felt like a failure for not being able to be there to take care of my granddaughter when she had really needed help.
But… Gabriella hadn't been alone when it happened…
"Thank you both so much." I heard myself saying to the twins. "Thank you for everything that you've done for my family."
Lanie was nodding in agreement as she wiped her tears. "How can we ever repay you for watching over Bella and getting her the help she needed on time?"
Sophia answered this. "Please don't worry about repayment, Lanie. Bella is practically our baby sister, and we would do absolutely anything for her. She knows that, and so does Jessica Rose."
Lanie's eyes lit up at another mention of our firstborn, but didn't get a chance to say anything because mama breezed in from the corridor at that precise moment and tucked her phone into the pocket of her fancy jacket that was hanging over the back of a nearby chair.
Seeing her in that dress again made me say something that I couldn't keep back any longer.
"Where did you come from, dressed like that, and how did you get here before us?"
"Jean-Michel dropped me off." She answered, twirling a lock of her long dark hair around a finger.
"I beg your pardon?" Lanie and I chorused.
Mama realized what she said and turned beet red in embarrassment.
"He's her 'special friend,' buelos!" Gabriella piped up.
I felt a brief twist in my heart as I thought of my late father, Felix Esposito, and then my heart just hurt a little worse as I fully comprehended the concept of my own mother being in a relationship that she hadn't even told me about—and I'm her only surviving child!
Lanie sensed what I was feeling because she spoke before I could say anything too stupid.
"Ophelia, when you say 'Jean-Michel,' are you talking about Jean-Michel DuPont, the famous Broadway composer they refer to as 'the Haitian Sensation' because he's from Haiti?"
As mama responded, her eyes gave the kind of twinkle that I hadn't seen in over twenty years. The only other person who had been able to make her eyes twinkle like that had been my father...
"The one and only."
"What were you two doing?"
"We were going to see Spamalot, actually, but when we got the call that Gabriella and Jeffery and Sophia were here, we gave away our tickets and then headed over. It's just lucky that we're a few blocks away from Broadway right now."
Lanie looked around. "Where is Jean-Michel?"
"He had to do something for a minute, but he should be here any second…"
The words were barely out of her mouth when there was a knock on the door. We all looked over to see a very tall, very dark-skinned and very muscular older man dressed in a tuxedo. (He was also completely bald, but pulled off the style very well) He would have looked intimidating if not for the fact that he was toting a vase of Gerber daisies and had a stuffed Triceratops tucked into the crook of his arm. It was clear that even though Jean-Michel DuPont was in love with my mother, but it was just as clear that he also cared about her family members, and was demonstrating this with get well gifts for Gabriella.
I'd seen pictures of Jean-Michel before today, so this was not the first time I'd seen him and realized that he could probably snap me in half if he wanted to. But now, after seeing him in person with the presents for my granddaughter, I couldn't help but smile because he looked like a giant teddy bear.
He acknowledged Lanie and me, but gave mama a peck on the cheek before walking over to Gabriella, who was delighted to see him. We watched as she accepted his gifts with lots of enthusiasm and thanks.
Mama, Lanie and I didn't have a chance to comment on Jean-Michel's sudden appearance because more visitors arrived: Madison, Nicolas and their three kids. Unsurprisingly, they had brought food for Jeffery, Sophia and Gabriella. What was even more unsurprising was that little Moses was determined to bring his particular take-out container to Gabriella all by himself. The only help that he would accept was me lifting him onto the bed.
"Bella, best friend," Moses breathed, practically in awe of my granddaughter. "I bringded you the pancakes you ask mama for."
Gabriella's eyes grew wide. "Does they got chocolate chips, Mo?"
"Plus the syrup an' whipped cream." He carefully set the box down on Gabriella's bed tray and pulled something from his shirt pocket. "Look! I even gotted you a fork!"
Too overcome with emotion, Gabriella just blew a kiss to Moses and asked Madison to help her get the box open.
Mama rose from the chair that she was sitting in and headed out to the corridor with Jean-Michel and beckoned for Lanie and me to follow them. We did as we were told, but waited until the Castles passed us. (They were late in coming to see Gabriella because they had been visiting with Kate on a different level of the hospital and were only just arriving to the pediatrics ward) Nobody spoke until they were inside with the others.
Since mama raised Lanie as her own after Susan Parish took off, she addressed her, too. As she spoke, mama's thick Hispanic accent was becoming slightly thicker as it did when she was getting very serious about something.
"Javier, Delaney, this is Jean-Michel DuPont, and he's my…"
Her voice trailed off and she looked up at Jean-Michel. "What's the proper word?"
"Companion." He supplied, and I noticed for the first time that he spoke with a classic Haitian French accent. "I'm your companion, Ophelia, just as you are mine."
She nodded in approval and they both turned back to us.
"Jean-Michel is my companion," Mama put lots of emphasis on the word. "And we love each other very much."
"How did you two meet?" Lanie asked curiously.
"Through friends of yours, actually." Jean-Michel answered. "Desmond and Megan O'Malley were the ones who set me up with Ophelia."
Lanie raised her eyebrows in surprise. "But you're a celebrity…"
"I wasn't always, Delaney." The older man's eyes were full of laughter. "I go way back with Desmond and Megan, but that's another story for another time."
"Then may I at least ask how long you and Ophelia have been together?"
"Six months." Was the proud answer. "We've been together for six months now, and today is our anniversary."
I was vaguely aware of Lanie congratulating them, but didn't say anything until she nudged me in the ribs.
"Anything you want to say to the happy couple, mi amor?" she asked pointedly.
I meant to say 'congratulations,' but something else came out that just made Lanie shake her head.
"Are you two going to get married?"
The older couple laughed and shook their heads.
"No, Javier, we're not going to get married," Jean-Michel answered. "But I do want you to know that I'm never going to try to replace your father, the honorable man that he was. Do you understand that?"
I just nodded slowly, realizing that this must have been how Kate had felt when she first found out that her dad was romantically involved with Amaya Serizawa.
"Ophelia and I are perfectly content with being each other's companions, and as people who are more than halfway through the movie, we know that that's how things are going to be and we couldn't be any happier. Is that all right with you?"
I nodded again, still trying to absorb the shock that this whole conversation was bringing me, even though part of me was extremely relieved that they weren't going to get married.
"When were you going to tell us about… everything?"
"We were going to tell you both tomorrow." Mama answered promptly.
"E-Even me?" Lanie stuttered in surprise. "Ophelia, I'm not your daughter."
"Nonsense, mija." Mama reached out and caressed the side of Lanie's face gently. "You're as much my daughter as Javier is my son. It's always been that way. Who do you think has been keeping an eye on you since that day in the courtyard?"
Lanie just smiled because she looked like she was a little overwhelmed by the spontaneous affection. (Ever since Lanie's mother went on a downward spiral in the aftermath of becoming a widow, Lanie has always felt that she needs to work hard for affection, so it always throws her for a loop when another adult (besides me) shows her affection with no strings attached) She looked like she wanted to say something in response but wasn't able to because another familiar person was heading towards us: Kiyoshi Serizawa.
Yoshi's Point of View
Of all nights for the subway to be slow and my taxi to get stuck in traffic…
As soon as I got the call that Jeffery, Sophia and Gabriella were back, I was on my feet and out the door before my family really knew what was going on. (They'd figure it out eventually) After what seemed like an eternity, I found myself at Saint Brigid's Hospital, inquiring at the front desk about where Gabriella and the twins were. My knees practically buckled in relief when I found out that they were in the same room.
The second the elevator doors slid shut and I pressed the correct button, I allowed myself a few moments to grieve over the fact that Melissa and Jessica weren't back yet. (My heart mostly hurt over Jessica's absence, though. That woman is my first for many things, including first love) I gathered myself quickly when the doors opened and I stepped off the lift because I didn't want anyone to see me sad.
As I headed down the corridor where their room was, I knew I was headed in the right direction because I saw Javier, Lanie, Ophelia, and a man who I was sure was the legendary composer Jean-Michel DuPont, but I didn't pay attention to any of them because all that mattered to me was getting to my sweet little princess, Gabriella.
When I got to the room, I stood in the doorway for a minute, watching her. She had an oxygen tube going up both nostrils and was hooked up to a few monitors because she had two seizures, I found out, but was holding tightly to her toy Velociraptor and what looked like a new toy Triceratops dinosaur. Moses Álvarez was next to her, but little Grace was tucked in between them. (The way they were arranged, I was amused to see that they resembled a family) Lily Joy was perched opposite them, telling them a story, Ezekiel, Moses' identical twin brother, was next to her, also listening.
It was a moment before Gabriella realized I was there, but when she saw me, her face lit up with pure joy and delight.
"DADDY!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, holding her arms open as wide as she could. "DADDY, I'M HOME!"
There was a collective chorus of "Awwww!" from the adults in the room, but I barely heard it because I was pretty sure that my heart had melted from the sweetness of Gabriella's words.
I've always loved her as if she's my own flesh and blood, and it's been pretty clear from the first day that we met that she's been fond of me, too, but this was the first time I've ever heard her call me anything other than my name, so for her to call me daddy, especially in front of so many people, well…
That was pretty special.
And a huge turning point.
(It just makes me sad that Jessica wasn't with us to witness the moment)
"Hey, Princess Bella." I spoke warmly to her as the others vacated their spaces on the bed. "I'm so glad that you're home."
"Tía Missy didn't come home, though. Neither did mama." Gabriella gave a sad sigh. "Tío Jeffery and Tía Sophie broughted me back, but I'm just sorry that mama isn't here 'cause I know how much you love her…"
Not caring about who was watching us now, I sat next to Gabriella on the bed and held her close in a cuddle, kissing her on the crown of her head. She leaned against me in response, and I could feel her little body relaxing.
"You're absolutely right about how much I love your mama," I told her sincerely. "But I have you back and I'm holding you right now. That's just as good."
Gabriella just nodded sleepily and pressed closer to me.
"Daddy," she murmured around a huge yawn. "I'm gettin' sleepy now…"
"That's okay, sweet princess. You can sleep because I'll be here when you wake up."
Gabriella nodded again, and was fast asleep when her head hit the pillow.
Maternity Ward, ten minutes later
Kate's Point of View
Because I'd had nothing better to do after my family's visit was over, I decided to take a nap because I was at the last stage of my pregnancy where every last minute of sleep counted, especially since I'm going to be giving birth to twins in a few days. I wasn't sure how long I was asleep, but when I woke up, Juliana was in my room and she was grinning happily about something.
"What are you so happy about?" I asked as I sat up and received a few swift kicks of annoyance from the babies. "Did you get an early Christmas present?"
She shook her head. "I didn't, Kate, but you most certainly did."
"Oh?" I looked around interest. "Where is it?"
Juliana looked towards the corridor and beckoned to someone out there to join us. After a moment's hesitation, two people entered.
The first was a teenage girl dressed in disposable scrubs and seated in a hospital-issue wheelchair. Her feet were propped up and wrapped in many layers of gauze, indicating that both of her feet had sustained some kind of injury. Also dressed in scrubs and pushing the wheelchair was a teenage boy who looked as nervous as the girl did.
My heart skipped a beat—as was recorded my heart monitor—when I realized who this pair was. The girl was a dead giveaway because she looked like a teenage version of my mother.
I was looking at Jeffery and Sophia Beckett, my long-lost brother and sister!
(It wasn't until then that it hit me hard that all three of us are the only surviving children of our mother)
"Will you two come closer?" I beckoned encouragingly to them as Juliana made a silent exit. "Please? I just want to see you both."
Jeffery maneuvered Sophia's wheelchair so that it was lined up against the side of my bed, allowing her to lean towards me if she wanted to, before he set himself on the edge of my bed in the little space that I had made for him.
"Hello, Jeffery." I looked from him to our sister. "Hello, Sophia."
"Hi, Kate." The twins chorused.
"How are you doing?" I asked curiously. "I've been so concerned about you two, so now, there are no words to describe how relieved I am to know that you're both here and talking to me."
"We've had some bumps and bruises," Jeffery admitted. "But we're all right, for the time being."
"Kate?" Sophia said tentatively. "I have a question."
As I turned to face her, she jumped slightly, but I knew that it was because she saw in me the resemblance of our mother that I saw in her. Neither one of us had to say it, but we just weren't used to seeing someone in front of us who was almost our mirror image.
"What question is that?"
"Do you think that mom is up there with all the other angels, celebrating that all three of us are together right now?"
I nodded and gave my little sister a genuine smile that made her smile right back.
"I most certainly do."