A/N - Howdy! It's FABULOUS FUNDS FRIDAY!
I hope you like this chapter. I spent two rainy days in bed with Eliot and Parker Muses to get this together.
The next chapter will deal with some of the aftermath and then chapter 40 will have the hot stuff again.
Somewhere in the next 5 chapters, Eliot WILL be out of the hospital! So there's something to look forward to!
Enjoy and please REVIEW! You guys are fueling the awesomeness that comes out of my muses!
"How naughty of you, Lazar," Parker piped up.
"What are you doing here?"
"I came down for work. I'm a regional training specialist for a restaurant chain. I travel the country and advise franchise businesses on how to improve their sales and in the training of their staff. I have a class here in Portland. Then I got the call about you."
"That's news. How long are you in town?" It was so good to see she was doing so well.
"My class is tomorrow, but I had planned to leave Sunday night to head back home. My husband, I swear, will go crazy with the kids if I'm not back." Eliot smirked for a second until the realization hit him.
"What? When did you get married? Good grief, when did you have kids?"
"Relax, I brought pictures," she spoke as she reached into her purse and pulled out a couple small photo albums with at least 30 sleeves per book. "We were married in April of last year. I had a 'Moon baby this past December and then I had my Irish twin baby this past September."
Eliot looked at the cute children he had yet to meet in person. He instantly felt bad that he hadn't checked in with Beretta in two years.
"Moon baby?" Parker asked, curious.
"It's a little thing my husband, Colt and I called him because he was born eight months after our honeymoon. Really a miracle baby. And then our other Irish twin baby is what they call two babies that were born within a year of each other. So, since our daughter was born in September we'll be celebrating her birthday first before his but he was born first."
"Well that's no fair…" Parker pouted.
No one really paid her much attention and Beretta continued answering Eliot's questions.
"What are their names?" He asked.
"Logan Orion Eliot Winchester was born December 7th, 2011 and Lily Belle Parker Winchester was born September 5th, 2012."
Both the hitter and thief looked at her odd, and with shock.
"What?" Beretta spoke, unsure of what she'd said wrong.
"You gave her my name?" Parker asked with a voice close to tears as she looked at the pictures of the baby girl.
"You better explain," Eliot told his step-sister calmly.
He had such a sense of pride wash over him. Even though they weren't blood, they certainly were becoming that way every day. He had to keep his eyes from letting the tears show. He was a guy and he didn't want to start bawling right in front of two women.
"Well, I got to pick my son's name and he got to choose her name. I named my son after Logan Howlett of Wolverine fame and the constellation we were sitting under when I told Colt I was pregnant. And he needed his strong uncle's name. He came a little early in December, made his mamma and daddy miss a Keith Urban concert. I wasn't due until January, but the little guy is a fighter… He's a happy and healthy kiddo. And Lily Belle was the name of his first puppy and he wanted to put Parker in there because he likes Spiderman. I had final approval and so we made it official. Although I liked Belle from Beauty and the Beast as the official explanation for adding Belle to her name instead. She was born on time and she's just perfect. I would have brought them…"
"Don't worry about it. She's too young to travel yet," Eliot cut her off.
"Maybe once you get your get out of jail card from here, maybe you can come down and see us for Thanksgiving. I'll be makin' full-court dinner with all the trimmings."
"I don't know. I might not be able to travel myself," Eliot voiced as he showed her the double casts on his legs from under the covers.
"Oh my… You did get hit badly didn't you? Or what is the real story since I know you so well?"
"I'll have to tell you later. I can't in here."
"Fine, I'm gonna hold you to it. And you know I will," she narrowed her eyes as she teased him. "Well, listen; give me a call if you can't make it down. We're still in Fort Bragg, California. And we also have Skype at the house so Colt's parents can see the kids. They live back east."
"Will do."
"There's something I need to talk to you about in private, if that's okay. Just for a few minutes and then I have to go prep for my class."
"Parker, would you excuse us for a minute? I'll be safe, promise," Eliot told her.
"'Kay, I'll go check in with the gang," even though she looked at him like she didn't really want to leave.
But instead Parker listened from the door way where she was just out of view. She thought it would have been kind of cool if someone she'd never met had a kid named after her, but maybe one day when the girl was older she could tell her how they shared the same name and that would be something that could connect them somehow. Maybe someday if all her magic worked out she could become an aunt to those two cute kids… She overheard Eliot's step-sister tell him something important about his dad… Oh! Her heart ached more for Eliot than ever before even though she held no love in her heart for Eliot's father. She had to walk away before she found herself in tears. She turned on her phone and sent a text message to the missing team members. Then they all got on a conference texting program Hardison put together for them to use if the ear buds went down during a job.
[SpiderMonkey: Guys, Eliot's in trouble. P.]
[MegaMind: Details Parker… N.]
[GriftRUs: What is it, love? S.]
[YouCan'tHackThis: Whatchu need mama? H.]
[SpiderMonkey: Well, Eliot's step-sister just told him horrible news about his dad. He's gonna need our support. P.]
[MegaMind: What kind of horrible news? N.]
[SpiderMonkey: The kind of horrible news you got Nate when we got there 2 late 2 save your dad. P.]
[YouCan'tHackThis: Shit! I'll be there tomorrow. They is putting in the windows and wiring today, so I can't make the trek. But anything I can do computer wise and I'm here. H.]
[MegaMind: Look up any articles you can on Eliot's father. I doubt his step-sister would give us details since she doesn't know us. It'll help us get a better picture of what we're looking at. N.]
[GriftRUs: He's too important to lose. He'll need us to help him through. S.]
[MegaMind: The nights will be the worst. He'll have nightmares. I speak from experience. N.]
[GriftRUs: Anything you think he might need, Parker? S.]
[SpiderMonkey: I'm not leaving him today. So, bring us food and I need another change of clothes. He doesn't know I overheard what she said. He probably expected me 2 anyway. P.]
[YouCan'tHackThis: Nate, check the screens there. The info is transferring 2 you now. Parker, give him a hug from me. H.]
[SpiderMonkey: K. Just stay there and finish the building. I'll make sure it's okay with Eliot that you can't come. P.]
[GriftRUs: I'll B there with lunch in a few minutes. S.]
[MegaMind: We'll both be there. I can look at all of this later. N.]
[SpiderMonkey: Thanks guys. P.]
Parker left the room and Eliot relaxed the bed a bit so he could sit back a little.
"Bro, I know you didn't have the best relationship with your dad from what you told me in your letters. I heard about when you came to the house. The neighbors were concerned when they saw you in the truck and they called my mom when you left just as suddenly. There's no easy way to say this…" she sighed.
"He's gone isn't he?" Eliot filled in for her.
"Yes and no. I yelled at her for not calling me sooner. I could have tracked you down somehow. When you'd come to the house, there was no one there because a few days before, your dad had a heart attack. It was a pretty strong one. My mom got him to the hospital in time so he was under treatment at the hospital with mama when you came back home. He got out of the hospital and then had a stroke at home a few weeks later. So, he's in the hospital near home there but he's in a coma and on life support. They want to pull the plug already. I made mama swear not to do anything until we got there; I couldn't believe she held off telling us for so long. She said she was panicked because of how it ended between you and your dad when you went into the service. She didn't want you two to fight again."
Eliot wasn't sure he was still breathing… It was like his life flashed before his eyes. Memories of his youth and the boy he was before the service turned him into a tough fighting machine. He remembered the day he joined that he swore to the cornfields in the middle of nowhere on the way back to his dad's house that he'd never be a victim again. No one was going to smash him under their boots again. And the military did that for him… Taught him how to stand up for himself.… He gave his step-mother a little credit. She'd stuck with his dad for all of their marriage. It suddenly hit him again, what Beretta had said… There was no way to reconcile with his dad now. Sure, he could try and make it back to Oklahoma again and try to speak his peace but it would only be one sided since his father couldn't respond in kind. Guilt started to set in that he hadn't gone back sooner and tried to make up with his dad sooner. He supposed he just wasn't ready to cross that threshold and now the gap was so wide it was like the Mariana Trench.
"After I finish this class for work, I have to go home and pack a bag to go see mama. Colt is gonna have his parents fly in to watch the kids while he comes with me. She wants me to help her plan his final services. I would have skipped work but we need any extra money we can get now that we have two kids. I told her you should be the one to take care of your dad's arrangements but she said I was his step-daughter too so I should do it. I swear El, I'll do anything you want me to; now that you can't really travel and all."
"I'm sure you'll do him proud," Eliot spoke with some emotion in his voice.