Chapter 50
Thanks to everyone who has been reading, reviewing and especially sticking with this story. I started editing this chapter almost a week ago, but have been sick since… Thanks too to all the new "favorite" readers, I really appreciate hearing from all of you.
At seven o'clock the bell rang at Jack's apartment, and the first of his many guests arrived. Sue and Lucy had worked hard right after work to set up appetizers, drinks and managed to order enough food for their entire dinner party.
Lucy had run home to shower and change while Sue did that at Jack's. She'd left a dress there, just for situations like this. Lucy was the first one back, followed right behind by Myles, Donna and D. Jack had no sooner closed the door when Bobby showed up, being chased up the stairs by Tara.
Lucy managed to corner Sue in the kitchen. "What happened today? I thought you were coming back to work?"
"I did, but I left right after to help Jack out." Sue explained.
"Oh. What, did I blink? I didn't even see you." She paused. "Umm, how did it go today? You had the mammogram, right?" Lucy asked nervously.
"Yes. It was ok." Sue said, trying to avoid the subject.
"What aren't you telling me?" Lucy asked. Lucy had learned over the years just how to read her best friend's body language. She was reserved, a bit nervous. That told Luce there was something wrong.
"They found a growth of sorts." Sue said. Lucy immediately grew pale, scared. "This is why I didn't tell you. Don't worry about it, it's nothing."
"Nothing?" Lucy asked in disbelief.
"I promise. It was nothing. It turned out to be scar tissue. I have to keep an eye on it, make sure it doesn't get bigger. As long as it doesn't grow, we're good. They have me on a three month cycle of mammograms for another 6-12 months." Sue took a breath. "I'm OK. I'm going to be fine." She said.
"Are you sure?" Lucy asked.
"Yes. This is why I didn't want to say anything." Sue said. "Come on, let's go enjoy the party. I swear, if there was more to tell, I would."
"Why don't you sound convinced you're OK?" Lucy asked.
"Probably because anytime there's anything found, it scares me to death… especially after what I've gone through. I'm scared Luce." Sue admitted.
"Of?" Lucy asked.
"Of them finding something and having to go through the past six months all over again. I'm afraid they won't find it and it'll be too late…" Sue explained. "Listen, I just want to enjoy tonight. I'm fine, I promise. The doctor isn't worried, and for at least tonight, I don't want to be either." Sue said smiling.
"OK." Lucy said, finally giving in and rejoining the party.
Lucy handed Bobby and D a beer, and Myles and Donna glasses of wine.
"Wow, quite a spread- especially for you Jack!" Bobby teased. Everyone enjoyed a hearty laugh.
"And, on a Monday, none the less. What's the occasion?" Myles asked.
Sue walked to where Jack was standing and interrupted.
"If everyone would take a glass…" Lucy said handing out glasses of champagne.
Jack took his glass and eyed Sue, not sure what she wanted to do.
"If I can have everyone's attention?" Sue said. "I wanted to get everyone together, my closest friends, in one place, to say this only once. "I've decided to leave the bureau and take a job as a speaker with the group I spoke for a couple months ago." Sue said. There were gasps and shocked looks on everyone's faces.
"There is a plus side to all of this." Jack said with a smile. He casually walked behind Sue, putting his hand on her hip. Sue smiled and blushed. "The up side to all of this is, this young lady has graciously agreed to be my wife."
Whoots, hollars and cat calls. There were congratulations from all on hand, even though the girls knew.
"When's the big day?" Donna asked.
"Christmas Eve, and we want you all to be there." Sue said. While it registered with everyone, mouths hung open.
The couple went about setting up their wedding parties, and much to their surprise everyone was able to rearrange their schedules to be there for their special day.
Toasts were proposed, hands shook and details shared. The girls made their way to Sue's laptop where they swooned over the dresses, flowers and cake.
The guys shared jokes about the honeymoon, and Jack told them to make sure their monkey suits were ordered, and colors matched. They gave him a good ribbing about being whipped already.
After dinner, and a surprise "engagement" cake, everyone left Sue and Jack alone. As Jack took her into his arms, her Black Berry buzzed. Jack pulled back from her, and reached for it. He caught the name on the caller ID. "Mitch Palmer".
"Who's Mitch Palmer?" He asked.
"A Naval officer I recently met." Sue explained.
"How did you meet a naval officer? Someone I should know about?" He asked teasingly.
"He's Anita's father." She answered.
"Wh- I thou- how did he find you?" Jack finally asked.
"I found him, well… Tara found him. I went to see him yesterday. I told him the situation with the kids, and told him to think about it." She explained.
"What situation?" Jack asked curiously.
"Uhh… the less you know, the better off we'll all be. Just trust me on this, ok?" Sue asked.
"Only if you promise me that you'll let me know if you need help or feel like you're over your head." He asked.
"Promise." She said. She leaned in and kissed him before grabbing her coat.
"Aren't you going to check the message?" He asked.
"When I get home."
"Hey… where you going?" Jack asked, tugging her to him.
"It's late. I have to go home and sleep… you remember sleep right?" Jack locked his fingers behind her back, pressing his lips to hers. Her arms instinctively went around his neck as their passion rose.
"Felt good to announce our engagement, finally." Jack said.
"Yes, it did." Jack leaned in to kiss her again, but Sue pulled away. "Ehh.. I have to go, it's a work night." She teased, laughing as she headed for the door. Levi followed her and the pair left for the night.
XOXOXOX
Sue walked through the door, Levi tugging the way.
"Hungry?" She asked with a laugh. The apartment was dark. She had half thought Lucy would have waited up, but then again, she'd been home so late recently, why would she?
She poured herself a glass of milk, snagged her Black Berry from her coat pocket, and sat on the couch with her legs tucked underneath her. Sue searched for the email from Mitch and opened it.
"Dear Ms. Thomas,
I know it's only been one day, but I would very much like to meet my children. My head is swirling when I think of everything that has happened the last two days, but one thought is staying right on the top of the whirlwind. I want to be with my kids. Will you please talk with Anita and tell her about me? Please ask her if she'd be willing to at least have coffee with me and have a conversation?
Thanks for everything.
Mitch Palmer"
Sue closed the email, and texted Anita.
"Hi Anita. How are things? Would you like to get together for dinner tomorrow? My treat. I would like to talk to you about something."
Sue had barely close the phone when it buzzed. There was already a response from her young friend.
"Sounds good. We have to do it here though. Jacob is going to a friend's after school and Vinnie is tutoring an extra third grader tomorrow." Anita explained.
"No problem. What kind of pizza do you guys like?" Sue asked.
The following day flew by for Sue. She had so much paperwork to fill out. The head honcho's had heard about Sue's departure and even though they weren't happy about it, they understood.
Sue let D in on the fact that she had a meeting with her new "boss" the following day, and would be taking an extended lunch.
"Sue? Are you sure you want to actually be here for the next couple weeks? Sounds like you have a lot going on. You're still working on the wedding, your new job, and something that's got you preoccupied…" D began.
"I'm sorry D. You're right, I do have a lot on my plate right now, but I can handle it. Thanks." Sue reassured.
"You OK?" Jack asked.
"Yeah, fine. Why?" Sue asked.
"Because you've purposely avoided telling me about how the appointment at the hospital went." He said.
"I'm not going out of my way to avoid telling you about it. There's not a lot to tell. And, I've been busy, and preoccupied." Sue said, making excuses.
"So?" Jack pushed.
"Can we talk later?" Sue asked.
"No, you have dinner plans with Anita, remember?" Jack asked.
"Oh. That's right." She paused. "Coffee?"
The pair walked to the lower level and onto the street. Their favorite coffee shop was only a block south. They ordered two cups of coffee and grabbed a booth in the back, so they could be alone.
"Spill it." Jack said smirking since they'd just barely sat.
"They found a growth, a knot… they weren't sure what it was, so they ran tests. They did x-rays and a sonogram. The radiologist is positive it's scar tissue. He showed me where it is, and told me to keep an eye on it. If I feel any growth at all, I am to get back in. If I don't, I have another mammogram scheduled for three months." Sue explained.
"They're sure it's just scar tissue?" He asked nervously.
"Either that or what they call cording, which is just hardening of the lymph node vessels. It's nothing to worry about. OK?" She asked.
"OK." He agreed. "You know, I could help you keep an eye on that for you…" He suggested with as much innocence as he could muster.
"Yeah, I'm sure you could!" She laughed. "I think for now, I'll handle it, thanks though." She laughed.
"Just trying to be helpful." Jack insisted.
"Come on, I have to get back. I have an interview with a possible witness at four." Sue said.
"What time are you having dinner?" He asked.
"Probably about six. I pre-ordered the pizzas so I don't have that to worry about." She said, sounding exhausted.
Before Sue knew it, the day was done, and she was headed to her favorite pizza place for dinner. She stopped at the bakery next door to the pizza shop for dessert.
XOXOXOX
"NIIIIIIITIE!" a little voice screamed from inside the house. "Doooooor Beeelllll!" the same little voice came again. Sue couldn't help but laugh. She could just picture little Lanie being all dramatic with her gestures.
"Shh… go play please." Anita said as she opened the door for Sue.
"Hi. Come on in." She said, taking the pizza from Sue. "Oh my gosh, how much pizza did you get?"
"Only four." Sue said. "I know your brother's will be able to put a whole one and then some away, they're growing. And, besides, there's nothing like left over pizza." Sue winked at her.
"I'm sure the boys will have it for either a midnight snack or breakfast!" She laughed.
Sue fed the baby while Anita got the kids settled with their dinner. The door opened and Jacob walked in, covered in dirt. He could smell the pizza as soon as he opened the door.
"Pizza!" He yelled and bee lined for the table.
"Woah!" Anita said just as he reached for the pizza. "Oh, no! You go wash some of that dirt off you before you even think about putting those disgusting hands on dinner." She shook her head "Geesh"
The baby was burped and done eating, so Sue put her in the high chair so she could be with the rest of the family.
"You're good with her." Anita said.
"I like babies." Sue confessed.
"Yet, you don't have any of your own."
"I'm not married." Sue countered.
"So? What's that got to do with anything? I have two little sisters and not a step father to be seen." She remarked.
"I guess it's all in how you're raised, and what you believe." Sue answered. "What do you think Anita? Do you want kids of your own?"
"Someday, sure. But right now, I have my hands full taking care of this family. I don't have the strength, time, or energy to make another one." She laughed. "I think you've got the right idea. If you're married, there's at least the promise of love forever between them, and stability. Maybe a home where you can have a dog…" She said softly.
Just then, Vinnie came storming in the side door. He dropped his books, kicked off his shoes and headed to the shower. Sue looked at Anita curiously.
"Who knows." She said laughing. "He's going through the change… starting to really notice girls, wants to smell good all the time, look good…"
"Oh." Sue said smiling. "Have you talked to him?"
"About?" Anita asked chewing another piece of pizza.
"Umm… being responsible, as far as where young ladies are concerned." Sue suggested.
"Oh! Yeah. I made sure he knows about the birds and the bees. I stocked him up on condoms, just in case. He's not there yet…. But, better safe than sorry, right? I mean, the last thing I need is another mouth to feed or another youngin to take care of. I think my plate is full enough."
"My friend, your plate is over flowing to the point where I do believe you're making a glutton of yourself." Sue teased. "But I can't think of anyone I'm more proud of."
"Thanks."
Vinnie came back from the shower ten minutes later to grab a plate, a glass of milk and excuse himself from the family time to study, and disappeared into his room.
"He has big tests coming up in two of his classes." Anita explained.
Jacob threw out three of the pizza boxes, then came back in and got Lanie into her pj's. Once she was sleeping, he took his book bag and made his way to the bedroom with Vinnie to do his homework.
Sue changed Lizzie and put her in her crib for the night.
"I'm so impressed." Sue said.
"Of?" Anita asked.
"You. This household. You didn't even have to tell your brothers to do anything, yet, they did it." Sue gushed.
"Yeah, it's nice that we all work together." She agreed. "It's not always that way, but I think the boys get it."
"Should we tell your brother's that I brought over dessert?" Sue teased.
"Nah. I'll put coffee on, and that will make them think about it. They won't come out and ask if we have anything, but they'll look around for it." Anita laughed as she started the pot of coffee. Within minutes, her brother's came out of their room.
"Would you two like some dessert?" Sue asked. Vinnie nearly jumped her saying yes. Sue laughed louder than she'd expected. "I was expecting that reaction from Jacob."
"Sorry. I just love dessert." He said. Each of the boys took a dessert, and went back to their room.
"Jacob?" Anita called out. He turned to her with a mouth full of éclair. "Is your homework getting done or are you playing basketball?"
"Homwok" he mumbled as chocolate hung from his lip, barely, for dear life. He smiled as if found out "OK, a little b-ball too."
When it had quieted down, Anita looked Sue in the eye and asked what the reason behind the dinner visit was.
"Have you found the loser sperm donors?" She asked.
"Actually. Yes. Well, one of them. Dusty's disappeared. Jarrod's in jail. He's not getting out." Sue said sipping her coffee.
"Well, I guess that's good. I don't supposed you found out if my mother's around?" She asked.
"I did check, but there's no activity on her cell phone, her social security number, or any credit activity. I'm sorry." Sue said.
"Nah, it's OK. I've been handling things for almost a year now. I've got it covered." She said confidently.
"Anita, there is something I need to talk to you about." Sue began.
"What?" She asked nervously. The thought of her family being split up by DCF scared the daylights out of her.
"I found your father." Sue said.
"Who?" She gasped. Sue let her digest that information. "Why would you look for him? He left. He just walked away. He knew full well, he had three kids, but he just walked away." Anita said becoming angry and weepy.
"That's not exactly the truth." Sue explained.
"What do you know about it?" Anita snapped. "What do you know about the poor excuse for a man who fathers three children and just says "f" it and leaves? He didn't even leave an address so we could visit, never came to see us, and never wanted anything to do with us!" She yelled in a muffled scream. "Do you have any idea what it's like to wake up Christmas morning and think, maybe, just maybe he'll be sitting under the tree? Or, he'll show up dressed up as Barney or a handsome prince for your birthday party? I waited, and waited… and hoped…"
Sue pulled her into her arms and let her cry. Sue saw Vinnie poke his head out from around a corner. She gave him a sympathetic look and a half smile. She waved him off, letting him know everything was OK and Sue was handling Anita's meltdown.
A long few minutes passed when Anita finally pushed herself from Sue.
"You OK?" Sue asked.
She gave a pathetic excuse for a shrug as silent tears trickled down her cheeks once again.
"My father doesn't deserve us, and there's no way in hell I or either of my brothers are going to go with him. Never!" Anita hissed through her clinched teeth.
"I can't fathom what you've been through, I won't even try. I know you're angry and hurt." Sue began.
"Damn right I'm hurt and angry! Shouldn't I be?" She asked.
It was Sue's turn to shrug. "I think if what you know of the events were actually the truth, yes. You don't know the truth Anita. You have a few pieces of information which you've assessed as the truth, and you're wrong." Sue explained.
"What are you talking about?" She asked, wiping her face and blowing her nose.
"Where did you get the information you have?" Sue asked.
"My mother. She told me he left and that was it. She didn't see or hear from him again." Anita answered.
"You mother." Sue said. "Don't you think, maybe she was upset that he left? Don't you think she might be a little bit bitter? Perhaps vindictive?" Sue asked lifting an eyebrow. "Did you ever ask her about him, your father?" She paused. "Where he was? If you could see him? When he was coming back?"
Anita shrugged, looking at the floor.
"I never wanted to make her upset or sad. I was afraid if she got too sad, she'd leave…" She stopped mid-sentence, realizing that's exactly what she'd done.
Sue took her to the couch, sat her down, handing her a bottle of cold water. Anita took an eager sip- chug actually.
"I had my friend research him. She found him. I went to go talk to him. He thought I was Annabelle's lawyer, looking for child support." Sue took a breath. "I had a chance to ask him everything I just asked you. I knew most of the answers already, they're public record, or accessible to my friend." Sue explained.
"Your friend's a computer hacker?" Anita asked in surprise.
"Not exactly. She's more of a computer genius. She's also a coworker with high clearance." Sue laughed. Anita did too.
"So?" Anita began.
"So?" Sue said back at her.
"What's his excuse?" she asked.
"Would you rather ask him yourself?" Sue asked.
"No." Anita said loud and quick. "I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet." There was silence as Sue waited for her to say something, to continue. "I just can't let myself believe he's a 'good guy'. Not after all the time that passed and he didn't even acknowledge us. Why didn't he?"
Sue really didn't have an answer, but she could offer theories.
"Maybe he did. Maybe he tried." Sue said. Anita shrugged and sank into a chair. There was silence for a long moment. Sue waited. She let Anita set the pace of the conversation.
"Will you tell me about him?" She asked.
"What do you want to know?"
Anita suddenly became shy, quiet. She only lifted her shoulders and let them back down with a sigh.
"I can have him come here, to Georgetown. You and I can go somewhere and meet him, talk to him. You can judge for yourself." Sue suggested.
"I-I don't know…"
"Wouldn't you want to see his eyes when you ask him the questions you need answers to?" Sue asked. "I know I would."
"Yeah, I guess so."
Have Vinnie watch the kids this weekend. We'll arrange for him to meet us at a park near me. I'll be there. I can bring Jack if you want a man there." Sue offered.
"OK. Umm, Saturday?" She asked, seeming overwhelmed.
