Chapter Seven
Elizabeth and Josef both looked at one another then to their daughters. "Why on earth would you not call Jack? Michaela, that man is devastated."
"Mother I-"
"Did you already call him," Elizabeth assumed. "Is he on his way to see you?"
"Mother listen to me," Michaela sighed pinching the bridge of her nose. "You can not tell Jack I'm alive. Do you hear me?"
"Michaela Ann Quinn, what in the world is wrong with you?" Elizabeth got up and started to pace the length of the kitchen. "Are you in some sort of…of trouble?"
"Let me speak with her," Josef reached for the phone.
Handing Josef the phone she sighed, "Perhaps you can talk some sense into your daughter!" she walked out of the kitchen her arms set tightly around her.
"Mother, where are you going?" Rebecca wondered.
"To get the other handset, I want to hear everything she has to say!"
"Michaela?" Josef put the phone to his ear. "Are you all right?"
"Oh, father," Michaela let out of breath of relief. He would understand. "It's so good to hear your voice."
"Michaela, what's going on? Why don't you want us to contact Jack?"
"Father it's so difficult to talk about over the phone. I want you and mother to come out here. We'll talk about it then." The fact was Michaela hadn't rehearsed what she was going to tell her parents about Jack. She knew they loved him and what she had to tell them would indeed be a shock and she didn't want to do it over the phone.
"Michaela," his voice was stern. "We thought you were dead. Do you know what it feels like to think your child died?"
"Father I know I-"
"No, Michaela you don't know." Josef got off the chair and exited the kitchen. He had never really fought with Michaela, but to know she was alive was as if his heart started pump again. He wasn't angry with her. He just wanted answers. "Michaela I need you to tell me what happened. Right now. Did you and Jack have a fight? Are you having problems, because I'm sure you can work them out."
"I don't want to work them out," she gritted her teeth. She knew she was going to have to tell her father. She couldn't keep it a secret any longer. She hated to do it this way. So informal, so blatant.
"Michaela you know your mother and I will get on the next plane and come to see you, you know that! But, I need to know, not only for your mother's sake but for my own. What happened?"
Closing her eyes Michaela sunk back letting her head hit the pillows. "It's Jack," she swallowed. "He's not the man you think he is."
"In what sense?" Josef grew ridged, not able to imagine Jack's not the person he thinks he is.
"Oh, God," Michaela cried not able to say the words to her own father.
His daughter's cries broke Josef's heart in two. And at that moment he didn't know if it was some act of God, or deep in his heart if he really did know, he broke down himself. "Jack hurt you didn't he?"
Gasping Michaela let out another muffled cry. "Yes."
"Damn it," he cursed. "How long?"
Breaking down even more Michaela responded in earnest. "Three years…nine months…twenty-seven days."
Josef balled his fist and slammed it down on the dinning room table causing vibrations throughout the house. The door to the dining room opened revealing Elizabeth; phone in hand, tears also running down her face.
"Why didn't you tell us, Michaela? You could have came home," her mother spoke for the first time.
"I was so…so ashamed. Please try to understand. I…I was afraid of what Jack might do."
"Michaela we saw your car! What happened? Elizabeth asked.
"Jack and I had a fight," Michaela thought back to that terrible night. "A really bad fight," she emphasized. "I got in the car and I decided to leave. It was raining really hard and I could barley see. I crashed into the guard rail and…and I knew that Jack would never stop looking for me. I knew he would find me," she cried. "Unless he thought I was dead. So I threw a brick on the gas petal and let it drive over the edge of the ravine. Please…please forgive me. I didn't know what to do. I didn't."
"Oh my goodness," Elizabeth held her hand over her heart.
"There's nothing to forgive," her father spoke. "More than anything we're glad your all right."
"I'm fine. The doctors told me I'm okay. I know what I'm-"
"Doctors," Elizabeth exclaimed. "You told me you weren't in the hospital."
Sighing Michaela bit her bottom lip. "Two of my ribs were cracked. It doesn't hurt that much anymore."
"Michaela you told me that you weren't hurt," Elizabeth sat down next to her husband.
Knowing that they were going to see the bruises anyways when they arrived, Michaela decided to tell her parents the truth, no more lying, no more hiding. She was going to start her knew life and she was going to be honest. "It was Jack."
Elizabeth grabbed Josef's arm, "What."
"Jack hurt me really bad that night, that's why I left."
"That son of a Bitch, Josef rose from the table rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm going to kill him."
"No!" Michaela sat up. "Father don't do anything. Please. Just come here, come to Colorado. There's so much more we need to talk about. Things I need to explain."
"I'm not going to let him get away with hurting you Michaela! I won't! You're my daughter and he doesn't have the right to even lay a finger on you! You're a Quinn!"
Shaking her head Michaela knew she had to convince her parents not to say anything to Jack. "Listen to me, just…just wait till you come out here. We need to talk. Father, please."
Sighing Josef kicked the bottom of his chair. "All right, fine, you're mother and I will be out on the next plane out."
"Thank you," she laid back. "Thank you."
"Is there anything you need?" Elizabeth asked. "Anything at all?"
"No," she smiled. "Just, you two."
Smiling for the first time in awhile Elizabeth put her arm around Josef. "We'll be there as soon as we can, darling. Stay in touch, all right?"
"Promise," Michaela nodded thankful to have this conversation over with.
Picking up the apple pie she let cool on the windowsill Michaela opened her back door and walked down the steps to Sully's house. Rounding her backyard she made her way to his back door and she watched for a few moments in amusement as he pulled a burnt roast from the oven. "Damn it," he cursed watching the steam rise from the crisp rump. Soon the fire alarm went off causing him to jump.
"Fire department," Michaela knocked.
"I hope you like your roast well done," he joked. "Come on in" Picking up a broom he went over to the fire alarm and started to wave it back and forth. After a few sweeps the incessant beeping went off. Walking back into the kitchen he eyed her. "So is that apple?"
"What else," she waved the pie in the air.
"Well, it looks like it's going to be our dinner and dessert," he rolled his eyes.
"It doesn't have to be," she smiled. "I actually just baked lasagna, I was planning on having it for lunch tomorrow, but it actually sounds good right now."
"Well," he sighed. "Let me at least bring the drinks.
"You'll have no fight with me there."
"Okay, I'll be there in a minute let me just throw this away," he pointed to the burnt lump.
"All right," she laughed walking out the back door. Crossing lawns Michaela stopped to think for a moment and it wasn't until then that she realized she was eating dinner with another man. It was less than a week that she left her husband and she was all ready having a man come to her house for dinner. She felt tacky, almost like she was cheating on Jack. Was it too soon? "Too soon," she said out loud to herself. Too soon for what? She was just having dinner with another person, it wasn't like it was a date or anything. People do that all the time. Chalking it up to not having great people skills because of Jack she let it go. It was just dinner after all.
Opening her back door Michaela set the pie back down on the windowsill and took the foil off the lasagna, it was still hot. Opening her cupboard she pulled out two plates, two cups and two pairs of silverware. Setting the table she decided to remove the candles, that was too date like. Placing the lasagna in the center she hurried and went to the fridge to make a salad.
"Knock, knock," Sully tapped at the back door a bottle of wine and two glasses in hand.
"Come in," she motioned. "I'm just finishing up a salad."
"You don't have to go to all that trouble. Lasagna's fine."
"It's no trouble," she began to cut the carrots.
"Can I help?" he asked.
"Well," she looked around. "You can open that bottle of wine."
"Uh-oh, I don't have a lush on my hands do I?" he joked.
"Hardly," she opened a drawer removing a cork screw and tossing it to him. "That just happens to be my favorite wine."
"Mine too."
After placing the carrots in the salad she placed the bowl on the table. "All set."
Turning he handed her a glass and then clinked his glass to hers. "Here's to apple pie and burnt pot roasts."
"Apple pie and burnt pot roasts," she laughed clinking her glass with his.
Sitting down Michaela served Sully and herself some salad. Looking up Sully asked, "So what do you do?" he asked, "Your job."
"I'm a doctor," she smiled. It felt so good to say after so long. "General surgeon."
"Really," he seemed amazed. "That's cool."
"Cool, huh," she laughed.
"You know what I mean," he swallowed.
"What about you?"
"Architect over at, Clinton, Norris and Sons," he told her. "We're actually working at Penrose. We're putting in a new children's ward."
"Penrose, is that the hospital here?" she was interested.
"Best in the state."
"Good," she cut herself some lasagna, making a mental note to stop by the hospital in the morning.
"Hey, I actually know a few people in admissions over at the hospital. I built their houses. I could put in a word for you."
"Why would you do that?" She froze knowing things were starting to get complicated. There were so many things that she needed to take care of before she could actually get a job and move on with her life.
"Such paranoia," he laughed. "Where you from, New York? Listen it's no problem. With a few letters of recommendation…"
"I don't have letters of recommendation," she looked down.
"Transcripts?"
She didn't say anything.
"Come on you gotta have a driver's license, right?"
"Look I really don't want to talk about this all right," Michaela snapped realizing this meal probably wasn't the best idea.
"Okay," he held his hands up.
"Look, Sully, I'm not asking for anything all right."
"Neither am I," he returned.
Sighing Michaela dropped her fork and looked out the window.
"Hey, you ok," he felt bad for making her upset.
"I'm going to be," he looked at him.
"Listen," he looked in her eyes. "There's only one thing I'm going to ask. Only one thing I want to know."
"What's that," she got nervous.
Sully's eyebrows perked, "Do you have a name?"
"Amanda Warner."
"Well, that's a start," he smiled.