Chapter 6: The Making of Amends

London, England - O'Connell Manor

September 3, 1939

Alex rushed in to where his uncle was lying on the couch with Mahalia in his arms. Hashim was still crying and so was Alex. He knew that the only thing to appease his baby brother was his mother's milk but he could not and would not go back into that room where his parents were. Instead he sat down beside his uncle on the couch as gently as he could.

Jonathan looked over to find his nephew sitting beside him, his face streaked with tears. Concern ebbed up from within Jonathan. "Hey partner, what's wrong?"

"It's mum...mum and dad. They're fighting." Alex choked.

"They're fighting?" Jonathan questioned, shocked. "About what?"

"I don't know, but I am scared Uncle Jon! What if they don't love each other anymore? What's going to happen to the twins?"

Alex was clearly very upset and Jonathan could see that he needed to do some serious explaining, but he had no clue where to begin. Then, he remembered something his mother told him when he was young, much younger than Alex was now. He had caught his parents fighting as well. "Listen Alex, not everything can be perfect forever, and sometimes even people who love each other as much as your mother and father fight. I know it's scary, and I know it will be hard for your conscience to let go, but it is normal. Now, I am sure there is a reason for them to raise their voices at one another, and instead of jumping to conclusions why don't we just wait and see if it resolves itself, ok? How does that sound?"

"But, Uncle Jon, he was hurting her!"

Jonathan's voice took on a more serious tone, "How Alex? What was he doing to her?"

Alex's onslaught of tears renewed so that he could barely talk in between sobs. "He...was...holding her chin and squeezing it really hard, and..." he paused to gasp, "she was yelling at him to let go of her because it was hurting! And he wouldn't Uncle Jon, he wouldn't let go!" Jonathan gathered his nephew into his arms, being careful not to crush his niece in the mean time.

After the hug had abated Jonathan asked of Alex "Hey partner, do you think you could watch these two for a few minutes, I will be right back."

When Alex gave a meager nod Jonathan stood up and briskly walked down the hall and up the stairs where he encountered Rick going in the opposite direction of himself down the stairs. "Rick, might I have a word with you?" Jonathan asked in his perfect British accent. "Might I suggest that you go and talk to your son, you may not have noticed, but he is a bit distraught at the moment." Jonathan took a long look at Rick's face. His eyebrows were furrowed and he looked very upset.

Rick noticed Jonathan's tone of voice and realized that his brother and law was not the happiest man alive at the moment. So instead of snapping at him with the first thing that came to his mind at the moment- Bug off! he decided to, for once in his life think and behave rationally. "Oh, Alex!" he said distressed. "How is he?"

"Not good, Rick, you need to talk to him, to reassure him that everything's going to be ok. After that you owe an apology to Evelyn."

"I guess I do, but she needs to do the same to me as well!" Rick replied heatedly, his face growing crimson. Just how much did Alex tell Jonathan? He asked himself.

"Woah, slow down there Rick. What's that supposed to mean? Why don't you and Alex talk, I would much prefer not to get into the middle of this whole mess you both seem to have created. I am just going to go up and maybe even talk some sense into her."

Rick had told Jonathan about the move already and it was Jonathan who had told Rick that he needed to break the horrible news to Evelyn, knowing how hard it would hit her. "Tell me Jonathan, has she always been this-?" He didn't even have time to finish his inquiry before Jonathan shot back-

"Oh yes, always!"

"Right, I will just go and talk to Alex now, and you go, you go talk to my wife." Rick sighed as he placed a comforting hand on his brother in law's shoulder.

"Ok, everything will be just fine Rick. We just have to play things by ear right now..."

~*~

When Jonathan entered the room, which Evelyn and Rick shared, he noticed that his sister's head was buried in her arms and her body was heaving with sobs. He shut his eyes, and swallowed hard so that he could force down the grief that welled up from within him. Slowly he walked towards the bed. "Evelyn? Old mum?"

"Oh Jonathan." She moaned, sitting up and throwing her arms about his waist. "What have I done?"

Jonathan rubbed his palms over his sisters back in the same comforting way that he had done since she was a small girl. "Shhh Evie, don't worry about that right now, just breathe. Slow down, relax, I am here and everything will be fine. "

"That's a first..." she replied sarcastically through her shudders.

"You haven't changed a bit Evie, have you?"

"No, I don't suppose I have, but Jonathan, how can I move away from London? How can we move? All of my childhood memories are in this house, this is how I keep mum and dad alive..."

"Evie, I know it will be hard, but at some point you are going to have to move on. You are going to have to let mum and dad completely die. They're dead, and you can not keep them a live any longer." He paused...

"That's what I am afraid of Jonathan, I am terrified of letting them go." Her cries ceased.

"Think of this move as something that has happened to show you that it's time to let go. Evie, you've held on too long, it's time to say goodbye." He kissed her forehead, letting her know that he understood.

She sighed, and all was quiet for several minutes. "Jonathan?" she asked, her question piercing the stillness of the air. "Have you ever wondered what it would be like if mum and dad were still here, if they hadn't died?"

"Many a time have I wondered Evie, but I have told myself each time that life would be different, and I don't know if I would like that. It's conceivable that if they hadn't passed away that you wouldn't have met Rick."

"Oh Rick, dear Rick." Evelyn murmured as she began to cry again. The mention of her husband's name sent an electric pulse of grief throughout her entire body. "What have I done to you?" she asked, as if he could hear her. She wrung her hands and twisted them against each other, massaging them in her nervousness.

Jonathan reached out to her and stilled her wringing hands, then placed a kiss on her forehead. "I am going to go make you some chamomile tea Evie. Honey and milk, like you usually take it?"

"Yes," she mumbled, her eyes moving slowly away from the duvet on the bed and into her brother's eyes "yes," she repeated, "that would be perfect."

When Rick went into the bedroom to retire that evening he found his wife already sound asleep. He moved over to the bed, watching her sleep. Her eyelids fluttered slightly and he knew she must be dreaming. Her lips were slightly parted and her hair was partially covering her face. She was lying on her stomach, facing towards him. Her left leg was stretched and her right was bent, hugging her side closely. He stared, amazed at how she could possibly be comfortable. Softly he moved closer to her before he reached down to move the curl off of her face, kissing her forehead. "I am sorry Evie, please, forgive me..." She did not stir so he moved over to his side of the bed and gently slid under the covers turning onto his side away from his wife before quickly drifting off to sleep.