Chapter Two
After a week of rest Elaina was back to work. She and Frank had not seen much of each other due to his staying in the guest room to give her time to get well and his work. He would come in to check on her before and after work but she was usually asleep when he did.
Today when he came home he was surprised to see luggage in the entryway. "Elaina are you going somewhere again?" He yelled not knowing where she was.
Elaina came out from the kitchen. "Why are you yelling?" She asks as he points to the suitcases. "Those belong to our guest."
"Who's here, Reese?" Frank asks as he looked up the stairs.
"No, not Reese, but you do have the right side of the family." Elaina kisses him to welcome him home.
"If it's not Reese then it must be your Mom and Dad." He looked at the stairs to see Derek coming down. "Hey Derek who's here? Your mom is playing 20 questions."
"Aunt Miranda's here." Derek replies as he went into the kitchen.
"Not for long she isn't!" Frank blurted out.
"She's my sister and she can stay if she wants. This is my house too." Elaina didn't want to fight with him.
"She's not staying in this house." Frank was adamant about it.
"First you can't stand to be around Reese, now it's my sister. Is there any member of my family you get along with?"
"Just your parents and you, and at times it can be a toss up about you."
"Very funny, Miranda stays."
Derek comes back out of the kitchen. "Can you guys have a conversation without yelling?"
"Stay out of it Derek." His mother said it as an order.
"I live here too and I hear every argument you two have, it's getting really old. I wish you'd act like adults once in a while." He says as he heads back to his room, leaving Frank and Elaina staring at each other.
"I guess he told us." Elaina says as she starts to laugh.
"Should we ground him for life?"
"I think he just grounded us. He's right we have been fighting way too much."
"Yeah but we always kiss and make up." Frank says kissing her.
"Is that why you make me angry, so we can fight and make up?" Elaina asks as he kisses her again. "Or should I say make out?"
Someone at the top of the stairs interrupted them. "Hello Frankie, nice to see you again."
"Miranda, turned any tricks lately?"
"Frank!" Elaina punches him in the arm.
"Go to hell Frank!" Miranda hated him as much as he hated her. "Can we talk now, then I'll leave?"
"The sooner the better." Frank walks up the stairs past her and went into his room.
"Are you feeling better? Being pregnant zaps your energy sometimes." Elaina rubbed her sisters protruding belly. "How far along did you say?"
"Seven months give or take. I thought the father was going to marry me but we broke up before I could tell him I was having his baby."
"Why did you break up?" Elaina saw that it bothered her to think about it.
"I saw him with another woman, turned out he lied to me. He was already married and has three kids." Miranda started to cry.
Elaina let her cry for a few minutes. "How did you meet him?" Elaina was curious.
"I work at a restaurant that he comes to everyday for lunch. He always smiled and would talk to me when I waited on his table. One day he asked me out, and we started dating."
"Didn't he have a tan mark or anything to tell you he was married? It's not like you haven't been with married men before." Elaina wished she hadn't added the last statement. "Sorry, I said that."
"It's okay, you're right when, I was hooking I didn't care if they were married or not. Remember what you said once. If you were to look up the word slut my picture would be there." Miranda laughed.
"Glad you can laugh now, back when I said it you decked me." Elaina rubbed her jaw remembering the dental work afterward.
"I've changed a lot in the past couple of years. I'm not walking the streets, doing drugs or anything else illegal. I love my job at the restaurant, I feel down right respectable now."
"But you allowed yourself to be used by a man again." Elaina stated.
"I didn't allow it, I was blinded by love. I really thought I had found my one true love the way you did with Frank."
"How long were the two of you together?" Elaina could tell by the look on Miranda's face she wasn't going to like the answer.
"We were together for about seven months." Miranda wouldn't look her in the eyes.
"Tell me you didn't say."
Miranda cut her off. "I know I didn't take much time jumping in bed with him."
"Why should he be any different?" Frank had come downstairs after changing clothes.
"Get out of here!" Elaina ordered him. "She doesn't need your comments."
"Let's face, it she can't keep her legs together." Elaina hit him hard across the face.
"She's not like that anymore you know that."
Frank was massaging his face from her hitting him. "Seems to me she's the same old Miranda, only difference is that she didn't get paid, unless you call the baby payment."
"You didn't pay me either Frankie." Miranda finally let out their secret.
Frank grabbed Miranda by the throat. "I told you what would happen if you told her."
"Frank let go of her now!" Elaina screamed at him as she pushed him away.
Megan came to the stairs. "What's going on? The kids can hear you."
"Meg take them out of the house go for a drive, anything, just leave us alone please." Elaina was trying to control her anger, but it was difficult under the revelation that occurred.
Elaina heard Megan call Derek from his room and brought Sarah downstairs. "Hurry up Derek." Megan called again.
Derek came down the stairs; he didn't say anything to his parents as he walked by them. Frank wondered if he had heard what was said.
After they went out Elaina let her anger loose. "What the hell is she talking about Frank?!"
"I'll tell you Lainie, when you were recovering, he came to me for comfort." Miranda had forgotten how much she loved revenge.
"You lying little bitch! I didn't go to you. She came to my." Frank stopped he didn't know how to explain it to her. But he had to; the truth would never come from Miranda. "Reese and I went out one night. He thought I could use some time away from home. I drank too much. I vaguely remember getting into bed. When I woke up she was lying next to me. I don't remember any more than that."
"Fill in the blanks Miranda, with the truth." Elaina tried again to get control of her emotions, but they were like a runaway roller coaster.
"When Reese and Frank came home they were both pretty loud and drunk. I looked to see if they woke you or Sarah but you both slept through it. I went down stairs to tell them to be quiet. Reese told me that Frank was passed out in the safe room." Miranda felt Frank watching her.
She continued. "I went back upstairs and laid down. You have to remember that this was the first time we had seen each other since you arrested my boyfriend and I was still angry with you."
Elaina interrupted her. "Your so called boyfriend was your pimp and drug supplier that's why he was arrested. So you're telling me you did it on purpose."
"Yes, I wanted to hurt you and sleeping with Frank was the only way I knew to do it. He never knew it was me, he called me Elaina, when we were together."
Elaina looked at Frank. He turned away from her when their eyes met. 'You truly didn't know, why did you hide it from me all this time?' She didn't ask it out loud; she would later when they were alone.
Miranda continued her account of what happened. "When he woke up and saw me, he threatened me to not say anything to you. He said it never happened."
"I want you to get your bags, call a cab and leave. You want to stay with family you go to Reese or our parents. I don't want you here ever again." Elaina turned her attention to Frank as Miranda went upstairs.
"I only want you to tell me why you never wanted me to know. Then pack your bags and leave too."
"I'm not leaving my own house E, I don't care how angry you are, and you're not throwing me out." Frank argued back.
"Why did you never tell me? You should have told me before now." She was hitting him with every word she spoke, he deserved more than that.
"I didn't think you could handle it in the state you were in then. You were very weak. I didn't want to upset you during your recovery. I never meant to hurt you." Frank explains.
"I always thought I could tell when you were lying or hiding something from me. I guess I was wrong. I never had a clue that it had happened." She walked away from him. "How can I trust you after this?"
"I know it was wrong to keep it from you this long." He tried to hold her but she resisted him. "Please believe me; I never ever wanted another woman other than you. You are my one and only love. You have to know that in your heart." He tried to hold her again, this time she let him until he tried to kiss her.
"Don't try to make up to me right now. My heart is telling me to forgive you, but my mind is telling me to beat the hell out of you." Elaina walks out of the room to the office at the end of the hall.
She sat down at the desk. She looked over to see a picture of her and Frank together with Miranda. She studied the picture then realized that Frank had his arm around Miranda too. She threw the picture at the door right as Frank was walking toward it. He stood in the doorway watching her cry.
"Elaina, do you still want me to leave, I can stay at our apartment in town." He voice was almost a whisper as he said it.
Elaina sighed deeply, to control her sobs. "No, you can move your things into the guest room after Miranda leaves. That way the children will still have you here." Frank went to leave the room. "Frank. I'd like for you to tell your team to stay away from here for now. Tell them we'll take care of the horses for them. You can tell them what you wish about our problems you do seem to be good at hiding things."
"I'll call them now." He left the office and picked up the picture she had thrown. He looked at it and he even realized why she had tossed it out of the room.
Elaina went back to the living room and stood in the window watching Derek and Sarah playing ball. Miranda came down stairs with the rest of her things. "I called a cab, it should be here soon. I'll be staying with Reese until the baby is born."
"What will you do then?" Not that Elaina cared.
"The baby will be put up for adoption. I'll go back to work." Miranda went over to her sister. "I came here for a specific reason."
"To ruin my marriage, you certainly did that." Elaina glared at her.
"No! I didn't mean to do that. I'm sorry I said it, I was angry with Frank for what he said; you know I have a bad temper just like you. I came here to ask you a favor and now I can't possibly ask you. I really screwed up our lives, I'm so sorry."
"What was the favor?" Elaina was a little curious.
"Forget it. It's too much for me to ask you. Especially now." Miranda turned to leave.
"Just say it Miranda, let me decide if I'll do it or not!" Elaina was yelling again.
Frank came downstairs and stood next to Elaina after hearing her yelling at Miranda. "Miranda leave her alone like she asked you to do."
"Miranda ask me your favor and get it over with." Elaina calmly says to her.
"I was going to ask that you and Frank adopt my baby and give it a good home." Elaina and Frank stared at each other in disbelief.
"Are you going to answer her?" Frank asks.
"Not without discussing it with you at a later date. Lord knows I can't deal with this right now."
"Why don't you keep the baby maybe you'll grow-up with it." Frank's comment was met again with a slap in the face, this time from Miranda.
"I should learn to stand away from Blakely women when I say things like that." Frank says rubbing his cheek.
"I'm not cut out to be a mother; I don't have the maternal instincts that a loving mother should have. I feel nothing for this baby."
"Miranda our mother and father always told us that things happen for a reason. Your getting pregnant has a reason. That reason is maybe to give you someone that will show you the unconditional love you have been seeking all this time."
Miranda stood there letting what she said soak in. "I never thought of it like that before. I guess I need to think all this through some more."
Megan came in the front door. "There's a cab out here waiting."
"That's mine." Miranda told Megan. "Lainie I hope you forgive Frank, I don't care if you ever forgive me or not. But you two love each other too much to let me break it. You belong with Frank; he has always loved you and only you." She picked up her things and left.
Elaina turns to Frank. "You can move into the guest room now." She walked over to the door; Megan was sitting on the sidewalk with Sarah. "All of you can come back in now."
"I thought Aunt Miranda was staying a while?" Derek questions his mother.
"She had a change in plans. Why don't you go change and Megan can take you both out for dinner, I don't feel like cooking tonight?"
"Can we just order pizza? I have to study for a test." Derek asks.
"I guess that will be okay." Elaina wished they would have gone out but didn't push it. Derek hugged his mom and whispered to her, "Are you going to tell me what really happened?"
"Not everything. It's between me and your father, no one else." Her eyes let him know not to question her about it.
Elaina watched Megan helping Sarah climb the stairs. Megan held on tight to her top so if she stumbled she would catch her. After going up five steps Sarah turned to look at her mother. "Momma."
Elaina walked over and picked up her daughter. "What's wrong, run out of steam?" The little girl giggled and hugged her mommy's neck. Elaina returned the hug all the way up the steps.
Frank came out of the guest room as Sarah and Elaina made it to the top. "She missed her nap earlier; I think I'll lay down with her for awhile."
"Daddy." Sarah held her arms out for Frank to take her. They walked into their room and sat down. When Elaina saw them together her heart seemed to explode into a million pieces.
"I wish I could let him hold me like that, but I'm still not sure I can trust myself with him." She thought to herself as her mind and heart continued their debate.
"Down." Sarah started to wiggle from her father's lap. "Mommy." She held her arms up for Elaina again. "Sing."
"You're giving orders right and left, aren't you?" Sarah shook her head in no particular direction but she thought she was answering her mommy.
Frank laughed at her. "How about we use the tape that Cody made of Mommy singing? Mommy's throat is too sore to sing to you tonight."
Frank went to his daughter's room to get the tape. He put it in the wall stereo; when the lullaby started he adjusted the volume. He kissed his daughter and walked to the door.
As much as he wanted to be next to them he knew Elaina wouldn't allow it. He had hurt her so much and now he had to suffer the consequences. 'I only hope you realize that I will never leave you even if you try to push me away. We are meant to be together.'
After a week of rest Elaina was back to work. She and Frank had not seen much of each other due to his staying in the guest room to give her time to get well and his work. He would come in to check on her before and after work but she was usually asleep when he did.
Today when he came home he was surprised to see luggage in the entryway. "Elaina are you going somewhere again?" He yelled not knowing where she was.
Elaina came out from the kitchen. "Why are you yelling?" She asks as he points to the suitcases. "Those belong to our guest."
"Who's here, Reese?" Frank asks as he looked up the stairs.
"No, not Reese, but you do have the right side of the family." Elaina kisses him to welcome him home.
"If it's not Reese then it must be your Mom and Dad." He looked at the stairs to see Derek coming down. "Hey Derek who's here? Your mom is playing 20 questions."
"Aunt Miranda's here." Derek replies as he went into the kitchen.
"Not for long she isn't!" Frank blurted out.
"She's my sister and she can stay if she wants. This is my house too." Elaina didn't want to fight with him.
"She's not staying in this house." Frank was adamant about it.
"First you can't stand to be around Reese, now it's my sister. Is there any member of my family you get along with?"
"Just your parents and you, and at times it can be a toss up about you."
"Very funny, Miranda stays."
Derek comes back out of the kitchen. "Can you guys have a conversation without yelling?"
"Stay out of it Derek." His mother said it as an order.
"I live here too and I hear every argument you two have, it's getting really old. I wish you'd act like adults once in a while." He says as he heads back to his room, leaving Frank and Elaina staring at each other.
"I guess he told us." Elaina says as she starts to laugh.
"Should we ground him for life?"
"I think he just grounded us. He's right we have been fighting way too much."
"Yeah but we always kiss and make up." Frank says kissing her.
"Is that why you make me angry, so we can fight and make up?" Elaina asks as he kisses her again. "Or should I say make out?"
Someone at the top of the stairs interrupted them. "Hello Frankie, nice to see you again."
"Miranda, turned any tricks lately?"
"Frank!" Elaina punches him in the arm.
"Go to hell Frank!" Miranda hated him as much as he hated her. "Can we talk now, then I'll leave?"
"The sooner the better." Frank walks up the stairs past her and went into his room.
"Are you feeling better? Being pregnant zaps your energy sometimes." Elaina rubbed her sisters protruding belly. "How far along did you say?"
"Seven months give or take. I thought the father was going to marry me but we broke up before I could tell him I was having his baby."
"Why did you break up?" Elaina saw that it bothered her to think about it.
"I saw him with another woman, turned out he lied to me. He was already married and has three kids." Miranda started to cry.
Elaina let her cry for a few minutes. "How did you meet him?" Elaina was curious.
"I work at a restaurant that he comes to everyday for lunch. He always smiled and would talk to me when I waited on his table. One day he asked me out, and we started dating."
"Didn't he have a tan mark or anything to tell you he was married? It's not like you haven't been with married men before." Elaina wished she hadn't added the last statement. "Sorry, I said that."
"It's okay, you're right when, I was hooking I didn't care if they were married or not. Remember what you said once. If you were to look up the word slut my picture would be there." Miranda laughed.
"Glad you can laugh now, back when I said it you decked me." Elaina rubbed her jaw remembering the dental work afterward.
"I've changed a lot in the past couple of years. I'm not walking the streets, doing drugs or anything else illegal. I love my job at the restaurant, I feel down right respectable now."
"But you allowed yourself to be used by a man again." Elaina stated.
"I didn't allow it, I was blinded by love. I really thought I had found my one true love the way you did with Frank."
"How long were the two of you together?" Elaina could tell by the look on Miranda's face she wasn't going to like the answer.
"We were together for about seven months." Miranda wouldn't look her in the eyes.
"Tell me you didn't say."
Miranda cut her off. "I know I didn't take much time jumping in bed with him."
"Why should he be any different?" Frank had come downstairs after changing clothes.
"Get out of here!" Elaina ordered him. "She doesn't need your comments."
"Let's face, it she can't keep her legs together." Elaina hit him hard across the face.
"She's not like that anymore you know that."
Frank was massaging his face from her hitting him. "Seems to me she's the same old Miranda, only difference is that she didn't get paid, unless you call the baby payment."
"You didn't pay me either Frankie." Miranda finally let out their secret.
Frank grabbed Miranda by the throat. "I told you what would happen if you told her."
"Frank let go of her now!" Elaina screamed at him as she pushed him away.
Megan came to the stairs. "What's going on? The kids can hear you."
"Meg take them out of the house go for a drive, anything, just leave us alone please." Elaina was trying to control her anger, but it was difficult under the revelation that occurred.
Elaina heard Megan call Derek from his room and brought Sarah downstairs. "Hurry up Derek." Megan called again.
Derek came down the stairs; he didn't say anything to his parents as he walked by them. Frank wondered if he had heard what was said.
After they went out Elaina let her anger loose. "What the hell is she talking about Frank?!"
"I'll tell you Lainie, when you were recovering, he came to me for comfort." Miranda had forgotten how much she loved revenge.
"You lying little bitch! I didn't go to you. She came to my." Frank stopped he didn't know how to explain it to her. But he had to; the truth would never come from Miranda. "Reese and I went out one night. He thought I could use some time away from home. I drank too much. I vaguely remember getting into bed. When I woke up she was lying next to me. I don't remember any more than that."
"Fill in the blanks Miranda, with the truth." Elaina tried again to get control of her emotions, but they were like a runaway roller coaster.
"When Reese and Frank came home they were both pretty loud and drunk. I looked to see if they woke you or Sarah but you both slept through it. I went down stairs to tell them to be quiet. Reese told me that Frank was passed out in the safe room." Miranda felt Frank watching her.
She continued. "I went back upstairs and laid down. You have to remember that this was the first time we had seen each other since you arrested my boyfriend and I was still angry with you."
Elaina interrupted her. "Your so called boyfriend was your pimp and drug supplier that's why he was arrested. So you're telling me you did it on purpose."
"Yes, I wanted to hurt you and sleeping with Frank was the only way I knew to do it. He never knew it was me, he called me Elaina, when we were together."
Elaina looked at Frank. He turned away from her when their eyes met. 'You truly didn't know, why did you hide it from me all this time?' She didn't ask it out loud; she would later when they were alone.
Miranda continued her account of what happened. "When he woke up and saw me, he threatened me to not say anything to you. He said it never happened."
"I want you to get your bags, call a cab and leave. You want to stay with family you go to Reese or our parents. I don't want you here ever again." Elaina turned her attention to Frank as Miranda went upstairs.
"I only want you to tell me why you never wanted me to know. Then pack your bags and leave too."
"I'm not leaving my own house E, I don't care how angry you are, and you're not throwing me out." Frank argued back.
"Why did you never tell me? You should have told me before now." She was hitting him with every word she spoke, he deserved more than that.
"I didn't think you could handle it in the state you were in then. You were very weak. I didn't want to upset you during your recovery. I never meant to hurt you." Frank explains.
"I always thought I could tell when you were lying or hiding something from me. I guess I was wrong. I never had a clue that it had happened." She walked away from him. "How can I trust you after this?"
"I know it was wrong to keep it from you this long." He tried to hold her but she resisted him. "Please believe me; I never ever wanted another woman other than you. You are my one and only love. You have to know that in your heart." He tried to hold her again, this time she let him until he tried to kiss her.
"Don't try to make up to me right now. My heart is telling me to forgive you, but my mind is telling me to beat the hell out of you." Elaina walks out of the room to the office at the end of the hall.
She sat down at the desk. She looked over to see a picture of her and Frank together with Miranda. She studied the picture then realized that Frank had his arm around Miranda too. She threw the picture at the door right as Frank was walking toward it. He stood in the doorway watching her cry.
"Elaina, do you still want me to leave, I can stay at our apartment in town." He voice was almost a whisper as he said it.
Elaina sighed deeply, to control her sobs. "No, you can move your things into the guest room after Miranda leaves. That way the children will still have you here." Frank went to leave the room. "Frank. I'd like for you to tell your team to stay away from here for now. Tell them we'll take care of the horses for them. You can tell them what you wish about our problems you do seem to be good at hiding things."
"I'll call them now." He left the office and picked up the picture she had thrown. He looked at it and he even realized why she had tossed it out of the room.
Elaina went back to the living room and stood in the window watching Derek and Sarah playing ball. Miranda came down stairs with the rest of her things. "I called a cab, it should be here soon. I'll be staying with Reese until the baby is born."
"What will you do then?" Not that Elaina cared.
"The baby will be put up for adoption. I'll go back to work." Miranda went over to her sister. "I came here for a specific reason."
"To ruin my marriage, you certainly did that." Elaina glared at her.
"No! I didn't mean to do that. I'm sorry I said it, I was angry with Frank for what he said; you know I have a bad temper just like you. I came here to ask you a favor and now I can't possibly ask you. I really screwed up our lives, I'm so sorry."
"What was the favor?" Elaina was a little curious.
"Forget it. It's too much for me to ask you. Especially now." Miranda turned to leave.
"Just say it Miranda, let me decide if I'll do it or not!" Elaina was yelling again.
Frank came downstairs and stood next to Elaina after hearing her yelling at Miranda. "Miranda leave her alone like she asked you to do."
"Miranda ask me your favor and get it over with." Elaina calmly says to her.
"I was going to ask that you and Frank adopt my baby and give it a good home." Elaina and Frank stared at each other in disbelief.
"Are you going to answer her?" Frank asks.
"Not without discussing it with you at a later date. Lord knows I can't deal with this right now."
"Why don't you keep the baby maybe you'll grow-up with it." Frank's comment was met again with a slap in the face, this time from Miranda.
"I should learn to stand away from Blakely women when I say things like that." Frank says rubbing his cheek.
"I'm not cut out to be a mother; I don't have the maternal instincts that a loving mother should have. I feel nothing for this baby."
"Miranda our mother and father always told us that things happen for a reason. Your getting pregnant has a reason. That reason is maybe to give you someone that will show you the unconditional love you have been seeking all this time."
Miranda stood there letting what she said soak in. "I never thought of it like that before. I guess I need to think all this through some more."
Megan came in the front door. "There's a cab out here waiting."
"That's mine." Miranda told Megan. "Lainie I hope you forgive Frank, I don't care if you ever forgive me or not. But you two love each other too much to let me break it. You belong with Frank; he has always loved you and only you." She picked up her things and left.
Elaina turns to Frank. "You can move into the guest room now." She walked over to the door; Megan was sitting on the sidewalk with Sarah. "All of you can come back in now."
"I thought Aunt Miranda was staying a while?" Derek questions his mother.
"She had a change in plans. Why don't you go change and Megan can take you both out for dinner, I don't feel like cooking tonight?"
"Can we just order pizza? I have to study for a test." Derek asks.
"I guess that will be okay." Elaina wished they would have gone out but didn't push it. Derek hugged his mom and whispered to her, "Are you going to tell me what really happened?"
"Not everything. It's between me and your father, no one else." Her eyes let him know not to question her about it.
Elaina watched Megan helping Sarah climb the stairs. Megan held on tight to her top so if she stumbled she would catch her. After going up five steps Sarah turned to look at her mother. "Momma."
Elaina walked over and picked up her daughter. "What's wrong, run out of steam?" The little girl giggled and hugged her mommy's neck. Elaina returned the hug all the way up the steps.
Frank came out of the guest room as Sarah and Elaina made it to the top. "She missed her nap earlier; I think I'll lay down with her for awhile."
"Daddy." Sarah held her arms out for Frank to take her. They walked into their room and sat down. When Elaina saw them together her heart seemed to explode into a million pieces.
"I wish I could let him hold me like that, but I'm still not sure I can trust myself with him." She thought to herself as her mind and heart continued their debate.
"Down." Sarah started to wiggle from her father's lap. "Mommy." She held her arms up for Elaina again. "Sing."
"You're giving orders right and left, aren't you?" Sarah shook her head in no particular direction but she thought she was answering her mommy.
Frank laughed at her. "How about we use the tape that Cody made of Mommy singing? Mommy's throat is too sore to sing to you tonight."
Frank went to his daughter's room to get the tape. He put it in the wall stereo; when the lullaby started he adjusted the volume. He kissed his daughter and walked to the door.
As much as he wanted to be next to them he knew Elaina wouldn't allow it. He had hurt her so much and now he had to suffer the consequences. 'I only hope you realize that I will never leave you even if you try to push me away. We are meant to be together.'