Chapter 5
Bobby hung the phone up hard. Jimmy came up behind him, "What'd he say?"
Bobby had phoned the Prosecutor's Office trying to find out why they weren't notified that Tony was being released. It had taken the better part of the afternoon before he'd called back because he was in court all day.
"He said that they tried to tell us he was getting out, but couldn't get hold of us," Bobby explained. "He called the day R.J. was born. He said he left a message on the machine for us to call him, but I don't remember seeing anything. But then again, I was so tired I probably didn't notice by the time I got home," Bobby confessed.
"Yeah, and then that power outage from that lightening storm probably reset the machine so you'd never know you missed it. I'm sorry Bobby," Jimmy said to his friend.
"You don't think he'll bother coming around to bother anybody do you?" Bobby asked Jimmy.
"Who won't come around?" asked Carlos walking in on the conversation.
"Nobody," Bobby and Jimmy said in unison.
"Okay! Geez," Carlos snorted and walked out, brushing by Alex and Doc on the way.
"Oh man," said Doc. "What'd he do this time?"
"Walked into another conversation that's none of his business," Jimmy said.
"Oh, that again," said Alex sarcastically.
Doc looked at the two men as they sat staring out the window, looking glum. "So, if you don't mind MY asking, what's up? You guys have been quiet all day."
Bobby looked at Jimmy and they decided that the more people that knew Tony was back on the street the better for them. Maybe if he DID decide to do something stupid, it would get noticed quicker.
"Tony Montanero is out on parole," Bobby stated, looking over at Alex and Doc.
"What?!" both medics said at the same time. "How the hell did that happen without you guys finding out about it?" asked Doc.
Jimmy explained what happened. "Does Kim know yet?" Alex asked.
"Yeah, but I'm telling Melanie when I get home tonight. I didn't want her there worrying about it without me," said Bobby. "Catherine knows though, so she'll keep an eye out."
^*^^*^*^*^^**^*^^*^
Bobby unlocked the door and walked into the apartment. Catherine and Melanie were sitting on the couch watching TV. Mel had just finished feeding the baby and Abby was already in bed. Catherine was trying to burp R.J. and Melanie got up and walked over to her husband. She followed Kim's advice and before Bobby could say or do anything, she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him.
Bobby immediately returned the kiss and after a few moments, they heard Catherine clear her throat. She was standing next to them. "Excuse me," she said as she waited to get by them to go put a sleeping R.J. in his crib.
"Oh, um, sorry, Catherine," Bobby said, blushing slightly.
"No problem. I think you may have done something for her that I couldn't do today," she said as she looked at the smile on her daughter's face. "I'll just put R.J. down and then I'll leave you two alone," she smirked walking past them down the hallway.
"Well, that was nice," Bobby said, grabbing hold of Melanie again and beginning to kiss her. He hated to have to spoil her mood, but she had to know what was going on. "What's for dinner?" he asked, breaking free and walking to the kitchen. He wanted to continue what she'd started, but he knew that the doctor said not for at least six weeks. He decided to distract himself with food and he pulled the dinner plate she'd wrapped up out of the refrigerator and put it in the microwave.
Catherine had come out of R.J.'s room and was putting on her jacket and getting ready to leave. "Bobby, there's a load of clothes in the dryer in the laundry room downstairs. They should be done in about a half hour," she said, looking at her watch. "Make sure Melanie doesn't try to go get them. The doctor said no lifting yet," Catherine warned her daughter with a look.
"Got it, Mom," Bobby said. "Have a good night," he called to her from the kitchen.
Melanie walked her mother to the door. "I'll see you in the morning, honey," Catherine said. "Call me sooner if you need me," she offered.
"Okay, Mom. And thanks for everything. Sleep in tomorrow. Bobby doesn't have to be to work until 3:00 so he'll help me. You look beat," Melanie said.
The two hugged and as Catherine opened the door, Bobby called out to her, "Call us when you get in, Mom!" That surprised Melanie, but she shrugged it off.
"Okay! G'night," Catherine called in to Bobby, knowing that he just wanted to make sure she made it home okay because of Tony. Bobby watched out the window as Catherine made it safely to her car and headed home.
Mel walked back out to the kitchen where Bobby was eating his dinner. "So, how was your day?"
"Interesting," he started and decided that the sooner he got it out the better. "Mel, sit down. I have to talk to you about something," Bobby said, causing Melanie to begin worrying before she was even seated.
"What happened Bobby? Are you okay? Is everyone at the station okay?" she asked rapidly.
"Just relax. Everyone's fine. It's just that," he paused. "Well, your Mom called me today while you were in taking a shower. She went through the mail pile to sort out the junk mail for you and came across an envelope," Bobby started.
"An envelope from where?" Melanie said, not understanding what he was talking about. She knew that all the bills were paid up, because she made sure she'd gone through everything before she went to the hospital.
"From the Department of Corrections. The Parole Division," he said, pausing to let what he was saying sink in. Suddenly, he saw the look on her face change.
"And," she said cautiously.
"And Tony's out on parole, Mel," he said, taking hold of her hand and feeling it begin to tremble.
"Oh my God," Melanie said. "How did that happen? He's only been in for like three years!" she said, alarm in her voice.
"Honey, I'm sure it's all going to be fine. I called the DA today and he told me he was released due to time served and good behavior. He tried to call us, but it was the day you had R.J. and he left a message, but it got lost. Ah, it's a long story," Bobby said, not wanting to repeat it all again. "Anyway, I'm sure he won't bother coming around here again. The DA said that according to his psychiatrist's records, Tony made a lot of progress. And you remember that letter he sent apologizing for what he did and signing off on his parental rights to Abby so that I could adopt her. That's gotta show you that he's not going to bother us, right?" Bobby said, trying to convince Melanie. "Besides, he doesn't even know where we live now."
"I guess so," Melanie said, with a little bit of doubt in her voice.
"Besides, we know he's out, so we'll just be careful for a while until we're sure, okay?" he said. She nodded her head and he stood up and embraced her. "C'mon," he said leading his wife down the hallway. "Let's just go to bed, turn on the TV and relax," he said.
"Okay," Melanie said following him down the hallway. They stopped to check on the kids and saw that they were both safe and sound.
Bobby snapped his fingers, "Damn! Almost forgot to get those clothes from the laundry room. I'll be right back. Warm up the bed for me," he said, giving her a kiss before he headed out to the door.
Bobby hung the phone up hard. Jimmy came up behind him, "What'd he say?"
Bobby had phoned the Prosecutor's Office trying to find out why they weren't notified that Tony was being released. It had taken the better part of the afternoon before he'd called back because he was in court all day.
"He said that they tried to tell us he was getting out, but couldn't get hold of us," Bobby explained. "He called the day R.J. was born. He said he left a message on the machine for us to call him, but I don't remember seeing anything. But then again, I was so tired I probably didn't notice by the time I got home," Bobby confessed.
"Yeah, and then that power outage from that lightening storm probably reset the machine so you'd never know you missed it. I'm sorry Bobby," Jimmy said to his friend.
"You don't think he'll bother coming around to bother anybody do you?" Bobby asked Jimmy.
"Who won't come around?" asked Carlos walking in on the conversation.
"Nobody," Bobby and Jimmy said in unison.
"Okay! Geez," Carlos snorted and walked out, brushing by Alex and Doc on the way.
"Oh man," said Doc. "What'd he do this time?"
"Walked into another conversation that's none of his business," Jimmy said.
"Oh, that again," said Alex sarcastically.
Doc looked at the two men as they sat staring out the window, looking glum. "So, if you don't mind MY asking, what's up? You guys have been quiet all day."
Bobby looked at Jimmy and they decided that the more people that knew Tony was back on the street the better for them. Maybe if he DID decide to do something stupid, it would get noticed quicker.
"Tony Montanero is out on parole," Bobby stated, looking over at Alex and Doc.
"What?!" both medics said at the same time. "How the hell did that happen without you guys finding out about it?" asked Doc.
Jimmy explained what happened. "Does Kim know yet?" Alex asked.
"Yeah, but I'm telling Melanie when I get home tonight. I didn't want her there worrying about it without me," said Bobby. "Catherine knows though, so she'll keep an eye out."
^*^^*^*^*^^**^*^^*^
Bobby unlocked the door and walked into the apartment. Catherine and Melanie were sitting on the couch watching TV. Mel had just finished feeding the baby and Abby was already in bed. Catherine was trying to burp R.J. and Melanie got up and walked over to her husband. She followed Kim's advice and before Bobby could say or do anything, she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him.
Bobby immediately returned the kiss and after a few moments, they heard Catherine clear her throat. She was standing next to them. "Excuse me," she said as she waited to get by them to go put a sleeping R.J. in his crib.
"Oh, um, sorry, Catherine," Bobby said, blushing slightly.
"No problem. I think you may have done something for her that I couldn't do today," she said as she looked at the smile on her daughter's face. "I'll just put R.J. down and then I'll leave you two alone," she smirked walking past them down the hallway.
"Well, that was nice," Bobby said, grabbing hold of Melanie again and beginning to kiss her. He hated to have to spoil her mood, but she had to know what was going on. "What's for dinner?" he asked, breaking free and walking to the kitchen. He wanted to continue what she'd started, but he knew that the doctor said not for at least six weeks. He decided to distract himself with food and he pulled the dinner plate she'd wrapped up out of the refrigerator and put it in the microwave.
Catherine had come out of R.J.'s room and was putting on her jacket and getting ready to leave. "Bobby, there's a load of clothes in the dryer in the laundry room downstairs. They should be done in about a half hour," she said, looking at her watch. "Make sure Melanie doesn't try to go get them. The doctor said no lifting yet," Catherine warned her daughter with a look.
"Got it, Mom," Bobby said. "Have a good night," he called to her from the kitchen.
Melanie walked her mother to the door. "I'll see you in the morning, honey," Catherine said. "Call me sooner if you need me," she offered.
"Okay, Mom. And thanks for everything. Sleep in tomorrow. Bobby doesn't have to be to work until 3:00 so he'll help me. You look beat," Melanie said.
The two hugged and as Catherine opened the door, Bobby called out to her, "Call us when you get in, Mom!" That surprised Melanie, but she shrugged it off.
"Okay! G'night," Catherine called in to Bobby, knowing that he just wanted to make sure she made it home okay because of Tony. Bobby watched out the window as Catherine made it safely to her car and headed home.
Mel walked back out to the kitchen where Bobby was eating his dinner. "So, how was your day?"
"Interesting," he started and decided that the sooner he got it out the better. "Mel, sit down. I have to talk to you about something," Bobby said, causing Melanie to begin worrying before she was even seated.
"What happened Bobby? Are you okay? Is everyone at the station okay?" she asked rapidly.
"Just relax. Everyone's fine. It's just that," he paused. "Well, your Mom called me today while you were in taking a shower. She went through the mail pile to sort out the junk mail for you and came across an envelope," Bobby started.
"An envelope from where?" Melanie said, not understanding what he was talking about. She knew that all the bills were paid up, because she made sure she'd gone through everything before she went to the hospital.
"From the Department of Corrections. The Parole Division," he said, pausing to let what he was saying sink in. Suddenly, he saw the look on her face change.
"And," she said cautiously.
"And Tony's out on parole, Mel," he said, taking hold of her hand and feeling it begin to tremble.
"Oh my God," Melanie said. "How did that happen? He's only been in for like three years!" she said, alarm in her voice.
"Honey, I'm sure it's all going to be fine. I called the DA today and he told me he was released due to time served and good behavior. He tried to call us, but it was the day you had R.J. and he left a message, but it got lost. Ah, it's a long story," Bobby said, not wanting to repeat it all again. "Anyway, I'm sure he won't bother coming around here again. The DA said that according to his psychiatrist's records, Tony made a lot of progress. And you remember that letter he sent apologizing for what he did and signing off on his parental rights to Abby so that I could adopt her. That's gotta show you that he's not going to bother us, right?" Bobby said, trying to convince Melanie. "Besides, he doesn't even know where we live now."
"I guess so," Melanie said, with a little bit of doubt in her voice.
"Besides, we know he's out, so we'll just be careful for a while until we're sure, okay?" he said. She nodded her head and he stood up and embraced her. "C'mon," he said leading his wife down the hallway. "Let's just go to bed, turn on the TV and relax," he said.
"Okay," Melanie said following him down the hallway. They stopped to check on the kids and saw that they were both safe and sound.
Bobby snapped his fingers, "Damn! Almost forgot to get those clothes from the laundry room. I'll be right back. Warm up the bed for me," he said, giving her a kiss before he headed out to the door.