Ch 7
Ethan was sitting in the living room waiting for Theresa and Luis. He wanted to talk to Theresa.
Despite his best efforts, he couldn't hear the party he knew was happening downstairs. The soundproofing the girls had, was fairly amazing.
Kay was downstairs tonight. The kids and Sheridan and Paloma were in bed, hopefully asleep. He had called home earlier to talk to Rosie. She was getting impatient for him to return.
He was considering having Mia bring Rosie out to LA. She could meet her brother and sister.
It was one of the things he needed to talk to Theresa about.
"What are you still doing up?" Theresa asked as she and Luis entered.
"Oh, just hanging out." He answered. "Your shift ended a while ago. Did you two have a chance to do some catching up?"
"Yes, we did," Theresa nodded. "See you in the morning Luis."
"Night," Luis said before he walked down the hall to go to sleep.
"We really have to fix up the third floor guest rooms. We keep meaning to but we never get around to it."
"Well, now that you have guests there might be reason to."
"Right. I should call Cole's brother. He's a contractor. Oh, are you gonna be here on Sunday?"
"That depends, actually." Ethan said. "I want to stay, but I promised Rosie I would see her in three days. That's tomorrow. I don't want to go home without getting a chance to know you again, but I also don't want to disappoint my daughter. I have never broken a promise to her."
"There are a couple of rooms that need a little more work before they're livable. You guys are more then welcome to them after they are," Theresa said.
"Theresa, I'm a DA in Harmony. I can't manage plane trips every other month." He said honestly. Once, talking about money that way would have humiliated him. Now it was simply an embarrassing fact that had to be faced.
"And I'm a medic for the Fire Department of L.A. I like my job. The only paramedics in Harmony are volunteer. That's not what I'm looking for."
"I'm not asking you to go back there." Ethan said. "I know you're happy here."
"But Rosemary's family is in Harmony. I'd never ask you to take her away from-" Theresa stopped. "Okay, I can't finish that sentence because I have a hysterical urge to laugh."
Ethan swallowed. "And since you didn't say it, I have to repress my natural response to any statement of that kind."
"Would you be okay with living with four women and six children?"
He shrugged. "I'm not suggesting that either one of us has to completely change her or his lifestyle. I just want to get to know my children, and for my daughter to meet her siblings."
"How do you feel about weddings?"
"Excuse me?"
"Toni, she's my partner, her step nephew's getting married on Sunday. We're all invited. If Rosie can be here by then, she's more then welcome to come too."
"She's four. She couldn't fly alone."
"What are you suggesting?"
"Pilar doesn't have to keep the secret anymore. She could come here with Rosie and Chloe."
"I'll have to talk to Poe about that. She still has some issues where Mama's concerned."
"Right."
"And then there's Beth, who I assume is watching Chloe while Luis is here."
"What didn't Hank tell you about Beth?"
"Oh you mean the part where she went temporarily insane and killed her mother? I know about that."
"What about the part where she was committed to the same institution as my wife and revealed that she's a criminal arsonist when she tried to burn it to the ground?"
"He left that out."
"And the part where she was convicted of attempted homicide and arson and sentenced to a mental institution for the criminally insane?"
"I thought that Luis and Beth were sharing custody."
"No."
"Oh boy. So Mama's got Chloe?"
"Yeah."
Theresa bit her lip. "I'm gonna have to talk to Poe, Sheridan, and Kay about this cause if Mama knows chances are that Grace is going to find out before Sam tells her."
"We'll see. Your mother can be quite close-mouthed."
"And close minded. I'll call Cole and get his brother's number in the morning. Don't worry Cole's brother didn't do time. But, while we're on the subject. Toni's step-nephew's father, her step-brother, is in jail."
"Why did you hire Cole?"
"Poe did. She said he had honest eyes. She decided to trust him."
"That was enough for you?"
"She doesn't trust easily."
"True enough I guess," Ethan nodded. "But do you know anyone who doesn't have a family member who's done time?"
"I resent that remark. I happen to know whole families without ex-cons."
"Please name one."
"Yours," she smiled smugly. "Anyway, about the wedding? I can't promise a fight but there will be beer."
"I'll be there, but my family doesn't count. I'm not sure about Hank, and you can never be sure about my mother."
"Ivy Winthrop Crane in prison?" Theresa started to laugh. "You're kidding right?"
"She went a little too far and crossed Alistair. He let Sam lock her up for the night for a speeding ticket or something."
"She was driving? She can't even walk!"
"She got that scooter going pretty good."
"Okay then, the Cranes. Alistair may have pulled strings to put Ivy iin/i jail but he'd never let a real Crane get put into jail."
"They sent you to jail."
"I said real Crane."
"You mean blood."
"Exactly. Alistair would pull every trick he could, every rabbit out of every hat he owned to keep a full-blooded Crane, like say Fox, out of jail."
"Wanna make a bet?"
"What?"
"Fox got caught dealing at a boarding school. Alistair saved him once, but said that was it. Next time it happened, the birth certificate burned and his name was no longer to be mentioned."
"That's horrible! I can't believe you let that happen."
"I visit him three or four times a year, as much as I can. I sometimes feel like I spend half my life visiting loved ones in institutions."
Theresa busted up laughing. As she calmed down she started apologizing, "I- I'm sorry but that was too good a line not to laugh at. Okay. I'm okay now."
"It's okay. It is funny when it's not your relatives."
"I should write to Fox. I can't believe he was dealing drugs. How long did he get?"
"Three years. He'll be out in four months if parole goes okay."
"Are you his lawyer?"
Ethan shook his head. "I'm a DA, not allowed to switch sides."
"Right," Theresa nodded and then did a double take. "You didn't, did you?"
"What?"
"Did you prosecute him?"
"Conflict of interest. I was very politely told that I was to go no where near the case."
"How'd you feel about it?"
"In a way I was glad. The case was rock solid, there was no way I could've softened the blow." Ethan grimaced. "But there are still some times I wish I could've tried."
"I know what you mean. There was this accident once--this woman had been so badly injured that they thought she would bleed to death. I just kept trying and trying. I honestly didn't think she would make it, but I couldn't not try."
"What happened?"
"She went through fourteen months of therapy and rehab and became a secretary."
Ethan sat down and invited Theresa to do the same. She did and leaned back against the couch. They were barely touching but the feeling of each other's warmth was there. "I think we both have that gene."
"The 'save the world' gene Hank keeps telling me that most of my family and yours got?"
"Yeah," Ethan nodded.
"I think so too. Cause if I remember my biology it's connected with the 'I'll do anything to help my family and friends' gene. Poe and Kay got the 'take a chance' gene. It goes with the 'I can't mind my own business' gene."
"No, that's in the water." Ethan said. "Cause God knows every person in that town has it. And you got the take a chance gene too." He looked at her and smiled.
"Thanks," Theresa smiled.
"If I bring Rosie out here, I want to be able to tell her who she's meeting." He said, feeling awkward and awful about breaking the moment of tranquility. It was so nice to talk to Theresa without yelling.
"Like I said before, I have to talk to Poe, Kay, and Sheridan. They have a say in this too. Mama didn't refuse to see just us. She refused the offer to see her grandchildren. And you might want to talk to Sam about this before you book any flights."
"I know." He said. "In the morning, I guess."
She leaned a little closer. "What else did Hank censor in his news from home?"
"In the morning. We'll have breakfast. I bet you know every great greasy spoon in a five block radius."
"Ten," Theresa smiled.
HR
Paloma yawned as she woke up. Theresa's side of bed was empty except for a note.
IHey little sis, I am having breakfast with my ex. Color me crazy when I get home but I think I'm starting to unlock that door. Don't worry it's just the dead bolt so far. I still have all those other locks to do and the keys to find. Family pow-wow on the third floor when I get back. Later. -T/i
Paloma sighed, and ran a hand through her hair. She had never gotten to know Ethan. She didn't know if he were a good person or not. Her impressions of him had been colored by Theresa's rather biased narratives. But her sister had two children with the man. There had to be something there. Paloma got out of bed and changed into her favorite skirt and blouse set. It was her turn to bring the kids to school. Hank would go with her, and they would have a chance to talk. He would probably have a more balanced view of Ethan and Theresa's relationship.
"Mommy?" Emma's little head poked into the room. "Oh, hi Aunt Poe."
"Hey Em. What's up?"
"I wanted Mommy to braid my hair."
"Mommy went out early this morning. I can do it if you want."
"Okay," she turned around.
Paloma quickly braided her niece's dark hair and kissed the top of her head. "Ready?"
"Ready. You braid good Aunt Poe. It's too bad you don't have a little girl."
"You just want to tip the balance of little girls in this house." Paloma kissed Emma's head. "Where are your cousins and brother?"
"Aunt Sheridan is making Thomas and Livvie get dressed and ready. Aunt Kay is making breakfast. Alex is eating and Ethan won't get up."
Paloma blinked. It was very rare that she slept later than the rest of the family. "I'll take care of him. Where's Hank?"
"I don't know." Emma shrugged.
"Okay. You go get your shoes on, okay? I am going to go get your brother and then I'm gonna find Hank while you have breakfast. Then we're gonna pile you all in the car and take ya to school. Okay?"
Emma skipped out of the room. Paloma shook her head and tried to plan for the rest of the day.
She went into the room the boys were sharing and shook Ethan awake.
"Aunt Poe, I don't wanna get up."
"Too bad. Up or I'm getting Aunt Sheridan in here with a bucket of ice water. You remember the last time right?"
"Mommy will get mad."
"Mommy's not home right now so she can't get mad. And she would be madder if she knew you wouldn't get up."
He made a face. Paloma laughed and pulled off the covers. He was a great kid most of the time, but morning was not one of those times. Ethan grumbled as he got out of bed. Paloma handed him a pair of jeans and a t- shirt and left.
"Hey Aunt Poe," Thomas said from the table. He, Livvie, Alex, and Emma were eating.
"Hi guys."
"Ethan up?" Kay asked.
"Finally. He's getting dressed."
"You are a miracle worker," Sheridan handed her a cup of coffee.
"Thanks. Is Hank around?"
"He and Luis are making use of the pool table downstairs in the back room."
Paloma sighed. "How did it go with your father yesterday?"
"I don't wanna talk about it."
"Well Theresa wants to talk to us when she gets back from having breakfast."
"She's having breakfast? With who?" Sheridan asked.
"Kay's brother," Paloma said.
"Livvie, don't throw cheerios at Thomas. I don't care what he said."
Olivia made a face but she obeyed.
"And Thomas, don't tease your cousin," Sheridan took up her part with her son.
"Did you talk to Luis yet?" Paloma asked, as she removed a heated cup of water from the microwave and stirred in hot chocolate mix.
"Mama, I want hot chocolate too." Alex asked.
"Not in the morning, mijo." She looked at him. "I shouldn't even have chocolate in the morning."
"Mama bad," Alex said.
"Very," Paloma nodded. "You almost ready to go?"
Alex nodded.
"You guys? We leave in five minutes. Why don't you take the elevator down and find Hank? Tell him to go pull the car around."
Paloma dumped the chocolate into a car cup. "I have two meetings with distributors and one with the liquor license board. Can you get the kids today, or should I ask Hank?"
"I have class this afternoon. Sheridan?"
"It's pre-natal day down at the clinic. You better ask Hank. I might be there till the sun comes up tomorrow."
"Why don't you take some help?" Kay asked.
"Oh yeah, there's an idea. Ask Luis, who I have barely said two words to, to help me deal with hormonal women all day."
"Ethan Martin Soltini-McKay, you better get moving now!" Paloma called.
Ethan emerged from the room, fully dressed. Kay handed Paloma a yogurt to give him in the car.
"You could ask Luis to pick up the kids and Hank to help at the clinic." Kay problem solved.
Paloma shook her head. "I don't think so. He and Cole are coming to back me up at one of the distributor meetings." One of her distributor meeting was a fiction. They were going over her statement to verify it to solidify it as the case against her in-laws proceeded to trial.
"Jesus, Poe. What kind of distribution meeting is it when you need both of them?" Kay demanded in a hiss.
"You don't ask me how the club gets supplied with napkins, I don't ask about your histories with my brothers." Paloma said defensively.
"You need Cole and Hank to get napkins?" Sheridan demanded.
"Aunt Poe, Uncle Hank says we'll be late!" Thomas yelled up the stairs.
"See you both later. If it comes down to it, get Trisha to pick up the kids. She's on the available list for the day, right?"
"Yeah. I better go too," Sheridan put her cup in the dishwasher. "Bye Kay."
"Bye," Kay called as she loaded the dishwasher. She finished cleaning the kitchen and then went to take a shower.
HR
"Girls, we have some talking to do." Theresa began. The kids were asleep. Ethan was at the airport. He had decided that Chad could bring Rosie, and if it was decided Pilar could later bring Chloe. Ethan had said he would see Rosie that day, and he couldn't break that promise. In a weird way, Theresa respected it.
"I get the feeling that I'm not going to like this," Paloma took a seat.
When the girls had started to renovate the warehouse to make it livable they'd gotten too much furniture. What they didn't want was put on the third floor till it could be distributed into finished rooms.
"You might not. Ethan's sent for Rosie and Chad's bringing her. But there's the issue of Chloe."
"She's a child, Theresa, not an issue." Sheridan said firmly.
"Well that's true. But Rosie's out here. That means that people in Harmony are going to start figuring out that Ethan, Sam, Miguel, and Luis are out here for a reason."
"And that they're not in a hurry to go back," Kay finished.
"You mean that Luis is going to want to bring his daughter out here, but he might want his mother to be the bringer."
"And with Pilar coming here with Chloe, my mom is going to figure something is up and get mad at Dad for not telling her sooner." Kay sighed. "Can we move to Hawaii?"
"Your certification is for California. The clinic is here. My husband didn't own a warehouse in Hawaii."
"She's gonna come out here. Her and Jess and Noah, I wouldn't mind seeing Noah but that's beside the point. I would however mind seeing my mother and my sister. I don't want them here. I don't want them in this house."
Sheridan's face was a bit tight. "And no one keeps secrets for long, so Julian would be down here in ten minutes."
"Oh no, that's where I draw the line. Julian Crane steps one foot inside this house and I will be the one with the gun," Theresa said.
"Calm down." Paloma said firmly. "No one is going to come here uninvited. Kay, you have issues with your mother. I respect that trust me. But I think there must be some way to manage this."
Theresa sighed. "She's right."
"Quiet you," Kay muttered jokingly and the tension broke.
"I don't want Julian here either Poe," Sheridan said quietly. "He's not a member of my family."
"No one wants him here Sheridan," Kay assured her. She gave the blonde a squeeze around the shoulders. She didn't show it but Kay was a little nervous. Julian Crane, hell iany/i Crane, could shoot Sheridan's mental health to hell all over again. It would be a lot tougher this time. Thomas was old enough to ask about his mommy this time.
"Now, for starters, I talked to Cole about extra security around here. If Sam and Luis and Miguel and Ethan got in using our side door, so could someone else."
"This is our home. I don't want to be paranoid." Sheridan said.
"Neither do I Sheridan. I don't want to be blindsided again. The first night the guys were in the club all they did was make a reservation. From now on, I think one of us should handle it. We'd recognize voices."
"Too much volume. I like having a life." Paloma said.
The others blinked. They hadn't expected a response like that.
"Cole made a few recommendations." She said. "So did Hank."
"What does my uncle know about building security?" Kay demanded.
"He isn't really such a drifter." She said. "But he really has to explain it. I trust him, I trust Cole. We put up cameras at every door. We're going to start keeping inventory of every uniform for every position here. On big nights, we'll hire extra security."
"But of course, they could just ring the doorbell," Sheridan said.
"Kids can't answer the door, they know that. I talked to the school. If they see anyone, ianyone/i who doesn't belong or that they don't know, they will call the police right away."
"Julian wouldn't kidnap Thomas."
"No, but Alistair might," Theresa pointed out. "He'd do anything to get a potential Crane heir back in his control cause Fox is now among the undesirables."
"No!" Sheridan said.
"He's been in jail for dealing drugs for more than two years." Theresa said. "Ethan told me."
"It doesn't matter. Amanda married one step below the crown prince of a Seattle conglomerate." Paloma said.
"You knew?" Theresa demanded.
"Hank told me. I didn't want you to worry."
"What gives you the right to make those decisions?" Kay asked. "You've kept more secrets than any of us."
"We're not turning on each other here. There are already some measures in place."
"What? Why?"
"Does it matter?" Theresa said. "We have decisions to make."
"Because, I don't want things to happen and us not to be ready for them," Paloma said again. "I don't want to be caught unaware. I think we're done here."
"We haven't decided anything about Mama or Chloe or Grace." Theresa informed her little sister firmly. "You don't get to run away from us every time a talk gets tense."
"Look, Mama can choose to come out and see us this time. Or she can do what she did last time and choose not to see us. It's her call. I refuse to beg her."
"What about you, Kay? Are you going to let your father tell your mother where you are?" Sheridan prompted.
Kay bit her lip and looked down. "I would like to see Noah again. I miss my big brother. I know the only way I am going to see him is if I see Mom. So I guess it's time to make a call."
Sheridan squeezed her hand. "Just think how you felt when Livvie went home with her friend from preschool without telling you, and how it felt to get the call that she was okay."
Kay bumped shoulders with Sheridan. "You're being sneaky. Have you even thought of calling Julian?"
"He wouldn't give a damn as long as I'm not screwing things up for him." Sheridan shrugged. "The difference is, as much as your mom screwed up, she cared."
"I know," Kay nodded. She sighed. "I'm tired."
"It has been that kind of week, hasn't it?" Paloma asked.
"How'd the napkin meeting go?" Kay smirked.
"Don't you want to take over the club and let me deal with other people's children all day?"
"No," Kay laughed. "I wanna go to sleep."
"Me too. Oh hey, did you all get the message about the wedding?"
"Yes and I thought Mickey was still in San Quentin," Sheridan said as they all went back downstairs.
"That's big Mickey, this is little Mickey."
"Well, is there gonna be a fight like at Toni's niece's communion party?" Kay asked.
"There'll be beer," Theresa laughed.
"Should we leave the kids here so they don't get corrupted?"
"Nah, they can play with all the kids in Toni's family. I talked to Maddie and she said we could also bring dates."
"No." Kay said, almost immediately. "Uh uh."
"I'm not saying you should bring Miguel," Theresa rolled her eyes. "But I do plan to bring Ethan with me."
"I'll arm wrestle you for Hank." Sheridan laughingly offered Paloma.
"I'm not using my brother as a date, so you are stuck with either Luis or Miguel. If you really wanna get daring, take Sam."
"Ew." Kay made a face. "I don't want to be the only dateless wonder."
"I'll take Miguel and you can take Luis," Sheridan said.
"Oh great. You can rob the cradle and Luis can take the girl who once threw up all over him," Kay kidded.
"You threw up on Luis?" Paloma asked.
"I had the flu and we were at his and Hank's graduation from high school."
Theresa laughed. "You won't have the flu this time."
"Did you get any pictures?" Paloma asked.
"You are a sick person," Kay said. "No, Mom wouldn't let them be put out for anyone to see. She burned them all."
"Never say she never did anything for you. I'm keeping ever embarrassing photo of Emma for later on in life."
"I'm doing the same with Thomas," Sheridan admitted.
"C'mon, we have a long day tomorrow and Theresa has the worst. She has to tell her kids that Ethan is their father, introduce them to Rosie and then desert Ethan to go to work."
"Thanks for reminding me."
"Anytime," Kay smiled brightly.
Ethan was sitting in the living room waiting for Theresa and Luis. He wanted to talk to Theresa.
Despite his best efforts, he couldn't hear the party he knew was happening downstairs. The soundproofing the girls had, was fairly amazing.
Kay was downstairs tonight. The kids and Sheridan and Paloma were in bed, hopefully asleep. He had called home earlier to talk to Rosie. She was getting impatient for him to return.
He was considering having Mia bring Rosie out to LA. She could meet her brother and sister.
It was one of the things he needed to talk to Theresa about.
"What are you still doing up?" Theresa asked as she and Luis entered.
"Oh, just hanging out." He answered. "Your shift ended a while ago. Did you two have a chance to do some catching up?"
"Yes, we did," Theresa nodded. "See you in the morning Luis."
"Night," Luis said before he walked down the hall to go to sleep.
"We really have to fix up the third floor guest rooms. We keep meaning to but we never get around to it."
"Well, now that you have guests there might be reason to."
"Right. I should call Cole's brother. He's a contractor. Oh, are you gonna be here on Sunday?"
"That depends, actually." Ethan said. "I want to stay, but I promised Rosie I would see her in three days. That's tomorrow. I don't want to go home without getting a chance to know you again, but I also don't want to disappoint my daughter. I have never broken a promise to her."
"There are a couple of rooms that need a little more work before they're livable. You guys are more then welcome to them after they are," Theresa said.
"Theresa, I'm a DA in Harmony. I can't manage plane trips every other month." He said honestly. Once, talking about money that way would have humiliated him. Now it was simply an embarrassing fact that had to be faced.
"And I'm a medic for the Fire Department of L.A. I like my job. The only paramedics in Harmony are volunteer. That's not what I'm looking for."
"I'm not asking you to go back there." Ethan said. "I know you're happy here."
"But Rosemary's family is in Harmony. I'd never ask you to take her away from-" Theresa stopped. "Okay, I can't finish that sentence because I have a hysterical urge to laugh."
Ethan swallowed. "And since you didn't say it, I have to repress my natural response to any statement of that kind."
"Would you be okay with living with four women and six children?"
He shrugged. "I'm not suggesting that either one of us has to completely change her or his lifestyle. I just want to get to know my children, and for my daughter to meet her siblings."
"How do you feel about weddings?"
"Excuse me?"
"Toni, she's my partner, her step nephew's getting married on Sunday. We're all invited. If Rosie can be here by then, she's more then welcome to come too."
"She's four. She couldn't fly alone."
"What are you suggesting?"
"Pilar doesn't have to keep the secret anymore. She could come here with Rosie and Chloe."
"I'll have to talk to Poe about that. She still has some issues where Mama's concerned."
"Right."
"And then there's Beth, who I assume is watching Chloe while Luis is here."
"What didn't Hank tell you about Beth?"
"Oh you mean the part where she went temporarily insane and killed her mother? I know about that."
"What about the part where she was committed to the same institution as my wife and revealed that she's a criminal arsonist when she tried to burn it to the ground?"
"He left that out."
"And the part where she was convicted of attempted homicide and arson and sentenced to a mental institution for the criminally insane?"
"I thought that Luis and Beth were sharing custody."
"No."
"Oh boy. So Mama's got Chloe?"
"Yeah."
Theresa bit her lip. "I'm gonna have to talk to Poe, Sheridan, and Kay about this cause if Mama knows chances are that Grace is going to find out before Sam tells her."
"We'll see. Your mother can be quite close-mouthed."
"And close minded. I'll call Cole and get his brother's number in the morning. Don't worry Cole's brother didn't do time. But, while we're on the subject. Toni's step-nephew's father, her step-brother, is in jail."
"Why did you hire Cole?"
"Poe did. She said he had honest eyes. She decided to trust him."
"That was enough for you?"
"She doesn't trust easily."
"True enough I guess," Ethan nodded. "But do you know anyone who doesn't have a family member who's done time?"
"I resent that remark. I happen to know whole families without ex-cons."
"Please name one."
"Yours," she smiled smugly. "Anyway, about the wedding? I can't promise a fight but there will be beer."
"I'll be there, but my family doesn't count. I'm not sure about Hank, and you can never be sure about my mother."
"Ivy Winthrop Crane in prison?" Theresa started to laugh. "You're kidding right?"
"She went a little too far and crossed Alistair. He let Sam lock her up for the night for a speeding ticket or something."
"She was driving? She can't even walk!"
"She got that scooter going pretty good."
"Okay then, the Cranes. Alistair may have pulled strings to put Ivy iin/i jail but he'd never let a real Crane get put into jail."
"They sent you to jail."
"I said real Crane."
"You mean blood."
"Exactly. Alistair would pull every trick he could, every rabbit out of every hat he owned to keep a full-blooded Crane, like say Fox, out of jail."
"Wanna make a bet?"
"What?"
"Fox got caught dealing at a boarding school. Alistair saved him once, but said that was it. Next time it happened, the birth certificate burned and his name was no longer to be mentioned."
"That's horrible! I can't believe you let that happen."
"I visit him three or four times a year, as much as I can. I sometimes feel like I spend half my life visiting loved ones in institutions."
Theresa busted up laughing. As she calmed down she started apologizing, "I- I'm sorry but that was too good a line not to laugh at. Okay. I'm okay now."
"It's okay. It is funny when it's not your relatives."
"I should write to Fox. I can't believe he was dealing drugs. How long did he get?"
"Three years. He'll be out in four months if parole goes okay."
"Are you his lawyer?"
Ethan shook his head. "I'm a DA, not allowed to switch sides."
"Right," Theresa nodded and then did a double take. "You didn't, did you?"
"What?"
"Did you prosecute him?"
"Conflict of interest. I was very politely told that I was to go no where near the case."
"How'd you feel about it?"
"In a way I was glad. The case was rock solid, there was no way I could've softened the blow." Ethan grimaced. "But there are still some times I wish I could've tried."
"I know what you mean. There was this accident once--this woman had been so badly injured that they thought she would bleed to death. I just kept trying and trying. I honestly didn't think she would make it, but I couldn't not try."
"What happened?"
"She went through fourteen months of therapy and rehab and became a secretary."
Ethan sat down and invited Theresa to do the same. She did and leaned back against the couch. They were barely touching but the feeling of each other's warmth was there. "I think we both have that gene."
"The 'save the world' gene Hank keeps telling me that most of my family and yours got?"
"Yeah," Ethan nodded.
"I think so too. Cause if I remember my biology it's connected with the 'I'll do anything to help my family and friends' gene. Poe and Kay got the 'take a chance' gene. It goes with the 'I can't mind my own business' gene."
"No, that's in the water." Ethan said. "Cause God knows every person in that town has it. And you got the take a chance gene too." He looked at her and smiled.
"Thanks," Theresa smiled.
"If I bring Rosie out here, I want to be able to tell her who she's meeting." He said, feeling awkward and awful about breaking the moment of tranquility. It was so nice to talk to Theresa without yelling.
"Like I said before, I have to talk to Poe, Kay, and Sheridan. They have a say in this too. Mama didn't refuse to see just us. She refused the offer to see her grandchildren. And you might want to talk to Sam about this before you book any flights."
"I know." He said. "In the morning, I guess."
She leaned a little closer. "What else did Hank censor in his news from home?"
"In the morning. We'll have breakfast. I bet you know every great greasy spoon in a five block radius."
"Ten," Theresa smiled.
HR
Paloma yawned as she woke up. Theresa's side of bed was empty except for a note.
IHey little sis, I am having breakfast with my ex. Color me crazy when I get home but I think I'm starting to unlock that door. Don't worry it's just the dead bolt so far. I still have all those other locks to do and the keys to find. Family pow-wow on the third floor when I get back. Later. -T/i
Paloma sighed, and ran a hand through her hair. She had never gotten to know Ethan. She didn't know if he were a good person or not. Her impressions of him had been colored by Theresa's rather biased narratives. But her sister had two children with the man. There had to be something there. Paloma got out of bed and changed into her favorite skirt and blouse set. It was her turn to bring the kids to school. Hank would go with her, and they would have a chance to talk. He would probably have a more balanced view of Ethan and Theresa's relationship.
"Mommy?" Emma's little head poked into the room. "Oh, hi Aunt Poe."
"Hey Em. What's up?"
"I wanted Mommy to braid my hair."
"Mommy went out early this morning. I can do it if you want."
"Okay," she turned around.
Paloma quickly braided her niece's dark hair and kissed the top of her head. "Ready?"
"Ready. You braid good Aunt Poe. It's too bad you don't have a little girl."
"You just want to tip the balance of little girls in this house." Paloma kissed Emma's head. "Where are your cousins and brother?"
"Aunt Sheridan is making Thomas and Livvie get dressed and ready. Aunt Kay is making breakfast. Alex is eating and Ethan won't get up."
Paloma blinked. It was very rare that she slept later than the rest of the family. "I'll take care of him. Where's Hank?"
"I don't know." Emma shrugged.
"Okay. You go get your shoes on, okay? I am going to go get your brother and then I'm gonna find Hank while you have breakfast. Then we're gonna pile you all in the car and take ya to school. Okay?"
Emma skipped out of the room. Paloma shook her head and tried to plan for the rest of the day.
She went into the room the boys were sharing and shook Ethan awake.
"Aunt Poe, I don't wanna get up."
"Too bad. Up or I'm getting Aunt Sheridan in here with a bucket of ice water. You remember the last time right?"
"Mommy will get mad."
"Mommy's not home right now so she can't get mad. And she would be madder if she knew you wouldn't get up."
He made a face. Paloma laughed and pulled off the covers. He was a great kid most of the time, but morning was not one of those times. Ethan grumbled as he got out of bed. Paloma handed him a pair of jeans and a t- shirt and left.
"Hey Aunt Poe," Thomas said from the table. He, Livvie, Alex, and Emma were eating.
"Hi guys."
"Ethan up?" Kay asked.
"Finally. He's getting dressed."
"You are a miracle worker," Sheridan handed her a cup of coffee.
"Thanks. Is Hank around?"
"He and Luis are making use of the pool table downstairs in the back room."
Paloma sighed. "How did it go with your father yesterday?"
"I don't wanna talk about it."
"Well Theresa wants to talk to us when she gets back from having breakfast."
"She's having breakfast? With who?" Sheridan asked.
"Kay's brother," Paloma said.
"Livvie, don't throw cheerios at Thomas. I don't care what he said."
Olivia made a face but she obeyed.
"And Thomas, don't tease your cousin," Sheridan took up her part with her son.
"Did you talk to Luis yet?" Paloma asked, as she removed a heated cup of water from the microwave and stirred in hot chocolate mix.
"Mama, I want hot chocolate too." Alex asked.
"Not in the morning, mijo." She looked at him. "I shouldn't even have chocolate in the morning."
"Mama bad," Alex said.
"Very," Paloma nodded. "You almost ready to go?"
Alex nodded.
"You guys? We leave in five minutes. Why don't you take the elevator down and find Hank? Tell him to go pull the car around."
Paloma dumped the chocolate into a car cup. "I have two meetings with distributors and one with the liquor license board. Can you get the kids today, or should I ask Hank?"
"I have class this afternoon. Sheridan?"
"It's pre-natal day down at the clinic. You better ask Hank. I might be there till the sun comes up tomorrow."
"Why don't you take some help?" Kay asked.
"Oh yeah, there's an idea. Ask Luis, who I have barely said two words to, to help me deal with hormonal women all day."
"Ethan Martin Soltini-McKay, you better get moving now!" Paloma called.
Ethan emerged from the room, fully dressed. Kay handed Paloma a yogurt to give him in the car.
"You could ask Luis to pick up the kids and Hank to help at the clinic." Kay problem solved.
Paloma shook her head. "I don't think so. He and Cole are coming to back me up at one of the distributor meetings." One of her distributor meeting was a fiction. They were going over her statement to verify it to solidify it as the case against her in-laws proceeded to trial.
"Jesus, Poe. What kind of distribution meeting is it when you need both of them?" Kay demanded in a hiss.
"You don't ask me how the club gets supplied with napkins, I don't ask about your histories with my brothers." Paloma said defensively.
"You need Cole and Hank to get napkins?" Sheridan demanded.
"Aunt Poe, Uncle Hank says we'll be late!" Thomas yelled up the stairs.
"See you both later. If it comes down to it, get Trisha to pick up the kids. She's on the available list for the day, right?"
"Yeah. I better go too," Sheridan put her cup in the dishwasher. "Bye Kay."
"Bye," Kay called as she loaded the dishwasher. She finished cleaning the kitchen and then went to take a shower.
HR
"Girls, we have some talking to do." Theresa began. The kids were asleep. Ethan was at the airport. He had decided that Chad could bring Rosie, and if it was decided Pilar could later bring Chloe. Ethan had said he would see Rosie that day, and he couldn't break that promise. In a weird way, Theresa respected it.
"I get the feeling that I'm not going to like this," Paloma took a seat.
When the girls had started to renovate the warehouse to make it livable they'd gotten too much furniture. What they didn't want was put on the third floor till it could be distributed into finished rooms.
"You might not. Ethan's sent for Rosie and Chad's bringing her. But there's the issue of Chloe."
"She's a child, Theresa, not an issue." Sheridan said firmly.
"Well that's true. But Rosie's out here. That means that people in Harmony are going to start figuring out that Ethan, Sam, Miguel, and Luis are out here for a reason."
"And that they're not in a hurry to go back," Kay finished.
"You mean that Luis is going to want to bring his daughter out here, but he might want his mother to be the bringer."
"And with Pilar coming here with Chloe, my mom is going to figure something is up and get mad at Dad for not telling her sooner." Kay sighed. "Can we move to Hawaii?"
"Your certification is for California. The clinic is here. My husband didn't own a warehouse in Hawaii."
"She's gonna come out here. Her and Jess and Noah, I wouldn't mind seeing Noah but that's beside the point. I would however mind seeing my mother and my sister. I don't want them here. I don't want them in this house."
Sheridan's face was a bit tight. "And no one keeps secrets for long, so Julian would be down here in ten minutes."
"Oh no, that's where I draw the line. Julian Crane steps one foot inside this house and I will be the one with the gun," Theresa said.
"Calm down." Paloma said firmly. "No one is going to come here uninvited. Kay, you have issues with your mother. I respect that trust me. But I think there must be some way to manage this."
Theresa sighed. "She's right."
"Quiet you," Kay muttered jokingly and the tension broke.
"I don't want Julian here either Poe," Sheridan said quietly. "He's not a member of my family."
"No one wants him here Sheridan," Kay assured her. She gave the blonde a squeeze around the shoulders. She didn't show it but Kay was a little nervous. Julian Crane, hell iany/i Crane, could shoot Sheridan's mental health to hell all over again. It would be a lot tougher this time. Thomas was old enough to ask about his mommy this time.
"Now, for starters, I talked to Cole about extra security around here. If Sam and Luis and Miguel and Ethan got in using our side door, so could someone else."
"This is our home. I don't want to be paranoid." Sheridan said.
"Neither do I Sheridan. I don't want to be blindsided again. The first night the guys were in the club all they did was make a reservation. From now on, I think one of us should handle it. We'd recognize voices."
"Too much volume. I like having a life." Paloma said.
The others blinked. They hadn't expected a response like that.
"Cole made a few recommendations." She said. "So did Hank."
"What does my uncle know about building security?" Kay demanded.
"He isn't really such a drifter." She said. "But he really has to explain it. I trust him, I trust Cole. We put up cameras at every door. We're going to start keeping inventory of every uniform for every position here. On big nights, we'll hire extra security."
"But of course, they could just ring the doorbell," Sheridan said.
"Kids can't answer the door, they know that. I talked to the school. If they see anyone, ianyone/i who doesn't belong or that they don't know, they will call the police right away."
"Julian wouldn't kidnap Thomas."
"No, but Alistair might," Theresa pointed out. "He'd do anything to get a potential Crane heir back in his control cause Fox is now among the undesirables."
"No!" Sheridan said.
"He's been in jail for dealing drugs for more than two years." Theresa said. "Ethan told me."
"It doesn't matter. Amanda married one step below the crown prince of a Seattle conglomerate." Paloma said.
"You knew?" Theresa demanded.
"Hank told me. I didn't want you to worry."
"What gives you the right to make those decisions?" Kay asked. "You've kept more secrets than any of us."
"We're not turning on each other here. There are already some measures in place."
"What? Why?"
"Does it matter?" Theresa said. "We have decisions to make."
"Because, I don't want things to happen and us not to be ready for them," Paloma said again. "I don't want to be caught unaware. I think we're done here."
"We haven't decided anything about Mama or Chloe or Grace." Theresa informed her little sister firmly. "You don't get to run away from us every time a talk gets tense."
"Look, Mama can choose to come out and see us this time. Or she can do what she did last time and choose not to see us. It's her call. I refuse to beg her."
"What about you, Kay? Are you going to let your father tell your mother where you are?" Sheridan prompted.
Kay bit her lip and looked down. "I would like to see Noah again. I miss my big brother. I know the only way I am going to see him is if I see Mom. So I guess it's time to make a call."
Sheridan squeezed her hand. "Just think how you felt when Livvie went home with her friend from preschool without telling you, and how it felt to get the call that she was okay."
Kay bumped shoulders with Sheridan. "You're being sneaky. Have you even thought of calling Julian?"
"He wouldn't give a damn as long as I'm not screwing things up for him." Sheridan shrugged. "The difference is, as much as your mom screwed up, she cared."
"I know," Kay nodded. She sighed. "I'm tired."
"It has been that kind of week, hasn't it?" Paloma asked.
"How'd the napkin meeting go?" Kay smirked.
"Don't you want to take over the club and let me deal with other people's children all day?"
"No," Kay laughed. "I wanna go to sleep."
"Me too. Oh hey, did you all get the message about the wedding?"
"Yes and I thought Mickey was still in San Quentin," Sheridan said as they all went back downstairs.
"That's big Mickey, this is little Mickey."
"Well, is there gonna be a fight like at Toni's niece's communion party?" Kay asked.
"There'll be beer," Theresa laughed.
"Should we leave the kids here so they don't get corrupted?"
"Nah, they can play with all the kids in Toni's family. I talked to Maddie and she said we could also bring dates."
"No." Kay said, almost immediately. "Uh uh."
"I'm not saying you should bring Miguel," Theresa rolled her eyes. "But I do plan to bring Ethan with me."
"I'll arm wrestle you for Hank." Sheridan laughingly offered Paloma.
"I'm not using my brother as a date, so you are stuck with either Luis or Miguel. If you really wanna get daring, take Sam."
"Ew." Kay made a face. "I don't want to be the only dateless wonder."
"I'll take Miguel and you can take Luis," Sheridan said.
"Oh great. You can rob the cradle and Luis can take the girl who once threw up all over him," Kay kidded.
"You threw up on Luis?" Paloma asked.
"I had the flu and we were at his and Hank's graduation from high school."
Theresa laughed. "You won't have the flu this time."
"Did you get any pictures?" Paloma asked.
"You are a sick person," Kay said. "No, Mom wouldn't let them be put out for anyone to see. She burned them all."
"Never say she never did anything for you. I'm keeping ever embarrassing photo of Emma for later on in life."
"I'm doing the same with Thomas," Sheridan admitted.
"C'mon, we have a long day tomorrow and Theresa has the worst. She has to tell her kids that Ethan is their father, introduce them to Rosie and then desert Ethan to go to work."
"Thanks for reminding me."
"Anytime," Kay smiled brightly.