Reconnections - Chapter One - ...And What It Will Be
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Replacing the telephone on its stand, Antonio swiveled his chair to look out the window behind him. Lopez-Fitzgerald Security was located just on the outskirts of Seattle, but the view he had wasn't any less spectacular. Perched atop one of the cities many distinct hills, all the offices of the building had a great view of the bustling metropolis below. And right now, more than any other time, Antonio needed the distraction the view afforded him as his mind tried to absorb the conversation he had just had.
At picking up the phone and hearing his younger sister's voice almost thirty minutes ago, Antonio had immediately known something was up. It wasn't that his family didn't know how to reach him if they needed to, but they had seldom done so in the past eight or so years. The usual call Easter, Christmas, and on birthdays was recognized, but nothing more. When he had left Harmony for the second time, his family knew he wanted nothing to do with the lies they had been feeding him for over a year. So on hearing Theresa's agitated tone over the number of miles that seperated them, he hadn't expected her to bring him any good news.
Releasing a pent up breath of disbelief intermixed with frustration, Antonio ran a hand down his weary face. The news Theresa had given him had been shocking and at first, he had seriously thought she was trying to pull one over him. But as she continued to tell him about the degenerative liver disease that their brother Luis had, Antionio had had to open his eyes to the reality of the situation. He couldn't repeat the name of the disease Luis had for the life of him, but it had sounded intimidating enough. And then came the clencher.
"He needs a liver transplant Antonio. Without it, Luis will get very sick and he will die."
The word die had reverberated loudly through his head, drowning out much of what Theresa had told him after that. There was no love lost between him and his younger brother. If Antonio never saw Luis again it would be too soon. But death? He would never wish that upon anyone, least of all his own flesh and blood. He had quickly pulled himself together to try and catch the rest of Theresa's words. She had told him that Luis' best chance at this point was a liver transplant. But his doctor had told him because of his unusually mixed heritage of Irish and Mexican descent, it would be very difficult to find a donor when placed on the transplant list. That's when he had factored into the equation.
His brother needed his liver. Well, not all of it if Antonio had understood his sister correctly. Somehow, they could transplant half of the liver cells into a body with a fairly high rate of success. So technically, his brother only needed half of his liver. Idly, Antonio had wondered if his organ would be any good for donation. He wasn't a drunk, never had been, but he did enjoy his liquor, on some occasions more than others. He had told Theresa that but she had insisted that he was Luis' best chance at survival. Basically, she had told him to come home and give half of a major organ to the brother that had deceived him. A part of Antonio had wanted to hang up the phone at the sheer ridiculousness of it all. But his other half, the sane part of him, knew he couldn't.
No matter how badly Luis and Sheridan had hurt him, no matter how deep their deception had cut, he could in no way, in no good conscience, turn his back on his brother. Especially at a time like this. He had told Theresa he would be in Harmony by the end of the week. Wednesday now, he only had a few days to get his business in order before he left. Antonio swiveled around in his chair to reface his life when his eyes hit the picture that never left his desk. In it, Beth was holding a seven-month old Haden while an almost three-year old Caleb sat on his lap. "Shit."
How could he have even forgotton his family? He picked up the picture, bringing it close for further inspection. He and Beth had wide grins on their faces as Caleb made a goofy face with the use of his hands and tongue. He traced the line of Beth's cheek, something he loved to do when he was actually with her. How was he going to break this news to her? And more importantly, how would she take it. If him and Luis were on the outs , he could sure as hell bet that Beth would not understand, nor approve of, his decision to help.
Antonio was resettling the picture in place when the ringing of his phone caught his ear. "Hello," he spoke calmly in to the reciever even as his emotions catapulted all over the place.
"Hey man. I'm about thirty minutes out. I just wanted to know if you had finished with the Sand Dunes estimate. I've got that meeting with Hart at 2:30."
Hearing his partner Xavier Bell's voice brought Antonio back to earth, at least for the moment. "Yeah, yeah. I was supposed to be doing that right?" He quickly looked over the scattered papers on his desk in hopes of finding the estimate. The Sand Dunes was actually a new dirt bike shop opening up on the northern part of town, closer to where he lived in Sycamore Valley. They wanted a high securtity system to protect the bikes that sold for in the thousands as Hart McKinley, the owner, had told him at their meeting last week. Finally finding the paper, he went over the estimation with Xavier. "It's all here and ready. I'll leave it on your desk."
"What, are you leaving or something?"
Antonio closed his eyes. "Actually, yeah man, I am. Something's come up. Family business--"
"Is it Beth? The boys?" Xavier cut in, worry evident in his voice.
"No, no. Not that family. The one back home."
"Harmonites?" Xavier gave a short laugh. "I thought you only spoke to those people twice every year?"
"Hey, I do better than that. But anyway, it's something with my brother Luis. He needs my help and I have to go out there to do that."
"Whoa there," Xavier spoke. "So you're leaving as in the state? How's Beth reacting to this?"
"She hasn't." He paused. "I haven't told her yet." A low whistle sounded over the line. "Its not like I won't tell her. I just got the call from my sister. I haven't had the chance."
"But you've already decided to go and help. You're leaving your business but more importantly your family behind to help someone who...betrayed you?"
Now Antonio was agitated. "Look, its a lot more complicated than you know. And besides, its not really any of your business."
"Well, fine then," Xavier's curt tone spoke. "Excuse me for being a friend."
"That's not what I meant." If Xavier, his friend and business partner, was taking the news this badly, then he couldn't hope for much better with Beth. "Look, I know you care Xave. You've been a great friend these past five years. You're almost like a brother to me, honest. But I have to help Luis out with this. It goes beyond what he did to me." He waited for the other man to say something, but the line was left with dead air. "Look, I need you to take care of things while I'm gone. It will probably be for a few weeks. You can handle that, right?"
"Of course I can," he finally spoke. "Whatever you need buddy, I'm there."
"Thanks Xave. I'm going to finish up here and go home and tell Beth. I'll call you later to discuss the rest of this week's appointments. From there, I'm sure you'll have everything." After the other man agreed, Antonio was about ot hang up when he remembered an important detail. "Oh, and I need you to keep an eye on Evan Donelly."
"Hell no."
That made Antonio laugh. He wasn't too keen on Evan's presence here but had stomached it for Beth's sake. Xavier, on the other hand, made no attempt to disguise his dislike of the guy. "I promised Beth, Xavier, so you can't fire him. Just give him file work to do. Or let him set up appointments. Nothing too overtaxing."
"Yeah, 'cause we know how well he handles those situations." Xavier snorted before wishing Antonio the best of luck with his trip back home. "And don't worry about a thing, Antonio. I'll take care of everything, Evan included."
Before Antonio could hit him with another warning, Xavier had disconnected the line. Replacing the phone again, he made quick work of clearing his desk, remembering to put The Sand Dunes estimation on Xavier's desk. After briefly explaining things to one of the other consultants in office, he headed towards his car, and then towards his home in Sycamore Valley. Telling Beth wasn't going to be easy, but it was something he would have to do. Antonio just hoped she would understand his reasons for wanting to do what he did.
- - - - - - - - - -
"I don't understand this Antonio." Beth placed the towel she had been using to scrub the already clean counter on a hook by the dishwasher. She turned to face her husband, the look on her face unpleasant she was sure, but not caring. "Let's just put aside the fact that Luis lied to you about everything from the moment you stepped into Harmony. Let's just pretend that didn't even happen. This is a decision you make with the people you care about.With me. You're not standing there telling me to help you make a decision, Antonio. You're standing there telling me to accept one."
Antonio wanted to roll his eyes but knew that wouldn't get him anywhere. At least Beth was talking to him now. For fourty-three minutes after he had told her he was going to Harmony, she hadn't spoken a single word to him. Only when he had returned from the living room to see if she had calmed down any had she said anything. "I can't explain it except that its something I need to do."
Beth rolled her eyes. "What do you mean it's something you need to do?" She stepped forward, placing her forefinger in the center of his chest. "Do you think Luis would afford you the same courtesy you're giving him? Do you think he would just leave his life, Sheridan," the name came off her tongue with a bad taste, "if you needed him?" She stepped back giving him a pointed look before turning around, wildly searching for something to take her attention. Nothing would.
"You don't understand."
"I think I already said that," she spoke curtly before walking towards the stove. Maybe she would clean it.
"Beth, can we just...Can we just talk about this like two sane adults."
That had her stopping all movements. Slowly, she turned around to face him. "What? I'm insane because my husband is making a mistake?" She asked lowly, tremors in her voice.
"That's not what I meant," Antonio said quickly. He stepped forward, reached for her, but she evaded his grasp. "Beth--"
"You know what, Antonio? Do what you want." She turned and fled the kitchen. "Haden? Sweetheart, where are you?"
"I'm right here mommy," the little boy spoke from the floor of the living room. He had been playing with his brother's trucks, something that only happened when Caleb was at school.
"Come on sweetie, let's go."
"Where?" he asked as he stood, a red truck and a blue truck in hand.
"How about we go to the park and play for a little bit. Then, we'll pick up Caleb from school and we can go for an early dinner somewhere."
"Chuck E. Cheese. Chuck E. Cheese," Haden chanted.
Beth frowned. "We'll talk about it." She grabbed his jacket from the stand by the door just as Antonio walked out of the kitchen. She shot him a look, as if daring him to say anything to her, before quickly putting Haden in his jacket. "Come on," she spoke to the little boy, hurrying him along. "Maybe if we get there and we have enough time, we can ride the boat around the lagoon."
"Yay," Haden screamed, punching a fist into the air. He opened the door, shooting out of it like a rocket.
Beth grabbed her own jacket before taking the keys from the table by the doorway.
"This conversation isn't over," Antonio spoke with a steel-edged tone lacing his voice.
"As far as I'm concerned it is." And without further hesitation, Beth stepped out of the door, closing it soundly behind her. As she stood on the front porch, watching as Haden ran circles around her car, she tried to compose herself. If Antonio wanted to go back to Harmony, wanted to go back to that life, then it was solely his choice. But there was no way in hell she would let him drag her into it. She had left Harmony years ago with the single promise never to return. Raising her chin high, she darted down the few steps and went to open the door for her son.
Antonio watched as the dark blue car drove away, disappearing down the winding hill that led up to their street. He should have gone after her, done something, but now it was too late. He retreated to the living room, slouching into the first chair he came to. Looking around, one would never imagine the little tiff that had just gone on here. They were the quintesential American family living the American dream. But they had barely acted like civilized people only minutes before. It was a wonder that Haden hadn't caught on to the thick tension that permeated the air.
Resting his head back on the chair, Antonio closed his eyes and let his mind rest. He was in the same position when he heard the key jingle in the front door. Raising his head, he looked to the clock centered above the fireplace. What had seemed like minutes of rest had actually been hours; five and a half to be exact. Popping the crick in his neck, Antonio stood just as the two boys rushed into the room, both wearing crowns made of balloons and the remnants of what looked to be cake and ice cream on their faces.
"Dad, look what we got," Caleb crowed, dropping his small bookbag near the center table. "We went to Silly Willy's and they had a clown and he was making animals from balloons. Guess what mine is?" he said, pointing wildly to the top of his head.
Antonio took a closer look. It seemed the animal was a giraffe but he prentended not to know, guessing instead that it was a lizard.
"No, dad! It's an ostrich! Isn't that cool?"
Antonio laughed, a booming sound. So much for the giraffe. Turning to Haden, he asked him what his animal was.
"I haven't decided yet," the little boy said, great thought on his face, as always. "Maybe it's an elephant. Maybe its a hippi-- hippa-- hippo" Haden faltered, not knowing how to prounounce the word.
"Hippopotamus," Antonio supplied.
The boy smiled. "Yeah, that. I'm not sure yet but I'll tell you when I figure it out."
"Come on boys, time to wash up."
Antonio raised his eyes to meet those of Beth. She briefly looked at him before turning away, taking both boys by the shoulder. "You've had a lot of excitement today and remember the trade off that we made?"
"Yeah, yeah," Caleb grouched. "We get to stay an hour more at Silly Willy's if we promise to go straight to bed when we get home."
"That's right," Beth said, already ushering them towards the stairway. "So now its time for you guys to serve your part of the bargain. Up those stairs right now. I'll be there to start your bath in just a minute."
"Okay mommy," Haden said, seemingly flying up the stairs. His brother didn't go as quick, but went nonetheless.
"You know, I can give them their baths. Tuck them in," Antonio spoke softly from behind Beth. He didn't want them to fight; they seldom did. He was pained with the decision he had made, but he had made it and there was no taking it back. He just wished she could understand that.
"That's alright," Beth said, taking her jacket off and putting it on the coatrack. She made a mental note to remember to bring down the boys' jackets or their would be chaos tomorrow morning. "I've got it all covered." She turned around to look at him. "Shouldn't you be packing or something?"
Here it goes. "I'm not leaving for a couple of days Beth."
"Really?" She questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Why the wait? I would think you'd be in a hurry to help Luis. What is it you're giving him again? Your heart?"
His lips pressed into a grim line. "You know, if you want to be a baby about this, go right on ahead; no skin off my back. But if you were acting like the mature, level-headed woman I know you to be, you would be behind me on this. You would be supporting me instead making wiseguy cracks."
Beth folded her hands neatly in front of her, giving him the most level- headed, mature look she could muster. "I support you Antonio." And then she turned on her heal, making the walk up the stairs."Boys..."
Antonio wanted to scream but instead, took a deep breath and went after her. He found all three in the bathroom, the boys just getting in the tub for their nightly session of soap wars. Grabbing a blue washcloth, he went over and kneeled by Beth side, forgetting for the moement that they were throwing verbal knives at each other and instead enjoying the time spent with their sons. Caleb talked about how he had just finished reading his fourth book today and how excited he was about his next one. Haden went on about Silly Willy's, explaining why he figured his balloon animal could be either of the two he had mentioned before. Within the hour, both boys had been toweled off, their teeth brushed, and were dressed in their pajamas. Antonio read the story with the help of Caleb, but within minutes Haden had dozed off. Finally, Caleb succombed to sleep and both he and Beth kissed them on the cheek before leaving the room.
As he followed his wife into their bedroom, Antonio prepared himself for the next round of arguing. He had decided he would just take whatever she had to throw at him. She had every right to be mad; he hadn't discussed this with her, rather making the decision to go on his own. And for that, she should be angry at him. But for any other reasons... Well, that wasn't for him to think about now. "Beth," he spoke softly.
"I have to take a shower," she threw over her shoulder before walking into their bathroom and closing the door.
He stared at the closed door, listened as the water turned on quickly followed by the shower, and something in him snapped. Moving with a purpose, he walked to the bathroom door, surprised it wasn't locked when he turned the knob. If she wanted to put so much space between them, she probably should have made sure he couldn't go in after her. Walking into the already steamy bathroom, Antonio raised his voice as he said, "I can't believe you're acting like this Elisabeth. If I don't go, Luis might die...will die as far as Theresa's concerned." Still, no answer from within. "Jesus Christ, Beth!" He walked forward, slinging the glass shower door back to find her curled against the farthest wall, her shoulders shaking lightly. "Beth?"
"Go. Away."
It only took him seconds to undress, leaving his clothes on the bathroom floor. Stepping into the shower, he closed the door behind him, instantly reaching for Beth.
"No," she spoke, shrugging his touch off. "Leave me alone." She wanted to get away from him, but there was nowhere she could go. "Please, just leave me alone."
"I'm not leaving you alone." Antonio stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her body. She fought him, but he held on. "Beth, I'll only be gone for a few weeks. As soon as the doctor says its okay, I'll be back. But I have to do this. I can't turn my back on my family when they need me like this. I just can't."
She let the words sink in even as more thoughts, more fears, resurfaced. "Are.." She bit her lip, not sure if she should ask the question that had been flashing through her mind since finding out he was returning to Harmony. Closing her eyes tight, as if that would protect her from his answer, she asked, "Are you going to tell him?"
Antonio had opened his mouth to ask her what she meant when he understood. Chilled, he slowly coaxed Beth around until he could see her face. It was only then that he saw the tears that streamed down her face. "No, Beth. That isn't what this is about." He rubbed his thumbs against her closed eyes, waiting for her to open them, to look at him. When she finally did, he spoke again. "I would never do that to you Beth. Never. And why, why Beth, would I want to compromise my role in his life? He's my son. My son Beth and I would never just hand him over to anyone." He held on tighter, if that was possible, as she sobbed softly into his shoulder. "I'm going to help Luis and then I'm coming back home to you. To the boys. I promise you this Beth." He bowed his head down to whisper in her ear. "You have nothing to worry about."
But even as he spoke the words, Beth knew he was wrong. Because if he was going home, the opportunity for their secret to slip, even if accidentally, existed. And that was one Pandora's Box she didn't ever want opened. So while Antonio held her in his strong arms, showering her face with, kisses that were meant to offer comfort, the only thought in Beth's mind was how to protect herself and her son. Because one thing she knew, she couldn't lose him. She wouldn't lose Caleb.
- - - - - - - - - -
Preview:
Sheridan and Luis await their savior,
Beth revisits her past,
and three lives that were once connected do so again in
"Reconnections - Chapter Two - Welcome to Harmony..."
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Replacing the telephone on its stand, Antonio swiveled his chair to look out the window behind him. Lopez-Fitzgerald Security was located just on the outskirts of Seattle, but the view he had wasn't any less spectacular. Perched atop one of the cities many distinct hills, all the offices of the building had a great view of the bustling metropolis below. And right now, more than any other time, Antonio needed the distraction the view afforded him as his mind tried to absorb the conversation he had just had.
At picking up the phone and hearing his younger sister's voice almost thirty minutes ago, Antonio had immediately known something was up. It wasn't that his family didn't know how to reach him if they needed to, but they had seldom done so in the past eight or so years. The usual call Easter, Christmas, and on birthdays was recognized, but nothing more. When he had left Harmony for the second time, his family knew he wanted nothing to do with the lies they had been feeding him for over a year. So on hearing Theresa's agitated tone over the number of miles that seperated them, he hadn't expected her to bring him any good news.
Releasing a pent up breath of disbelief intermixed with frustration, Antonio ran a hand down his weary face. The news Theresa had given him had been shocking and at first, he had seriously thought she was trying to pull one over him. But as she continued to tell him about the degenerative liver disease that their brother Luis had, Antionio had had to open his eyes to the reality of the situation. He couldn't repeat the name of the disease Luis had for the life of him, but it had sounded intimidating enough. And then came the clencher.
"He needs a liver transplant Antonio. Without it, Luis will get very sick and he will die."
The word die had reverberated loudly through his head, drowning out much of what Theresa had told him after that. There was no love lost between him and his younger brother. If Antonio never saw Luis again it would be too soon. But death? He would never wish that upon anyone, least of all his own flesh and blood. He had quickly pulled himself together to try and catch the rest of Theresa's words. She had told him that Luis' best chance at this point was a liver transplant. But his doctor had told him because of his unusually mixed heritage of Irish and Mexican descent, it would be very difficult to find a donor when placed on the transplant list. That's when he had factored into the equation.
His brother needed his liver. Well, not all of it if Antonio had understood his sister correctly. Somehow, they could transplant half of the liver cells into a body with a fairly high rate of success. So technically, his brother only needed half of his liver. Idly, Antonio had wondered if his organ would be any good for donation. He wasn't a drunk, never had been, but he did enjoy his liquor, on some occasions more than others. He had told Theresa that but she had insisted that he was Luis' best chance at survival. Basically, she had told him to come home and give half of a major organ to the brother that had deceived him. A part of Antonio had wanted to hang up the phone at the sheer ridiculousness of it all. But his other half, the sane part of him, knew he couldn't.
No matter how badly Luis and Sheridan had hurt him, no matter how deep their deception had cut, he could in no way, in no good conscience, turn his back on his brother. Especially at a time like this. He had told Theresa he would be in Harmony by the end of the week. Wednesday now, he only had a few days to get his business in order before he left. Antonio swiveled around in his chair to reface his life when his eyes hit the picture that never left his desk. In it, Beth was holding a seven-month old Haden while an almost three-year old Caleb sat on his lap. "Shit."
How could he have even forgotton his family? He picked up the picture, bringing it close for further inspection. He and Beth had wide grins on their faces as Caleb made a goofy face with the use of his hands and tongue. He traced the line of Beth's cheek, something he loved to do when he was actually with her. How was he going to break this news to her? And more importantly, how would she take it. If him and Luis were on the outs , he could sure as hell bet that Beth would not understand, nor approve of, his decision to help.
Antonio was resettling the picture in place when the ringing of his phone caught his ear. "Hello," he spoke calmly in to the reciever even as his emotions catapulted all over the place.
"Hey man. I'm about thirty minutes out. I just wanted to know if you had finished with the Sand Dunes estimate. I've got that meeting with Hart at 2:30."
Hearing his partner Xavier Bell's voice brought Antonio back to earth, at least for the moment. "Yeah, yeah. I was supposed to be doing that right?" He quickly looked over the scattered papers on his desk in hopes of finding the estimate. The Sand Dunes was actually a new dirt bike shop opening up on the northern part of town, closer to where he lived in Sycamore Valley. They wanted a high securtity system to protect the bikes that sold for in the thousands as Hart McKinley, the owner, had told him at their meeting last week. Finally finding the paper, he went over the estimation with Xavier. "It's all here and ready. I'll leave it on your desk."
"What, are you leaving or something?"
Antonio closed his eyes. "Actually, yeah man, I am. Something's come up. Family business--"
"Is it Beth? The boys?" Xavier cut in, worry evident in his voice.
"No, no. Not that family. The one back home."
"Harmonites?" Xavier gave a short laugh. "I thought you only spoke to those people twice every year?"
"Hey, I do better than that. But anyway, it's something with my brother Luis. He needs my help and I have to go out there to do that."
"Whoa there," Xavier spoke. "So you're leaving as in the state? How's Beth reacting to this?"
"She hasn't." He paused. "I haven't told her yet." A low whistle sounded over the line. "Its not like I won't tell her. I just got the call from my sister. I haven't had the chance."
"But you've already decided to go and help. You're leaving your business but more importantly your family behind to help someone who...betrayed you?"
Now Antonio was agitated. "Look, its a lot more complicated than you know. And besides, its not really any of your business."
"Well, fine then," Xavier's curt tone spoke. "Excuse me for being a friend."
"That's not what I meant." If Xavier, his friend and business partner, was taking the news this badly, then he couldn't hope for much better with Beth. "Look, I know you care Xave. You've been a great friend these past five years. You're almost like a brother to me, honest. But I have to help Luis out with this. It goes beyond what he did to me." He waited for the other man to say something, but the line was left with dead air. "Look, I need you to take care of things while I'm gone. It will probably be for a few weeks. You can handle that, right?"
"Of course I can," he finally spoke. "Whatever you need buddy, I'm there."
"Thanks Xave. I'm going to finish up here and go home and tell Beth. I'll call you later to discuss the rest of this week's appointments. From there, I'm sure you'll have everything." After the other man agreed, Antonio was about ot hang up when he remembered an important detail. "Oh, and I need you to keep an eye on Evan Donelly."
"Hell no."
That made Antonio laugh. He wasn't too keen on Evan's presence here but had stomached it for Beth's sake. Xavier, on the other hand, made no attempt to disguise his dislike of the guy. "I promised Beth, Xavier, so you can't fire him. Just give him file work to do. Or let him set up appointments. Nothing too overtaxing."
"Yeah, 'cause we know how well he handles those situations." Xavier snorted before wishing Antonio the best of luck with his trip back home. "And don't worry about a thing, Antonio. I'll take care of everything, Evan included."
Before Antonio could hit him with another warning, Xavier had disconnected the line. Replacing the phone again, he made quick work of clearing his desk, remembering to put The Sand Dunes estimation on Xavier's desk. After briefly explaining things to one of the other consultants in office, he headed towards his car, and then towards his home in Sycamore Valley. Telling Beth wasn't going to be easy, but it was something he would have to do. Antonio just hoped she would understand his reasons for wanting to do what he did.
- - - - - - - - - -
"I don't understand this Antonio." Beth placed the towel she had been using to scrub the already clean counter on a hook by the dishwasher. She turned to face her husband, the look on her face unpleasant she was sure, but not caring. "Let's just put aside the fact that Luis lied to you about everything from the moment you stepped into Harmony. Let's just pretend that didn't even happen. This is a decision you make with the people you care about.With me. You're not standing there telling me to help you make a decision, Antonio. You're standing there telling me to accept one."
Antonio wanted to roll his eyes but knew that wouldn't get him anywhere. At least Beth was talking to him now. For fourty-three minutes after he had told her he was going to Harmony, she hadn't spoken a single word to him. Only when he had returned from the living room to see if she had calmed down any had she said anything. "I can't explain it except that its something I need to do."
Beth rolled her eyes. "What do you mean it's something you need to do?" She stepped forward, placing her forefinger in the center of his chest. "Do you think Luis would afford you the same courtesy you're giving him? Do you think he would just leave his life, Sheridan," the name came off her tongue with a bad taste, "if you needed him?" She stepped back giving him a pointed look before turning around, wildly searching for something to take her attention. Nothing would.
"You don't understand."
"I think I already said that," she spoke curtly before walking towards the stove. Maybe she would clean it.
"Beth, can we just...Can we just talk about this like two sane adults."
That had her stopping all movements. Slowly, she turned around to face him. "What? I'm insane because my husband is making a mistake?" She asked lowly, tremors in her voice.
"That's not what I meant," Antonio said quickly. He stepped forward, reached for her, but she evaded his grasp. "Beth--"
"You know what, Antonio? Do what you want." She turned and fled the kitchen. "Haden? Sweetheart, where are you?"
"I'm right here mommy," the little boy spoke from the floor of the living room. He had been playing with his brother's trucks, something that only happened when Caleb was at school.
"Come on sweetie, let's go."
"Where?" he asked as he stood, a red truck and a blue truck in hand.
"How about we go to the park and play for a little bit. Then, we'll pick up Caleb from school and we can go for an early dinner somewhere."
"Chuck E. Cheese. Chuck E. Cheese," Haden chanted.
Beth frowned. "We'll talk about it." She grabbed his jacket from the stand by the door just as Antonio walked out of the kitchen. She shot him a look, as if daring him to say anything to her, before quickly putting Haden in his jacket. "Come on," she spoke to the little boy, hurrying him along. "Maybe if we get there and we have enough time, we can ride the boat around the lagoon."
"Yay," Haden screamed, punching a fist into the air. He opened the door, shooting out of it like a rocket.
Beth grabbed her own jacket before taking the keys from the table by the doorway.
"This conversation isn't over," Antonio spoke with a steel-edged tone lacing his voice.
"As far as I'm concerned it is." And without further hesitation, Beth stepped out of the door, closing it soundly behind her. As she stood on the front porch, watching as Haden ran circles around her car, she tried to compose herself. If Antonio wanted to go back to Harmony, wanted to go back to that life, then it was solely his choice. But there was no way in hell she would let him drag her into it. She had left Harmony years ago with the single promise never to return. Raising her chin high, she darted down the few steps and went to open the door for her son.
Antonio watched as the dark blue car drove away, disappearing down the winding hill that led up to their street. He should have gone after her, done something, but now it was too late. He retreated to the living room, slouching into the first chair he came to. Looking around, one would never imagine the little tiff that had just gone on here. They were the quintesential American family living the American dream. But they had barely acted like civilized people only minutes before. It was a wonder that Haden hadn't caught on to the thick tension that permeated the air.
Resting his head back on the chair, Antonio closed his eyes and let his mind rest. He was in the same position when he heard the key jingle in the front door. Raising his head, he looked to the clock centered above the fireplace. What had seemed like minutes of rest had actually been hours; five and a half to be exact. Popping the crick in his neck, Antonio stood just as the two boys rushed into the room, both wearing crowns made of balloons and the remnants of what looked to be cake and ice cream on their faces.
"Dad, look what we got," Caleb crowed, dropping his small bookbag near the center table. "We went to Silly Willy's and they had a clown and he was making animals from balloons. Guess what mine is?" he said, pointing wildly to the top of his head.
Antonio took a closer look. It seemed the animal was a giraffe but he prentended not to know, guessing instead that it was a lizard.
"No, dad! It's an ostrich! Isn't that cool?"
Antonio laughed, a booming sound. So much for the giraffe. Turning to Haden, he asked him what his animal was.
"I haven't decided yet," the little boy said, great thought on his face, as always. "Maybe it's an elephant. Maybe its a hippi-- hippa-- hippo" Haden faltered, not knowing how to prounounce the word.
"Hippopotamus," Antonio supplied.
The boy smiled. "Yeah, that. I'm not sure yet but I'll tell you when I figure it out."
"Come on boys, time to wash up."
Antonio raised his eyes to meet those of Beth. She briefly looked at him before turning away, taking both boys by the shoulder. "You've had a lot of excitement today and remember the trade off that we made?"
"Yeah, yeah," Caleb grouched. "We get to stay an hour more at Silly Willy's if we promise to go straight to bed when we get home."
"That's right," Beth said, already ushering them towards the stairway. "So now its time for you guys to serve your part of the bargain. Up those stairs right now. I'll be there to start your bath in just a minute."
"Okay mommy," Haden said, seemingly flying up the stairs. His brother didn't go as quick, but went nonetheless.
"You know, I can give them their baths. Tuck them in," Antonio spoke softly from behind Beth. He didn't want them to fight; they seldom did. He was pained with the decision he had made, but he had made it and there was no taking it back. He just wished she could understand that.
"That's alright," Beth said, taking her jacket off and putting it on the coatrack. She made a mental note to remember to bring down the boys' jackets or their would be chaos tomorrow morning. "I've got it all covered." She turned around to look at him. "Shouldn't you be packing or something?"
Here it goes. "I'm not leaving for a couple of days Beth."
"Really?" She questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Why the wait? I would think you'd be in a hurry to help Luis. What is it you're giving him again? Your heart?"
His lips pressed into a grim line. "You know, if you want to be a baby about this, go right on ahead; no skin off my back. But if you were acting like the mature, level-headed woman I know you to be, you would be behind me on this. You would be supporting me instead making wiseguy cracks."
Beth folded her hands neatly in front of her, giving him the most level- headed, mature look she could muster. "I support you Antonio." And then she turned on her heal, making the walk up the stairs."Boys..."
Antonio wanted to scream but instead, took a deep breath and went after her. He found all three in the bathroom, the boys just getting in the tub for their nightly session of soap wars. Grabbing a blue washcloth, he went over and kneeled by Beth side, forgetting for the moement that they were throwing verbal knives at each other and instead enjoying the time spent with their sons. Caleb talked about how he had just finished reading his fourth book today and how excited he was about his next one. Haden went on about Silly Willy's, explaining why he figured his balloon animal could be either of the two he had mentioned before. Within the hour, both boys had been toweled off, their teeth brushed, and were dressed in their pajamas. Antonio read the story with the help of Caleb, but within minutes Haden had dozed off. Finally, Caleb succombed to sleep and both he and Beth kissed them on the cheek before leaving the room.
As he followed his wife into their bedroom, Antonio prepared himself for the next round of arguing. He had decided he would just take whatever she had to throw at him. She had every right to be mad; he hadn't discussed this with her, rather making the decision to go on his own. And for that, she should be angry at him. But for any other reasons... Well, that wasn't for him to think about now. "Beth," he spoke softly.
"I have to take a shower," she threw over her shoulder before walking into their bathroom and closing the door.
He stared at the closed door, listened as the water turned on quickly followed by the shower, and something in him snapped. Moving with a purpose, he walked to the bathroom door, surprised it wasn't locked when he turned the knob. If she wanted to put so much space between them, she probably should have made sure he couldn't go in after her. Walking into the already steamy bathroom, Antonio raised his voice as he said, "I can't believe you're acting like this Elisabeth. If I don't go, Luis might die...will die as far as Theresa's concerned." Still, no answer from within. "Jesus Christ, Beth!" He walked forward, slinging the glass shower door back to find her curled against the farthest wall, her shoulders shaking lightly. "Beth?"
"Go. Away."
It only took him seconds to undress, leaving his clothes on the bathroom floor. Stepping into the shower, he closed the door behind him, instantly reaching for Beth.
"No," she spoke, shrugging his touch off. "Leave me alone." She wanted to get away from him, but there was nowhere she could go. "Please, just leave me alone."
"I'm not leaving you alone." Antonio stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her body. She fought him, but he held on. "Beth, I'll only be gone for a few weeks. As soon as the doctor says its okay, I'll be back. But I have to do this. I can't turn my back on my family when they need me like this. I just can't."
She let the words sink in even as more thoughts, more fears, resurfaced. "Are.." She bit her lip, not sure if she should ask the question that had been flashing through her mind since finding out he was returning to Harmony. Closing her eyes tight, as if that would protect her from his answer, she asked, "Are you going to tell him?"
Antonio had opened his mouth to ask her what she meant when he understood. Chilled, he slowly coaxed Beth around until he could see her face. It was only then that he saw the tears that streamed down her face. "No, Beth. That isn't what this is about." He rubbed his thumbs against her closed eyes, waiting for her to open them, to look at him. When she finally did, he spoke again. "I would never do that to you Beth. Never. And why, why Beth, would I want to compromise my role in his life? He's my son. My son Beth and I would never just hand him over to anyone." He held on tighter, if that was possible, as she sobbed softly into his shoulder. "I'm going to help Luis and then I'm coming back home to you. To the boys. I promise you this Beth." He bowed his head down to whisper in her ear. "You have nothing to worry about."
But even as he spoke the words, Beth knew he was wrong. Because if he was going home, the opportunity for their secret to slip, even if accidentally, existed. And that was one Pandora's Box she didn't ever want opened. So while Antonio held her in his strong arms, showering her face with, kisses that were meant to offer comfort, the only thought in Beth's mind was how to protect herself and her son. Because one thing she knew, she couldn't lose him. She wouldn't lose Caleb.
- - - - - - - - - -
Preview:
Sheridan and Luis await their savior,
Beth revisits her past,
and three lives that were once connected do so again in
"Reconnections - Chapter Two - Welcome to Harmony..."