FRANK MEETS ETHAN
Neither Frank nor Aila had a good night's sleep when they finally tucked themselves into bed. With Aila, Ethan was unsettled and cranky for hours on end [this according to Lila] until she finally made it home. She had spent the better part of the night soothing him and he was beginning to get a whopping case of the sniffles. That didn't sit well with him, either. Normally, he wasn't a whiny sort of child, but tonight, it was the only thing he could muster the energy to do. He was in discomfort damn it, and he was making sure his mother knew about it. She decided to call the doctor and have him phone in some type of prescription. Ethan had been prone to these types of outbreaks before. Aila would get no sleep. Not only did she have issues to deal with regarding her son, she also had issues of her own to deal with as well. Frank goddamn Donovan. His kiss, touch, and taste. Why in the hell had he done that to her? It had reinforced nothing for her but longing that would never see an end. Jesus. What was she going to do? She wouldn't let him know it, of course, but she had been damn close to letting him have her. But the moment an image of her son came into her mind, she shoved it back. She wouldn't start up with him only to betray him when she finally confessed about their son. Aila fell asleep with her son in her arms [likely catching every germ he had and not caring a bit] and wound up late for work.
* * *
Much later, Frank would ask himself what it was that brought his attention to the woman and little boy. However, before all hell broke loose later that morning, he was only focused on the two because they were ahead of him in line. He was having one of his bad headaches and had stupidly gone off without his prescription. He had phoned his doctor who called in the prescription for him here. All that he was concerned with right now was relief. Aila had driven him insane last night with nothing more than a kiss. Afterwards, she had left him dry and wanting more. Her wanting, her need was obvious. The 'man' in her life apparently didn't hold all the keys to her heart. There was space for him somewhere in there. It wasn't hard to sense and he wasn't an idiot. It had taken all of two seconds to discern. How long had he stayed awake after she left? Four hours or eight? He hadn't slept and today, he felt like shit. Hell, even the kid ahead of him in line seemed worn out. Maybe he knew Aila as well.
Once again, he focused his attention on the child and noticed that he was resting his cheek against the woman's shoulder. Inherently, he had known the child didn't belong to her. In fact, the boy reminded him a little of Darien when she was that age. He looked a little under the weather, feverish. Frank shook his head a little and wondered what it was about kids that set him off. He didn't know this kid any more than he knew any other kid in the store. Yet, he was already concerned for him and his well being. Perhaps it was time for him to text message his daughter. Almost reluctantly, he drew his attention away from the boy and back on his headache. He couldn't understand why it was taking so long to get through this line. Frank suddenly snapped to attention when he heard the woman mention 'Aila Blane.' His eyes grew even larger when he heard the pharmacist say, "This should knock her boy's cough." Her boy? Aila had a child? Frank studied the boy's face again. This time, he did so carefully. He was at least three, his age spanning the time that he and Aila had been apart. No. This couldn't be true. He didn't have time to ponder the question in his mind. The child […my son…] opened his eyes, perhaps sensing tension in the room.
"You in Ethan's picture," he said wonderingly, as if he didn't believe it himself.
Frank swallowed a large lump that had formed in his throat. Picture? What picture? "I am?"
Ethan was tentative, as if afraid the man would yell at him. "You Ethan's daddy," he said firmly.
The boy had the most beautiful eyes he had seen since…Aila's eyes. The male influence in her life had been her son? Oh dear God how foolish he had been. It all made sense now. Aila's desperate call for help hadn't been one at all. It explained her reaction to his presence. She had called to tell him about their child and he assumed she was calling because she wanted him to pull some strings for her. How foolish they had been. However, the time for foolishness and flight was over. Today marked day one, and by God he wouldn't leave here without answers. Did he need this shit on top of everything else? Selfish bastard. All the time thinking of yourself. You're overlooking the most important factor here. You have a son. You have a son you knew nothing about and had him for three years. Perhaps his head would explode in a moment and he wouldn't need his medication.
Lila put her hand over Ethan's ear and guided his head to her shoulder. "I'm sorry," she said. "He does that a lot around men with your coloring."
"He's Aila's son," Frank asked stupidly.
"Yes. Do you know her?"
"Yes I do," he said.
Forgetting his headache and prescription, he left the drug store. In his wake, he heard the boy asking why 'his daddy' didn't hug him like 'his mommy' did. He blanked it all out and began his search for Aila. He found her his first stop. The sheriff's office. Aila gazed at him curiously. Wasn't he Mr. Secret Agent Man? He was breaking his own rules. She thought she heard Monica taking in a deep breath as if she were shocked. What the hell was going on with Frank? Aila hadn't seen him so cold before. An icy dagger of fear pierced her heart for a moment, but she ignored it. She refused to believe that her story was still unscathed.
"I need to speak to you, Sheriff," he began cryptically. "Alone."
Aila nodded and led the way to her office. She barely had the door closed before his hand clamped down onto her wrist. Within seconds, he spun her around to face him. She had never seen him look like this. It was horrid and completely indescribable. Was he snarling at her? Was that what he was doing?
"You have a very beautiful son, Aila," he began slowly, his words dripping venom. He wanted to speak before she had the chance. "Who is his father?"
There was something in his eyes. Something that told her he knew the answer to his own question. However, her shock won out. "Oh God," she whispered. "Oh dear Jesus." She tried to wrench free of his grasp, but it didn't work. "How did you find out?"
"I don't think that's a question you should be asking right now. But I will ask one. Is it true? Did you have my child? Did you leave, pregnant and alone, to come back here?" When she didn't provide an instantaneous answer, he shook her lightly. "Did you?"
"It's true," she answered meekly. "I came home pregnant with your child and I kept it from you for three years," she whispered. "I called you so we could talk about it, but you…"
"I found out on my own," he bit out. "Three years, Aila. Three goddamn years. Why could you not say something then? You knew at the hospital, didn't you? I saw something in your face, in your eyes, and I should have known. You were my lover, I shared my goddamn bed with you and I didn't know…I came to you to ask…" He bit the last of it back inside. No. He would not admit he had been on the verge of asking her to marry him three years ago. Not now. Not ever again. "Why did you do it, Aila? Why did you keep him away from me for three years? Why? How could you have done this to him? To me?"
"Frank, please," she whimpered. "You're hurting me."
He released her wrist instantly and watched as she caressed the life back in to her chafed skin. She watched him carefully, her eyes filled with both guilt and reproach. Of course he was hurting her, because she had hurt him and he wanted to get back at her. Knowing full well that she had every right to lock up his ass, he stayed put. "How could you," he asked again. "How could you do this?"
She stopped self-doctoring her wrist and then focused her eyes on him. "You won't like my answer, because I don't know. Neither you nor I was ready for marriage or a child. I didn't think you would want him."
"You didn't think at all," he snapped. "That was patently obvious. Why would I deny my own child? Good God, Aila. I thought you knew me better than that. Apparently, I was wrong. I was wrong about a lot of things when it came to you."
"Now wait just a goddamn minute," she said harshly. "I wasn't the only one with a marriage phobia. You told me time and time again that you didn't want attachments or commitments."
"That doesn't extend to my child," he spat. "What you did was stupid, Aila. Misguided and stupid. You were pregnant with my child and you should have told me. Do you fathom what I've missed in three years? I will never have that with him again. Goddamn. Three fucking years. You did this, Aila, and you will fix it."
"You don't have to worry about that," she told him. "I assure you that I'll fix it. I owe it to Ethan."
Softening a moment, he asked, "What's his full name?" He felt low and ignorant. He knew nothing about his own son. He wanted to kill her.
"Franklin Ethan Blane."
"You gave him my name?"
"I thought I owed you that."
"Oh no no," he said with a shake of his head. "You owe me much, much more than that. I intend to collect every dime."
She couldn't believe it. Less than twenty-four hours ago, he nearly took her to bed. Right now, he was acting as if he couldn't stand the sight of her. "I know you will," she said quietly. "I have only one request. Don't blame Ethan for any of this. He has always known about you. There's a small picture of you in his room and he loves looking at it. It would break his heart if you denied him because of me."
"Who do you think I am, Aila? You know how I feel about Darien. You have effectively placed me in one hell of a situation. I hope you realize that, Aila. I must go. I can't look at you right now."
Bastard, she thought. Yet, she definitely had it coming. She wondered if she had the energy to go on today, but she had little choice. There was still the matter of Sybil and the books. If she wasn't so focused on doing the right thing, she might pick up her son and run far, far away where no one, including Frank Donovan, could find them. However, that was no longer an option. Apparently, Ethan had inadvertently let the cat out of the bag. Her sweet little boy's world was about to become topsy-turvy. She would bring Frank [the bastard] to her home and slowly introduce him to Ethan. His father had never been a real entity to him before. Now, he was suddenly everywhere Ethan looked.
She had to get out of this office, had to breathe some morning air. She walked out of her office and noticed that the new girl's eyes were on her. She's not the new girl. She's one of Frank's agents. What was her name again? Something with an "M." Aila didn't blink her way, she couldn't. Actually, she was moving on autopilot now and wasn't aware where each foot landed from one step to another. She would go outside and then find Sybil [the bitch]. Sooner or later, the woman had to show her face.
"Sheriff Blane, are you all right," Monica asked.
Aila turned her attention toward the pretty young woman. "Oh yeah, I'm fine," she said with a smile to show her how 'all right' she was. "Unhappy citizen is all. I'll be back later."
* * *
Frank entered his hotel room and his first impulse was to destroy something. However, he ignored that urge. Whatever he destroyed, he would have to replace, and right now, he felt too damn selfish to reimburse anyone anything. Fuck it. He was pissed off at himself, anyone, and no one. He went over to the bed and sat down heavily. Who could he turn to now? He glanced at his watch and then grabbed the phone. His long fingers flew over the keypad as he dialed a number from memory. Impatiently he waited as the phone began to ring. When it was answered, the voice he expected did not offer its usual sardonic 'what you want' greeting. It was a masculine voice, British by the sound.
"Hullo?"
"I need to speak to Terra," Frank said stonily. He still had trouble accepting the fact that his little sister was a grown woman now. After a few muffled words and shuffling, Terra's voice came on the line. "Terra, it's Frank," he said, telling her something she probably already knew.
"Why on earth are you calling at this ungodly hour?" She drew in a sharp intake of breath. "Oh man. You're there, with her. Aren't you?"
"Yes and no," he answered as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Terra, I don't know what to do. Aila left three years ago pregnant with my child. I just now found out the truth."
Terra sat up and began to truly pay attention. "Oh God. She had your baby? She kept it, didn't she?"
"Of course she kept the baby." The anger left him for a very brief moment. What was it slipping into him? Pride? Joy? "He's beautiful."
"How sweet," she said, genuinely happy. "And the problem with that is?"
"What you mean, Terra? There's a hell of a problem. She didn't tell me about my son until last night. He's three-years-old for God's sake. It's a big damn deal."
"Only if you're making it one. You can't tell me you don't love her anymore, even after this?"
"Loving her has nothing to do with it. I don't trust her anymore. I can't, not after this."
She sighed. "You just said you didn't know what to do. I'm trying to tell you what to do. Forget it, forgive her, and get on with your lives together. You're still in love with each other and now she has your child. I think it's wonderful and I would welcome Aila gladly into our family."
"What the hell are you talking about," Frank said. "Welcome her into our family? Are you listening to what I'm telling you? For three years, she lied to me, Terra. All this time, I had a son, and I never knew about him."
"How do you know she wasn't going to tell you? Come on, Des. Think about it. Together, the two of you were so funny. Neither wanted to admit that the other was hopelessly in love and ready to get married. You tried so hard to maintain these fronts. With all that fronting, you never gave each other the time to admit your true desire. Think about that, Des. Think about it before you shut her out."
"Terra, you don't understand," he said in defeat.
"No, I don't, and I don't want to. Not if it means you're going to shut out Aila." She sighed. "So, tell me," she began, switching gears. "What's my nephew like?"
* * *
For the first time since she noticed the books were off balance, Aila saw that Sybil's shop was open. It's about damn time. Without ceremony, she opened the door and listened to the irritating jangle of cowbells. Why people still put them on their business doors, she'd never know. Her head couldn't take the noise. There were no customers in yet, just Sybil sitting back with her nose in the paper.
"Sybil, we have some things to hash out," Aila said, breaking the still silence of the room. Sybil said nothing. She didn't make a move. Her nose remained in the paper. "Did you hear me, Syb? What are you doing to the books? Where is the money going?"
"I'm not supposed to talk to you about that, Aila. Mayor's rules, not mine. Now, do you mind? I have a business to run."
Aila bit her lip and bit it hard. She was tempted to call the other woman a bitch. "Sybil, I'm your friend. Whatever you're doing, you can tell me, and I'll help you as much as the law allows. You can't let me take the fall for you. What's going to happen to my son? Think of him if you can't think of me."
"He has a grandmother," she said meekly. "I don't want to lose my business…or my life. Go Aila, before it all becomes reality."
"I won't let you get away with this. I may lose everything, Sybil, but I promise you that I'll find a way. When I do, you'd better hold on to your ass, because the first person I'm coming after is you. I hope you didn't leave a paper trail behind, since you called the feds."
Aila didn't give her a chance to answer to that. It was probably another reason for Frank to hate her guts. She had spilled the beans in a big way. It didn't matter. Nothing did. All she was thinking of was Ethan. He was the most important player on the field. Fuck Frank, the case, Sybil, Pineville, and the county. She didn't need it. In fact, she would do the mayor an incredible favor by resigning her position. So what if it made her look guilty. She didn't fucking care any more. Taking her son and escaping sounded more attractive than ever before. She jumped into the Bronco and made her way toward the office. It wouldn't take long for her to type up her resignation.
She was steadfast toward her task of the day when a familiar voice caught her off guard. It was Frank. He was compromising his case again. "What the hell do you want," she demanded. "I don't have time to take another tongue lashing from you."
"I have nothing else to say to you about that," he said. "You know where I stand. Where did you go?"
"I confronted Sybil," she said. "She's a friend and I thought I could get to her."
"Goddamn it, Aila. I told you to stay out of this," he said, his words lashing through seething anger.
"I could care less about what you told me. I'm thinking of my son, of his future."
"If I were you, I'd check my use of pronouns," he told her icily.
She shook her head. "You are such a fucking bastard, Frank. I had all but forgotten that aspect of your personality. Lots of things change about a person, but that will never change about you. I'm only thinking of the right thing to do for our son, Frank. Is that better? Does it make you feel all giddy and happy now?" She stepped right up to him. Mere inches separated her body from his. "Our son, our son, our son. Does that make it any better?"
He had the greatest urge to throttle her. He controlled it with everything he had in him. What good would it do? "It might have three years ago."
"Fuck you," she said through clenched teeth. "Fuck you good and hard. I hope your piddling case has been ruined. That way, you're gone. Chicago and a ditzy girl await you."
She stepped away from him, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "I'm not going anywhere until you do the right thing, Aila. Regardless of your lie three years ago, I do believe you today. When I believe in someone, I'll do everything in my power to help. Know this and know it well. Nothing you do or say will send me away for long, not when it's my child we're talking about. If you learned anything about me, that lesson should have stuck with you. Is that clear?"
She jerked her arm out of his grasp. "I'm not an idiot, Frank. It's clear. As for now, you can leave me the fuck alone. If you're truly interested in our son, you'll come to my place tonight and meet him up close and personal. For the both of you, it's been far too long."
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To be continued…