Getting to Know You Again
Everyone rushed into the room when they heard my dad hit the floor. "What happened to Chris?" Agent Erichson asked.
"Fainted." Chavo said.
"Why?" Then I think it dawned on him. "You told him! You weren't supposed to tell him!"
"It sort of slipped out. I didn't know he was in the doorway!" I said.
"Told him what?" Marissa asked looking confused.
"That I'm his youngest son Daniel." I said.
"Is this supposed to be some family reunion?" A new voice said coming in from one of the bedrooms. Oh so, that's where Shane was.
Owen stared at Athena for the longest moment and then he started crying. "Athena?"
"Daddy!" She ran into his arms and they both cried. Well at least that's one happy family reunion. I scared my father.
"You know what? I give up!" Eddy said and stormed out of the cabin. Chavo ran after him.
D-Lo looked uncertain of what to do. So he went outside too. Guess he really did get a chance to play peacekeeper for this.
I went back into the living room and sat down. My father walked in a few minutes later.
"Does your mother know?" He asked me right off the bat.
"No I didn't tell her. Didn't have time. All I was doing was trying to figure out if the tape was real or not."
"I missed you." He said giving me a hug. "How I've missed you." He said I could hear the tears cause him to choke up. "You, your mother, Megan, David, and Tatem. I had wished I could have told you guys. There were times when I actually had the phone in my hand. But I knew I couldn't. All of your birthdays were the hardest. Eddy kept me up to date for awhile but never told me you were training!"
"And he never told me you were still alive." I shot back.
"Good point." He said and actually chuckled I think from nervousness over anything else. He looked at me closely. "That bruise looks rather new."
I had almost forgotten about it. How was I going to tell my father that Uncle Eddy had punched me? "Someone was trying to make a point." I said.
"Were you at the door this morning?" He asked ignoring that for the time being I think. "I could hear Eddy arguing with someone but never knew who it was. He just said it was nobody."
"Yeah we were. We tailed Eddy to get answers."
He nodded. "Eddy's been great these past fourteen years. He's always made sure the five of us have everything. He was glad to take the OVW job because it kept him close to here. That's how he ran into Shane and Marissa. But I think they should be the ones to tell you how they got into this." He said before I could ask.
"Eddy said the same thing. But I could tell he wasn't telling me something. And then when I saw the video my first thought was that he was lying." I said. "But with his drug and alcohol problems..."
"Wait a minute! What drug and alcohol problems?" Now my father was confused.
"There were rumors that he was back into using drugs again after you 'died.'"
"He didn't Daniel! I saw him almost all the time after he and his wife moved here with their kids. He was really trying to straighten his life out. Even with all the stress of hiding us he said he wasn't ever resorting to it."
"The way he reacted today you think he did."
My dad stared at me again. "He hit you." He said more of a statement then a question.
"Yeah but..."
He was out the door calling for Eddy.
Uncle Eddy, D-Lo and Chavo came back into the cabin a few minutes later. Eddy and Chavo sat on opposite sides of the room. D-Lo didn't look at all happy. My dad walked over to Eddy and pulled him to a standing position. Marissa had taken her children to their bedrooms awhile ago. Owen and Athena were still in the kitchen I think.
"I need to know something Eddy." He said in a low voice. "Did you punch Daniel?"
The deer caught in a headlight look returned to Eddy's face. "Chris..."
"Answer the question." Dad said letting go of him.
"Yes but I didn't mean to. I just couldn't handle the situation. I was trying to get them to leave. And they wouldn't."
"So you go and hit my son?" Dad asked incredulously.
"Well yes but..." Uncle Eddy's stammering. He turned to me and said, "I'm sorry Danny. I'm so sorry."
And I knew he wasn't just referring to hitting me.
Everyone rushed into the room when they heard my dad hit the floor. "What happened to Chris?" Agent Erichson asked.
"Fainted." Chavo said.
"Why?" Then I think it dawned on him. "You told him! You weren't supposed to tell him!"
"It sort of slipped out. I didn't know he was in the doorway!" I said.
"Told him what?" Marissa asked looking confused.
"That I'm his youngest son Daniel." I said.
"Is this supposed to be some family reunion?" A new voice said coming in from one of the bedrooms. Oh so, that's where Shane was.
Owen stared at Athena for the longest moment and then he started crying. "Athena?"
"Daddy!" She ran into his arms and they both cried. Well at least that's one happy family reunion. I scared my father.
"You know what? I give up!" Eddy said and stormed out of the cabin. Chavo ran after him.
D-Lo looked uncertain of what to do. So he went outside too. Guess he really did get a chance to play peacekeeper for this.
I went back into the living room and sat down. My father walked in a few minutes later.
"Does your mother know?" He asked me right off the bat.
"No I didn't tell her. Didn't have time. All I was doing was trying to figure out if the tape was real or not."
"I missed you." He said giving me a hug. "How I've missed you." He said I could hear the tears cause him to choke up. "You, your mother, Megan, David, and Tatem. I had wished I could have told you guys. There were times when I actually had the phone in my hand. But I knew I couldn't. All of your birthdays were the hardest. Eddy kept me up to date for awhile but never told me you were training!"
"And he never told me you were still alive." I shot back.
"Good point." He said and actually chuckled I think from nervousness over anything else. He looked at me closely. "That bruise looks rather new."
I had almost forgotten about it. How was I going to tell my father that Uncle Eddy had punched me? "Someone was trying to make a point." I said.
"Were you at the door this morning?" He asked ignoring that for the time being I think. "I could hear Eddy arguing with someone but never knew who it was. He just said it was nobody."
"Yeah we were. We tailed Eddy to get answers."
He nodded. "Eddy's been great these past fourteen years. He's always made sure the five of us have everything. He was glad to take the OVW job because it kept him close to here. That's how he ran into Shane and Marissa. But I think they should be the ones to tell you how they got into this." He said before I could ask.
"Eddy said the same thing. But I could tell he wasn't telling me something. And then when I saw the video my first thought was that he was lying." I said. "But with his drug and alcohol problems..."
"Wait a minute! What drug and alcohol problems?" Now my father was confused.
"There were rumors that he was back into using drugs again after you 'died.'"
"He didn't Daniel! I saw him almost all the time after he and his wife moved here with their kids. He was really trying to straighten his life out. Even with all the stress of hiding us he said he wasn't ever resorting to it."
"The way he reacted today you think he did."
My dad stared at me again. "He hit you." He said more of a statement then a question.
"Yeah but..."
He was out the door calling for Eddy.
Uncle Eddy, D-Lo and Chavo came back into the cabin a few minutes later. Eddy and Chavo sat on opposite sides of the room. D-Lo didn't look at all happy. My dad walked over to Eddy and pulled him to a standing position. Marissa had taken her children to their bedrooms awhile ago. Owen and Athena were still in the kitchen I think.
"I need to know something Eddy." He said in a low voice. "Did you punch Daniel?"
The deer caught in a headlight look returned to Eddy's face. "Chris..."
"Answer the question." Dad said letting go of him.
"Yes but I didn't mean to. I just couldn't handle the situation. I was trying to get them to leave. And they wouldn't."
"So you go and hit my son?" Dad asked incredulously.
"Well yes but..." Uncle Eddy's stammering. He turned to me and said, "I'm sorry Danny. I'm so sorry."
And I knew he wasn't just referring to hitting me.