Concrete Angel Part 10

Note: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed at the 55-David Board and at FF.net. I heard I changed someone's opinion of Carlos with this story so that made me feel great. Thanks to CCA. I was bored out of my mind tonight so I decided that this was prime fanfic writing time. I actually wrote two chapters, so maybe if people like this chapter enough, I'll post the next one soon.

Feedback: Please.

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"Mom!" Emily screamed from the kitchen. "I need your help!"

"What is she doing in there?" Bosco questioned.

"Trying to make a mess." Faith laughed as she got off the couch.

Bosco followed her. They walked to the kitchen to find Emily covered in chocolate. They both erupted into laughter. Faith grabbed the electric mixer from her daughter then glanced around to see Bosco still laughing. Bosco couldn't stop. Emily looked too cute with the brownie mix all on her face and in her hair, although she didn't seem too pleased.

"What happened?"

"I tried to make brownies. Everything was fine until that thing went crazy on me!" Emily exclaimed.

"Mmm, brownies. Can I lick the bowl?" Bosco leaned against the counter.

"There won't be anything left. It's all on me." Emily stood next to him.

"Let's try this on a lower setting." Faith said. "Come on, I'll help you."

"I'm done. It's just I destroyed the kitchen."

"It's not that bad, Em. Kinda looks like my place," Bosco offered.

"I've heard mom complain about your place. I could never make the kitchen look like your place." Emily laughed.

"I'm hurt. Truly hurt."

Bosco watched as Faith poured the brownie mix into the pan. Emily had pulled some Tupperware containers out saying she wanted to take some dinner and brownies to Meg. The timer on the oven went off signaling that the lasagna was done.

"Em, dinner's ready. Go get cleaned up. Tell Charlie the same." Faith put on oven mitts and pulled the tray out.

"Emily is a great kid."

"She is, isn't she?" Faith smiled. "Will you get the salad?"

"Sure." Bosco grabbed the bowl and followed Faith to the table.

"Smells good," Charlie said as he sat down. "Emily said we are going to see Meg after dinner."

"We are."

"What's going to happen to her once she leaves the hospital?"

"Charlie!" Emily hissed. She sat next to him and glared.

"What? Meg said she wanted to stay with Bosco."

"She does and I want her to. It turns out she has a sister who wants to take care of her." Bosco slowly sat down.

"I can tell a judge or whoever how great you are with her and us. Maybe that would help?" Emily questioned.

"Thanks, Em." Bosco smiled. "Unfortunately it won't matter if Meg's sister decides to take her in."

"Things always work out for the best, Bosco," Emily said.

Bosco smiled once again at Emily. She was a great kid. Faith was lucky to have two kids like Emily and Charlie who were caring and kind. Meg was like that. His smile widened as he thought of Meg and how her face would light up when he came to visit her. She really had changed his life and he wasn't sure how he'd go on if Jayme took her away.

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"Meg, it's dinner time," the nurse came in with a tray.

"Yuck." Meg made a face and turned her head. "It smells."

"It's beef stew."

"Yuck."

"You are hard to please." The nurse set the food down and looked up at the television. "What are you watching?"

"Something on Disney. I dunno."

"Well, you better eat up. You need to get healthy enough to leave here soon. Call me if you need anything." The nurse smiled then left.

"Better food?" Meg asked the empty room.

She took the lid off the tray and poked around in the food for awhile. She wasn't sure but she thought it might have moved on its own. It didn't look edible. Then again, none of the food they tried to feed her did. Jayme had stopped by and Meg had begged for some real food, but Jayme didn't want to get the nurses mad.

Meg closed her eyes as she thought of Jayme. She was leaving tomorrow to go back home. Deep down, Meg almost wished she wouldn't come back. If Jayme came back then there'd be no way she could go with Bosco. The more Meg thought about Jayme's visit the more she realized how sad her sister was. She had a few questions about Bosco. Did Jayme know she wanted to live Bosco and not her?

"Knock knock," Bosco's voice drifted in.

"Bosco!" Meg yelled. Somewhere along the line she had dropped the Mister part. She saw Faith, Charlie and Emily behind Bosco with a bag in hand.

"Oh, you already ate." Faith set the bag down.

"No. I think it moved." Meg pushed the tray away.

"Good," Emily said. She pulled the door shut. "Let me get rid of this." She grabbed the tray and placed it across the room.

"Now, don't tell the doctors," Charlie whispered. "Mom made the best lasagna for dinner and Em made brownies."

"Real food?" Meg perked up.

"Yeah, kiddo. Real food." Bosco reached into the bag and pulled out the Tupperware container. "Here ya go." He walked over to the tray of hospital food to grab Meg's milk. "I think this is the only thing salvageable."

"Hmm, this is good." Meg stuffed her face. "Thank you."

"Glad you enjoy it sweetie," Faith said.

"I didn't think anyone else was gonna visit today." Meg stuffed more food in her mouth. "Miss Sellers stopped by again. My teacher stopped by too with some cards from class. Jayme came to say bye. She seemed sad."

"She's had it rough too." Faith sat down next to Meg.

"Does she know I don't want to live with her? I don't want to make her sad."

"Yeah, Meg. She knows. It's up to her. But don't worry. Even if you go home with Jayme you can still see me." Bosco took Meg's hand.

"I don't want to come see you. I want to go home with you."

"I know, but someone very wise told me today that things always work out for the best. Isn't that right Emily?" Bosco turned to Faith's daughter.

"Yeah. And I have this feeling that you'll get what you want." Emily grabbed the brownies. "Want some desert?"

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"Please tell me we are almost there," Carlos whined from the passenger seat.

"You big baby. Just be glad we flew most of the way and didn't drive. It's only been a half hour. We are almost there." Jayme glanced at Carlos. "You sit in a ambulance all day, you can't sit in this car for forty-five minutes?"

"I get paid to sit in a ambulance all day. I don't get paid for this."

"Yeah ya do. You get to spend quality time with yours truly."

Jayme laughed at Carlos. He had made various comments throughout the whole car ride. She was thinking of torturing him by canceling the return air tickets and driving eight hours to New York. That would serve him right. She was actually considering it, only because she didn't know what to do with her car.

"Ok, big baby. See that house?"

"Yeah."

"That's it." She pulled in front of the one-story brick house. Two cars were in the driveway.

"Roomates?"

"Yeah. Jess and Rachel. They were friends from high school. I've lived in this house since I was 16." Jayme jumped out of the car and grabbed her bags.

She reached the door and the sound of Aretha Franklin could be heard. She shook her head and looked at Carlos who was following. Once she opened the door the sound was louder. She could here another voice singing along to the music and chuckled knowing who it was.

"Oh, now go, walk out the door. Just turn around, 'cause your not welcome anymore," Rachel sang as she danced around the living room. She continued to sing unaware of Jayme and Carlos in the door way.

"Oh, I. I will survive. Oh, as long as I know how to love I know I'll stay alive," Jayme sang making her presence known. Rachel smiled and continued to dance until the song ended.

"Jay!!!" she screamed. "You're home!" She hugged Jayme. "How's your sister?"

"What?!" Jayme screamed. "Music is too loud!"

"Huh?!" Rachel asked.

"Jayme!" Jess called from behind Carlos. She ran into the room and turned down the stereo. "I just got done with class and saw your car."

"I was trying to ask how your sister was," Rachel repeated.

"She's still in the hospital but will get out real soon. I'm back to take my finals." Jayme glanced back to Carlos who looked out of place. "That guy standing there looking like a deer caught in the headlights, is an old friend Carlos."

"I'm Rachel."

"And I'm Jess."

"You from Jayme's New York days?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah we were in the same . . .," Carlos began.

"After school program," Jayme finished.

"Are you in college too then?" Jess questioned.

"Yeah. I'm premed. I go to school in the day and I'm a paramedic at night."

"Wow." Rachel looked down her watch. "Women in Medieval Europe awaits me. Ah, naptime. Gotta love it." Rachel picked up her bookbag. "It's good to have you back. Nice to meet you Carlos."

"Did you two eat yet?" Jess walked toward the kitchen. "I was about to order some pizza."

"I'm starved." Jayme picked up her bag. "I'm just going to put these in my room."

Jayme walked back to her room and dropped her bag down. Carlos followed closely behind. She turned around only to find Carlos staring at the wall next to the door. Pictures were scattered about, but one seemed to catch his eye. She smiled as she walked towards him. It was then she saw what exactly he was looking at.

"Unlike you, I don't hide my pictures," she teased.

"I see that." Carlos reached out for the picture. "You were there?"

"Yep. I begged Hank to go with me. We didn't have enough time to say hi. Christopher found us and made us go back home."

"Chris was a jerk."

"He told Hank and me that if we told you we went to see your soccer game we'd be sorry. We were scared of him." Jayme touched the picture of a younger Carlos in a soccer uniform. "I did get the picture though."

"I don't think I ever saw you or Hank so happy then the day Chris left." Carlos sat down on Jayme's bed.

"No one liked him. He was a bully."

"It'd be nice to see Hank again," Carlos sighed.

"Yeah, it would be."

"Out of the six foster homes I was in, that was the best. You and Hank made it that way. You were the only two that supported me," Carlos admitted.

"You supported us too. When I woke up from my nightmares, afraid my dad was coming after me . . . you would stay with me. You were there for me. When Chris would start to get on Hank's case, you would step in. We were family. You were always there." Jayme sat down next to him.

"I still am."

"I know."

Jayme smiled brightly at Carlos. He was so sweet to her, completely different than the man he was when she first found him. This was the real Carlos. Not the man he hid behind.

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"Thank you, Professor Arnold." Jayme handed her test to the gray haired professor.

"No problem. I hope your move to New York goes well. Your little sister is very lucky to have you." Professor Arnold set the paper down on his desk. "Was this your last final?"

"Yes," Jayme laughed. "I never want to take that many finals in two days."

"I wouldn't either." He extended his hand. "You take care Miss Hargrove."

"I will. Thanks." Jayme shook the mans hand then walked out the door.

She had been back at school for two days. In those two days she took six finals. Her head felt ready to explode. All she wanted to do was go home and finish packing. It was mid afternoon and the sun was shining down on her as she walked to her car. She never noticed the man in the shadows watching her.

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Peter Hargrove sat alone in his cell. He was jostled out of his thoughts when a guard appeared to tell him he had a visitor. Slowly he got up and followed the guard until they reached their destination. He smiled when he saw the man behind the glass.

"Greg. Great to see you man."

"Heard you were in here. Also heard your oldest was in town trying to cause trouble for you," the man said.

"She swears she'll tell everything. She's too scared too."

"If she's not now . . . she will be."

"Gregory Westmore, what are you getting at?" Peter leaned in closer. "Where is that boy of yours?" The time his voice harsher.

"Where is your daughter? That's where you'll find Matthew." Greg smiled.

"Look man. I was wrong back then. Letting your sick freak of son . . . I was just wrong."

"I don't know what he did and I don't care to know. But what I do know is that your kid knows too much. I won't let her put me or my boy in jail just because you screwed up and beat on her kid sister." Greg narrowed his eyes. "And I know you don't care what happens to her. If you did, you never would have had Matt . . . ," he began.

"Shut up. Do you want the world to know?" Peter griped tighter on the phone. "I had time to think about all of that. If I wanted her gone, I should have done it myself." He lowered his head and cursed. "Tell him not to touch her. I don't need more heat directed towards me."

"It won't. I'm working on your bail. Almost got it."

"I would hope so. I'm sure your Jag is more than enough to cover."

"Keep smart mouthing and I'm not gonna help."

"I'm almost afraid of the help your gonna give me," Peter said.

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"Jay," Carlos called from the kitchen.

"Yeah?"

"You got any milk?"

"Um . .. ," she trailed off as she looked through the fridge. "No. I'll just walk down to the gas station and pick some up."

"I'll go." Carlos started walking to the door.

"No. Stay. Load up the car."

"You sure we can't fly?"

"Yes!" Jayme screamed as she walked out the door.

She looked around before taking off down the street. Normally, she'd be lazy and drive down to the gas station. It wasn't that far from her place though, and she needed the fresh air.

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Note: Sorry if anyone doesn't like all of this interest in Jayme but it is setting some stuff up and besides, I like to write her and Carlos. Remember, I have the next chapter all typed and ready to be posted. It's up to you all to get me to post it! Hehe. Sorry. I'm just a review hog.