Chapter 12: Family
*****The Casablancas'******
It had been two days since Dick had returned from the hospital. Trina knew she needed to go see him, so she sucked it up and stopped by his place on the way from work. Mac was making him stay home the entire week and rest until his next check-up the following week. Dick's brush with death had shaken them all. When Mac had explained what had caused his heart attack, Trina had felt sick with guilt. She knew she'd been a big part of the reason Dick was so stressed out. Her plans on relocating to New York had hit Dick hard. When she began dating Clint, she'd not thought beyond the moment. Even as she planned on leading the opening of another location for Faces, she'd not consciously thought about taking her son from his home. She'd not worked out the details. A part of her had sort of thought he'd stay with Logan and Veronica until she was settled. Even then she hadn't necessarily planned on uprooting him. She'd not thought that much about it. She loved her son and wanted the best for him. However, she knew she could never be completely satisfied living her life in Neptune as only his mother. She'd been too ambitious her entire life. Since giving up her acting dream, she'd struggled to find her own place, her identity. Working with her brother and his friends at Faces had given her a sense of accomplishment that nothing really had before. Sure, she'd gotten the job because of her brother. However, his partners, the Goldsmiths, wouldn't let her open another location if they didn't think she could do it. Having someone not related to her encourage and believe in her meant everything.
Trina didn't want, however, her happiness to literally kill Dick or break Veronica's heart. Veronica hadn't been nearly as vocal as Dick, but Trina could see it in her eyes. The haunted look she'd worn after her miscarriage had reappeared. Trina hated that she'd put it there, but she wasn't quite ready to vocalize what was in her mind. There were too many unknowns. She wanted to take things slow and see what worked out. Opening the office was the first step. Everything else would work out. She didn't know how to explain that to her brother and Veronica. Now that she was at Dick's, she knew she needed to find a way to make him understand and to reassure him.
She rang the doorbell. An older Hispanic woman answered it. "Yes?"
"Do I know you?" she asked in her blunt manner.
The lady smiled. "I am Eli's grandmother, Lettie. You should know me. I was only your housekeeper for a decade. I'm helping keep the boys fed and the house cleaned part-time," she replied.
Trina looked sheepish but not particularly embarrassed. Who noticed the help anyway? "Oh, Weevil's grandmother? I never made the connection. Sorry. Is Dick up for company?" she asked.
"Si. He is in the kitchen trying to do homework. I'm sure he'll be happy to have a distraction," she said, stepping back and letting her in.
She led Trina to the kitchen asking if she needed anything. "No, I'm good. Thanks," she said. She sat down in the chair next to him.
"How are you feeling?" she asked.
"Okay. I get tired too easily," he said in annoyance.
"Well, you had a heart attack, so that's not too surprising," Trina replied.
"My mom is due to arrive today. I don't know how they expect me to stay relaxed and calm when my mom's going to be here!" he said sourly.
"I'm sure you can get Mac to run interference if you need it," Trina said.
"Yeah, she promised to be around as much as she could. Plus, I have Weevil and Wallace here," he said glumly.
"So I wanted to apologize," Trina said, jumping in.
"What for?" Dick asked with a confused frown.
Trina grinned. It was so Dick. He never stayed mad for long about much. "For upsetting you and causing you to have a heart attack!" she reminded him.
"It's not your fault I have a defective heart. I was chillaxing on the waves when it hit me, so you can't take credit for it," Dick said easily. It had never occurred to him to be angry at Trina for what had happened. Now, however, he remembered why he'd been so annoyed with her. "Sorry for calling you a selfish bitch."
"I am one sometimes, so it's okay," she said with a sigh. "Dick, you can relax. All of you can. No matter what happens with Faces or me and Clint, I have no intention of simply taking my son away from everyone who loves him. Mary wouldn't forgive me. We lost so many years, and now she has her one and only grandson. How could I do that?"
"So what do you mean? You're scraping your plans?" Dick asked hopefully.
"I think you should have some faith in me. I've not worked out the details. It's too early. You guys haven't even approved the plans. It'd be a full year before we'd even know if it'll be a success. Clint and I may break up, and I may hate living in New York full-time. I'm not going to bounce my son around," Trina said.
"What? You're going to give him to Logan and Veronica?" Dick asked.
"You don't give away your kid, Dick, especially not once you've known him and loved him," Trina said. She may have been a reluctant mother, but she couldn't imagine not having Richie now. "However, I'm sure they won't mind caring for him during the week. We'll get a nanny or something. I'll come home every weekend. I can manage that. I've worked up enough frequent flyer miles to get plenty of discounts. We'll work something out."
"That sounds a bit exhausting, but if it keeps Richie in Neptune, I'll help buy your plane tickets!" Dick said eagerly.
"I've never really minded flying. It gets me a chance to relax away from all the chaos of life," she said with a shrug. "I've been a jealous, petty person my entire life. But I'm not like that with Richie. For some reason, I just don't feel possessive of him. It doesn't bother me if he grows up loving Veronica almost as much as me because I know she'll never let him down. I can't say the same about myself, but I'll do my best. I want to be the kind of mom he can be proud of. If I'm not happy in my life, though, I just don't think I'll ever be the best mom. If things in New York work out and when he gets older, he'll probably spend half the year on the east coast and half here. But he'll never not be a part of your life, Dick. I promise."
Dick felt really relieved at her words. Something inside of him unclenched at her assurance. He couldn't help but reach over and pull her in for a hug. "Thanks, Trina. I think you're going to make Richie very proud," he told her.
Trina leaned into him, marveling at the changes in her brother's best friend. Life was full of surprises.
****The Next Day****
Eli went to work after class, not sure what was going on with Jazmin. For some reason, she was avoiding him. He had met her for lunch nearly every Thursday since the semester started, but today she was a no show. She didn't call him. When he sent her a text asking where she was at, she'd replied with an I'm sorry. Got caught up. Eli knew she was going to counseling regularly, but he didn't get why she was suddenly so distant with him. When she'd returned from winter break, she'd been almost back to normal. They'd not had sex, but he'd been able to hold her. Sometimes that was all he needed. It would be a long time before he wasn't grateful just to have her alive and in his arms. The rest would come with time.
When he went into J & E, Wallace was manning the phones. "Anything new?" Eli asked him.
"You're not going to like it," Wallace warned.
"What?" he asked.
Wallace pointed to Nick's office. "You should go in there and see for yourself," he said.
Eli frowned and walked to the door. He opened it and saw Nick and Jason. He looked further. "What the hell is he doing here?" he asked when he spotted the new arrival.
"Joseph has decided he needs to learn an honest trade. Somehow he's convinced our parents that it's a good idea for him to join me and Nick for a few weeks in an internship," Jason said, rolling his eyes.
"Hell no!" Eli said. "In case your daddy's forgotten, I'm not your employee. I'm a partner, and his presence will only upset your sister!"
Joseph gave him an easy smile and held up his hand. "Relax. I'm honestly not here to cause problems or upset Jazzie," he said. The thing he didn't say and wouldn't say to Jazmin's boyfriend was that he missed the twins. They had been a part of him and his life for so long. Then he'd screwed up so royally. Jazmin almost dying had made him realize even more what all he'd lost. He knew that she would never love him like she had once. He would never be that guy for her again, but he still cared about her. He needed to know she was okay. When he confessed his fears in a rare honest moment with Uncle Sebastian, their father had conceded to his request. He had promised to not force his presence on Jazmin or upset her in any way.
Eli was too angry to even reply. He turned around and walked back out the door. Jason followed him.
"Eli, wait!" he called after him. Eli stopped at the office's front door and turned and glared at his best friend.
"I didn't know! I swear!" Jason told him. "My dad didn't even give me a heads up."
"How do you think your sister will feel about this?" Eli asked.
Jason shrugged. "She won't be as upset as she would've been. They've mostly buried the hatchet, I think," he said.
"Well, good. Then I guess there's nothing left to say," Eli said sourly. He turned back to the door.
"Don't leave mad," Jason said. "I don't want him here either."
"But you're not going to do anything about it, right? Daddy's spoken, and you'll just go with the flow," Eli said with derision.
Jason didn't like his dig, and his eyes flashed in anger at the jab. "I've learned to pick my battles," Jason said. "There's nothing wrong with that."
Eli gave him stony look. "Have you talked to your sister today?" he asked.
"This morning. Why?" Jason inquired.
"She's been acting distant with me. Do you know why?" Eli asked.
Jason frowned. "No. She's not said anything to me," Jason replied.
"Would you tell me if she had?" Eli asked pointedly.
"If it was important, yes," Jason said easily. He knew Eli was itching for a fight, and he didn't want to give him one.
"Something's wrong. You should talk to her," Eli said. "You need to warn her about Joseph before she runs into him."
"I plan on it," Jason said. "Are we okay?"
"We'll see," Eli said with a shrug. He wasn't going to pretend like this was okay. Jason needed to learn to set boundaries with his father, but Eli knew he couldn't make him do that. He opened the front door and left. He didn't trust his temper. He drove around for an hour until he'd calmed down. Then he found his car driving toward Jazmin's.
She smiled when she opened her apartment door. "Hey. What are you doing here?" she asked, leaning forward to give him a hug as he stepped inside.
Eli himself relax at her warm greeting; relief filled him. He wrapped his arms around her. "I missed you. You've been blowing me off the past few days. I was concerned," he admitted, looking at her carefully.
She gave him a guilty look. "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to blow you off." She took his hand and led him to her sofa.
"Before we talk, I should warn you that your ex is in town," Eli informed her.
She frowned. "Joseph? What he's doing here?" she asked.
Eli shrugged. "I didn't get a real reason. He spouted some bullshit. Promised to not upset you. If he does, let me know, and I'll kick his ass again," Eli said in annoyance.
Jazmin gave him a fond smile and leaned over and kissed him. "My hero!" she enthused. She laid her head down on his shoulder; he wrapped his arm around hers.
They sat there in companionable silence a while. Then Eli said, "I feel like you're slipping away from me."
Jazmin winced, knowing she was responsible for how he was feeling. "I'm sorry. I'm feeling better. Really. But I still don't feel normal," she admitted.
"What do you mean?" he asked, frowning.
"Dick's heart attack has really made realize how short life is," Jazmin said.
"True. We shouldn't waste time," Eli said, squeezing her shoulders and placing a kiss on her cheek.
"I agree. You shouldn't waste time with me," Jazmin said, looking at him with sorrowful eyes.
Eli pulled back in surprise and looked at her. "What? What the hell are you talking about?" he asked in dismay.
"You deserve a girlfriend that can be a girlfriend. That's not me. Not now," she said, her eyes moving down to her hands, unable to face him.
Understanding dawned on Eli as he looked at her. She still didn't get it. He put his hand under her chin and lift it up, so she had to look at him. "Baby, don't you understand? Every minute I spend with you is a moment I treasure. I love you. No one else could ever be you. No other woman could make me as happy as you do," Eli told her, meaning ever word.
Jazmin searched his gaze, finding sincerity and love in it. "But I can't be intimate with you," she reminded him. "I-I want to, but…" She stopped and closed her eyes, not knowing how to explain how she felt.
"Do you think sex matters to me as much as you and your happiness?" Eli asked her. "Sex is just a physical act. Having sex with the woman I love means something. I have faith that someday you'll be ready to do that, but I'm not with you because of sex. I could have sex with any woman."
"Oh really?" she asked haughtily.
He grinned. "You know what I mean. If sex was all I wanted from a woman, it's not hard to find. But I loved you before we'd ever had sex, remember? Hell, I was half in love with you before I'd even kissed you!" he exclaimed.
She finally smiled, remembering those early days. Had it just been a year and a half or so ago? "Are you sure?" she asked. "I don't want you to waste time with me. I don't know if I'll ever be the same," she confessed, her eyes filling with tears.
"Of course, you'll never be the same. What happened to you can't be erased, no matter how much I might wish it. I know that. You'll carry the scars like Logan does when he was shot," he said. "Eventually, the pain will fade, but the scars will remain a part of you. Unlike Logan, though, your scar will be invisible," Eli said. "I don't want you to pretend with me, Princess. I want to be there for you. I want to help you get through this. Whatever you need."
"Are you sure?" she asked, her doubt evident.
"Not a doubt in my mind," he said confidently. "If you want to do anything for me, let me help you. There's different kinds of intimacy. I just want to be close to you anyway I can."
"I love you," Jazmin said, feeling relieved and touched by his sensitivity and support.
"I love you, too, baby," he said. He kissed her, keeping it light. Then he tucked her against him again. He stroked her hair. "No more talk of me wasting my time. How about you let me take you out to dinner?"
Raising her head back up, she gave him a brilliant smile. "Okay," she said, feeling incredibly grateful.
Eli was glad that she'd finally talked to him. He couldn't stand any distance between them and was determined that they remain close. He didn't want to lose her.
******Back at Dick's******
Mac had gotten stuck on campus finishing up a project that she'd forgotten about with all the stuff going on with Dick, so she'd sent Logan a message asking him to hang out with Dick until she got there. His mom was probably already there, and she didn't want Dick upset or overly stressed.
Logan happily drove over there as she requested. However, he didn't bother pointing out that nothing could prevent Dick's mom from stressing out Dick. Mac's mom was so normal like Wallace's mother. Dick wasn't nearly as lucky. He didn't bother knocking when he arrived, but he let himself in.
He heard Dick before he saw him.
"I'm fine, Mom! I told you it was just a minor heart attack. No big deal!" Dick was saying.
"There's no such thing as a minor heart attack, Dick! You could've died or drown!" his mom replied.
When Logan made it into the room, he saw Dick's mom sitting next to him on the sofa, her eyes full of tears. Dick's were relieved as he saw Logan.
"Oh, look, Mom, we have company," Dick said, smiling gratefully at Logan. "I didn't see you there, dude. Glad you stopped by."
"I didn't hear the doorbell," his mom said, a note of disapproval in her voice.
"That's because I didn't ring it. Dick rarely answers the door even before he got sick. We bought a house together, didn't you know? Before he moved back home, he was living with me at the beach house," Logan said with an easy smile. He plopped down on the chair next to Dick.
"Oh," Betina said.
"Logan is a married man, now Ma, so I moved out to give him some privacy," Dick said, hoping to take the focus off himself for once.
"Really? So young. You'll be piling up the divorces sooner that way," she said knowingly.
Logan worked hard to suppress his irritation. "I married Veronica Mars, who I love more than my own life," he said.
"Which he proved sophomore year when he took a bullet for her," Dick said with a grin.
Betina grimaced and shook her head. "I can't believe the things that go on in this town. I can't say I've missed Neptune," she said.
"Well, I bet Celeste Kane has missed you. Duncan told her you were coming to town, so don't forget to give her a call. I know she'd love to catch up," Logan said, hoping to get rid of her.
Dick pounced on his words. "Oh, yeah, Mom. That's a good idea. Logan will stay with me until Mac gets here. Tomorrow, you can take me and Mac out to dinner. She can't wait to meet you," Dick said eagerly.
"I'm glad you found a nice girl. Your dad told me about the switch at birth thing with Madison. I can't say I'm surprised that Madison isn't really a Sinclair. She was never as smart as either of her parents," Betina said.
"Well, Mac's a genius, but she loves her adopted parents, so don't go insulting the Mackenzies," Dick warned.
"Honestly, Dick, why you insist on acting like I have no manners is beyond me!" she said with exasperation. She got up. "It's good to see you, Logan. I was very sorry to hear you lost your parents so tragically. Your mom was such a classy lady. Such taste." Betina sighed sorrowfully. "Did you get the flowers I sent at their funerals?"
Dick grabbed a couch cushion and put it over his face to stop the scream. Logan, however, took it in stride. Dick's mom wasn't the first to offer late condolences. "I didn't go to my dad's funeral for obvious reasons, but mom had lots of lovely flowers. Thank you. She loved flowers," Logan said easily.
Betina gave him a sympathetic look. Instead of walking away, though, she continued, "There's been too many deaths in this town. My poor baby took his own life, too. I know how much it hurt to have your mom leave you like that, but we have to believe they're in a better place."
"Mom! That's enough! You're depressing the hell out of us!" Dick complained. He couldn't stomach his mother's show of grief over Cassidy when she'd not bothered to show it at his actual funeral.
Betina leaned down and kissed Dick's cheek. "Fine. I'll go back to my hotel and call Celeste. We'll meet for brunch. I'll be back here tomorrow to take you and your girlfriend to dinner, okay?" she said.
Dick nodded. "Fine. Great. Have fun!" he said with a cheerful wave.
The boys watched her leave, both breathing a sigh of relief that she was gone. "Finally! She'd been here an hour before you got here. Wallace and Weevil were both incognito. Even Lettie had abandoned me!" Dick complained.
Logan gave him a sympathetic look. "Sorry, dude. Mac should be here soon. She got tied up on a project," Logan explained.
"Yeah, she called," Dick said. "So your sister came by."
"Really?" Logan asked in surprise. Dick filled him in on what Trina had said.
Logan contemplated his revelation for a few moments before responding. "Well, I'm glad to hear that. I've been trying to figure out what to do. Veronica is so hurt at the thought that she hasn't even yelled at her," Logan said.
"That's scary, dude," Dick said in surprise. "I figured Ronnie would've been the first to go off on her."
"We all did, I guess, but she didn't. Losing the baby has changed her. She's been really insecure about Richie ever since. The thought of Trina taking him away has been in the back of her head for a while. This new development just confirmed her fears," Logan said.
"She seemed sincere," Dick said. "Should we give the okay on the opening? Or do you think it's just an act?"
Logan frowned. "I'd hate to think she was still that person. Let me talk to Veronica. Then I'll talk to her. I'll make the decision by next week," Logan said.
"I'll go with whatever you decide, I guess," Dick said.
Logan nodded. "So have you ate yet? Do you want me to order a pizza?"
Dick looked eager a minute then shook his head with a loud sigh. "Not unless you want to face the wrath of Mac. She's become the food police. She's got a whole list of what I can't eat. The list of what I can eat is much shorter. It's insane, dude! Lettie left a well-balanced casserole in the fridge. Just pop it in the oven on 300 or something she said," Dick shared. "She promised to bake me some brownies, so look for those, too!"
"No pizza, no waves. It sucks to be you!" Logan teased as he got up.
"F*** you, dude!" Dick said, throwing a pillow at him.
Logan laughed as he ducked and went to get dinner warm.
*****That Night at the Beach House*****
When Logan made it home, he found Veronica on the patio reading a textbook. She closed it when she saw him. "Hey, you," she said. She lifted her face up expectantly for his kiss. He bent down and dropped a kiss on her lips and then sat in the lounge chair next to her. The sun was just starting to set over the water. It was a beautiful night. "How's Dick?" she asked.
"He's good. I saved him from Betina," Logan said with a grin.
"How long is she going to stay in town?" Veronica wondered.
"Who knows? Dick is having trouble getting her to say. But she just got here," Logan said.
"I hope it's not long. I can't imagine the mother who refused to let her sons live with her could possibly be a help to him," Veronica said.
"Yeah," Logan said. He stared out at the setting son a few minutes. Then he turned to her. "Do you think Cassidy would still be alive if he'd gone to stay with his mom? That the people in that plane would still be alive?"
"The people on the bus wouldn't either way, so what does it matter? He was a killer. As much as I'm sorry for Dick and Mac's pain, I don't think the world lost much when he took his own life," she said grimly. "I'm not glad he jumped. I'd rather he went to jail and paid for his crimes, but I think it probably saved Dick suffering in the long run. Spending the rest of his life visiting Cassidy behind bars wouldn't have been good."
"I hadn't really thought of that," Logan admitted. It just made him sad. Sad that the entire mess happened. But he knew better than anyone not to spend too much time playing the "what if" game. "Oh, Charlie sent me a text wanting to know if we wanted to come this weekend for dinner. Saturday. An early dinner 'cause he wants us to bring Richie."
"Is Trina coming?" Veronica asked warily. She'd managed to avoid Trina since she'd dropped her little bombshell.
"I don't know yet. Does it matter?" he asked. When Veronica didn't answer, he reached over and grabbed her hand. He got up and tugged her to her feet. "Let's go to our room. I need to talk to you, and I want you close when I do."
He led her to their room. When they were inside, he turned to her and said, "Dick told me about a very interesting conversation he had with Trina today." He told her what Dick said.
Veronica listened without interrupting. "Do you think she'd really leave Richie here with us?" Veronica asked, afraid to hope.
"I haven't talked to her yet, but I will. I just wanted to tell you first. Dick said she seemed really sincere," Logan shared. "I think that even without Faces if Trina wants to go to New York she will. I'd rather she go on her own terms and have something that is hers. Something she can finally be proud of."
Veronica nodded. Logan put his arm around her as they sat on the edge of the bed. She leaned against him. "I just don't want to say goodbye to him."
"I think some day we probably will. But by then we'll have our own kid or two to focus on, so it won't hurt so bad," Logan said. "Either way, he'll always be a part of our lives."
"Are you going to talk to Trina?" Veronica asked.
"Yes. I will. I need to make a decision on the opening soon," Logan said. He dropped a lingering kiss on her mouth. "How about we quit talking about my sister and get you naked instead?" He gave her a leer.
She laughed. "Me naked? What about you?" she asked.
Logan jumped off the bed and disrobed in less than a minute. Then he jumped back onto the bed. "As you requested," he said smugly. She giggled as he kissed her neck, happy to be distracted this way.
*****Chapter End*****