CHAPTER 145
One Week Later…
(GIDEON)
"Fuck! Thank you Angel I needed that!" I pull Eva close once more and hold her tightly to me as I bury my head into her neck panting from my release. I am still lodged deep inside her and I needed this more than I realised.
"I knew it!" she mutters from underneath me and she strokes my back lovingly, where a few moments ago she was digging her nails in and marking me, marking me as hers.
I pull away and look down questioningly into her flushed face and she stares defiantly back.
"No matter how indifferent you pretend to be, we all know that today is going to be difficult" she says and I let out a long sigh.
"Aah, I see" I say and I go to pull away.
Eva grips me, holding me in place. "Don't you dare Ace! I know she was no mother to you, but the fact is today you are burying the woman who gave birth to you, and on top of everything else that you have going on I think you deserve the right to be feeling a bit off".
I consider her words and tip my head in acknowledgement; I know she is correct no matter how hard I try to deny it.
"I am so proud of you, the way you are dealing with everything that has been thrown at you recently. You are an amazing man and I love you so much… never forget that" she says fiercely.
I smile and bury my head in her neck once more. It feels good to hear her reiterate her complete faith in me.
"I also know how proud Jared is of you… we talked you know after the other night, he asked us… Ana and I… he asked us what was said when Ana and I went to see Elizabeth after all that came out that night" she says.
I sit up slightly, "And you told him?" I ask and she nods.
"We did, we sat down and we told him everything".
"Fucking hell" I gasp.
"Gideon listen, yes he is thirteen years old but how old were you when you were raped eh? You were his age. He has a far more well-rounded picture now of everything" she explains.
"But I never wanted my fucked up past in his head" I say, "I know I had to tell him some of it but I never wanted him knowing just what a complete monster his grandmother was, Elizabeth was something he didn't need to know about" I argue.
"No, I get that and I'm sorry if you are not happy about it but just listen to my reasoning, your fucked up past impacted on his life, but it was Elizabeth's fucked up life that impacted on yours. The lies and manipulation and her own abuse at the hands of her father which twisted her and caused the chain of events which followed which resulted in your abuse, which resulted in you fucking up your relationship with Corrine and you not knowing your own son until now. He is involved and he deserved to know… to stop the cycle continuing, what persuaded me that it was a good idea was what he said to Chris about how a part of him didn't understand why you did what you did to Corrine, that would've festered and caused resentment, but now… now that he knows exactly the timeline of events and how Elizabeth became the monster she did he understands and he gets it and it has eliminated that seed of doubt in his mind about you".
"I guess" I say.
Eva pats my arm, "All you have to do Ace is continue to be the brilliant father you are to him, and carry on supporting him through this time in his life" she says with a grin.
"At least with the latest developments in Chicago, you will only be facing and helping Jared deal with his uncle's trials now" she adds as she mentions the other main thing that I am dealing with.
"This is very true" I say with a sigh, as my mind flies to that very situation.
Jerry Barnett has been supremely cooperative throughout and firmly placed Philip Martin in the frame for the events in Chicago and Seattle. As such he struck a deal with his lawyers and authorities to negate the need for a trial. The Seattle and Chicago authorities worked together to build a strong case against Philip Martin which was more important to Jared. The drugs charges against Barnett were dropped completely and it was eventually agreed he would plead guilty to murdering Peter and Suzanne Martin, and the charges of murder against William Martin were significantly reduced, for his co-operation and willingness to testify in court against Philip Martin. He is still facing a significant amount of time behind bars in Washington for the deaths of Peter and Suzanne Martin and the case has been seen by a judge and he has been sentenced to life in prison but under the terms of his deal he will be eligible for parole in 40 years' time, by which point he will be an old man. Jared was happy with that deal and the way he sees it, 40 years is a long time and there is always the chance Barnett could die in prison in that time, especially when the time for his part in the murder of William Martin is added to the sentence. I had pointed out to Jared that there could be a case where he eventually is released especially if he is given a lenient sentence for his cooperation and testimony in the Chicago trial but Jared had shrugged as he maintains that Barnett never actually meant to kill William, and he had said that in 40 years' time he would be 53, so Barnett would by then be in his late 70's and Jared didn't think he will pose any threat to us or anyone else then. I had been astounded by his pragmatic outlook, not to mention the lack of hatred and cold vengeance on his part. He really is a remarkable boy.
Philip Martin is another case entirely; he has been uncooperative with his own lawyers and the authorities and belligerent and vindictive towards Jared. He is looking at spending the rest of his life in prison for the number of charges he is facing. As well as first degree murder for Jared's mother he has the child abuse cases still against him, possession of illegal substances for the drugs he procured to try and kill Jared, and then he also charges for his part in the death of Peter and Suzanne Martin which will probably happen in Seattle after the Chicago trial has ended. He has lost everything, and he knows he has. The cases and wealth of evidence against him in Chicago are overwhelming and his own wife has also abandoned him. Beverley has opted to save her own skin and co-operated fully with the authorities and threw Martin under the bus in return for immunity. Jared had been happy with that; he had said that Beverley was controlled by Philip Martin and she was now able to break away from him.
She had written Jared a letter apologising for everything she had done and her inaction to stop the abuse when Jared came to them. She had told Jared that Philip Martin had on occasion physically abused her and she was afraid of him. Jared had been sceptical and cynical about the claims suggesting she was trying to make him feel sorry for her, but he had admitted that in the short time he had been with the couple he had on occasions heard things which corroborated her claims.
Philip Martin is facing life in prison without the possibility of parole for his actions and Jared has made it clear that while he holds no real grudge against Jerry Barnett for his part in his parent's deaths but he wants to testify at the trial, to do his part and help to put him away for ever for what he did to Angela Martin and he wants to see his uncle crash and burn.
"Is Ryan coming today?" Eva asks me, pulling me from my thoughts.
I nod, "He is, he will be meeting us at the crematorium. He will be accompanied by a prison official but he will be there" I confirm.
"Ana messaged me, asking if we were ok with them flying home after the cremation today?" Eva says and I nod again.
"Of course I am, they didn't need to fly out in the first place, although I am grateful to them for doing so" I say. Christian has been a great source of support to me this past week, helping me with the organisation of Elizabeth's funeral and being on hand along with everyone else when Chris had called me again, after he had been informed that Elizabeth was being cremated.
My mind once again goes back to that night a few days ago, which it now seems had also resulted in Eva telling Jared all about Elizabeth. I had previously called Ireland and Christopher regarding Ryan's wishes for Elizabeth and they were fine with it. They had assured me that they would be at the cremation – but they had made it clear that they would only be there to support me rather than to pay any respects to their mother. Christopher had asked me if I was going to tell Chris about the arrangements and I'd said no and gone on to tell him about the argument I'd previously had with him. It appears that he had called his father and laid into him for his actions, but also during that had let slip the details of what was going to happen to Elizabeth, which had prompted Chris to call me to have another rant but he got far more than he bargained for, not only from my family but also from me as I'd snapped and laid into him. My mind goes back to that event a couple of nights ago which had also made Jared fully aware of everything in my fucked up family…
"So, it's all sorted then?"
I look at Christian who is sitting opposite me, sipping a glass of wine. I nod in response and throw back my glass of bourbon.
"It is" I say simply as I place my glass down on the small coffee table between us. As I lean back I pull Eva who is sitting next to me close to me once more.
"I'll be glad when all this is over" I admit and Ana smiles sympathetically at me.
"You are a good man Gideon; nobody would've thought any less of you if you had refused to make the arrangements for Elizabeth's funeral under the circumstances. But you chose to step up and do what was right, even though she never did".
I hear Christian snigger, "The meeting with the official was interesting, when he was asking questions about Elizabeth for his eulogy".
I let out a small snort, "I think my comment of that woman never did anything in her life to deserve a eulogy shocked him".
Christian nods, "Just a bit, I'm glad Christopher and Ireland backed you up though, especially considering they had a good relationship with Elizabeth for most of their lives".
I nod again, "Yes, that surprised me actually, but now they know the truth about her I think that negated a lot of it. I will be interested to hear the eulogy though after what was said" I say.
"Dad"
I turn towards the doorway where Jared is standing and I smile warmly at my son.
"Everything ok?" I ask and Jared nods.
"I was wondering… can I join you?" he asks as he glances around.
My smile fades into concern, "Of course you can, never feel you have to ask to sit with your family" I say as I stand up and walk towards him, "You have as much right to be here as everyone else, I'm sorry if I've made you think you are not welcome to be here" I say anxiously.
Jared shakes his head, "No, it's not that… I know you and Uncle Christian were dealing with stuff for your mom's funeral, I didn't want to intrude if you were busy. I know back at home sometimes I was shooed away when grown up talk was going on so I thought it would be best to make myself scarce".
I shake my head, "No, you are as much a part of this family as anyone else. I will not have you feeling pushed out" I say adamantly as I lead him towards the sofa.
Jared sits down next to Ana and she smiles at him, "Are you coming to the funeral Jared?" she asks him and he nods.
"I am, dad asked me if I wanted to go. He said I didn't have to go if I didn't want to after dealing with my mom and dad's funeral and Uncle Pete and Aunty Suzy's funeral as well but I want to" he says.
As I go to say something I feel my phone vibrating in my pocket and reach for it. I close my eyes briefly as I see who it is calling me.
Eva leans closer to look, and touches my hand, "Put it on speaker Ace" she says simply, before adding, "It's Chris" as an explanation to everyone else for my reaction.
As one Christian, Ana and Jared all lean forward as I place the phone on the table and press the speaker button.
"Good Evening, Chris" I say.
"I've spoken to Christopher… Why are you cremating your mother?" comes the confrontational reply.
I sigh, "Yes I'm very well thank you for asking" I reply sarcastically.
"Cut the crap Gideon, and answer the fucking question" Chris replies. I glance at Jared who is now glaring at the phone.
"Now might be a good time to inform you that you are on speaker, Christian, Ana and Eva are present and also my son is here listening so may I ask you to mind your language" I reply.
There is a short silence before Chris speaks again, "I apologise but perhaps you should take the call off speaker and I can talk to you privately and not broadcast to everyone else in the vicinity" he replies acidly.
Jared leans closer, "Why?" he asks simply, "Why should he? Are you ashamed of what you want to say to him? Do you not want other people to hear what you think of my dad? It didn't bother you so much when you laid into him when I first met you in Chicago that day. While you are considering that point and my previous question I will ask another one. You see Mr Vidal I am struggling to understand your attitude. Admittedly I only have my dad's version of events to go on, along with what Uncle Christian, Uncle Christopher and Aunty Ireland have said so I am asking you. Why do you hate my dad so much? He has done nothing to you, from what I have heard and learnt, you are far more at fault than he ever was. He was a small child who lost his dad and was pushed into a new home and watched while his mom made a new life for herself with you. Now, having lost my mom and dad recently I can empathise with just how awful that situation was. But I was a teenager, my dad was just five years old". Jared pauses looking at me questioningly to clarify that, but Chris speaks.
"He was four when his father killed himself… but he was just five when his mother came to live with me " he replies.
Jared nods, "Four, I apologise my mistake. But that is even worse. He was four years old and his whole life had been turned upside down, he had lost his dad. His mom never explained what was happening and he believed his dad killing himself was his fault in some way. He was then transplanted into a new family and left to get on with it. Why didn't you help him? Dad has done everything he possibly could to help me come to terms with my parents loss… and my aunt and uncle. Dad was put into your family and treated like an outsider. You were a stranger to him, much like dad was to me as I'd only known him for a few weeks when circumstances dictated that I go to live with him. But he has done everything imaginable to help me come to terms with my loss and grief while also dealing with the fact I'm in a new city, and a new home with new people. You didn't do any of that for dad. From what I have heard… you didn't want him, you just wanted his mother and he was just baggage. That is beyond wrong, he was grieving and confused and you made that situation worse with your uncaring actions which led him to behave in an unacceptable manner, a manner which eventually persuaded you to seek help for him and… well, we all know how that ended up, and that destroyed him completely because you and his mom didn't believe him. So, I ask again why do you hate my dad so much when he has more right to hate you for what you did to him?"
We all sit staring at Jared our mouths hanging open. Eva is the first to recover and a wide grin spreads over her face, Ana is next and she wraps her arm around Jared and whispers something in his ear to which he smiles and flushes slightly.
The silence is lengthy but when Chris replies he ignores everything that Jared has just said.
"You didn't answer my question Gideon why are you having your mother cremated?" he asks.
I sigh, "I am following her eldest sons wishes" I reply curtly. "You remember Ryan?" I add sardonically.
I hear a sharp gasp at that, "He should have no say in this, she relinquished all parental responsibility for him to Eric Landon so it is none of his business" he splutters.
My eyebrows rise, but Eva leans forward, "Fine, in that case we'll follow Christophers suggestion then if it bothers you so much. He suggested a dumpster for her, are you ok with that?" she says and I see Christian cover his face with his hand to hide the fact he is laughing at that.
Ana leans forward now, "You might want to consider the fact that Gideon was well within his rights not to do anything for her after the way she treated him his entire life. You might want to consider the fact he could've refused to do anything and she would've been left to the city to be disposed of. He however, decided to do the right thing and part of doing the right thing was consulting all her other children who have rallied and have helped to support him. I would also ask why you are interested and why it is any of your damn business? You divorced Elizabeth, you are not related to her at all anymore so why should you care what happens to her?"
"You have a lot of questions to answer Chris and I am also interested to hear what response you give to them all" I say coldly.
"You are loving this aren't you?" Chris replies, "You are loving the fact you think you have the upper hand? Loving the fact my own children now despise me… Christopher called… I'm sure you know he called me to yell at me again" he spits.
I feel my anger increasing and I let rip as I am sick of this, "Loving it? Loving what exactly? Loving the fact that I am now not afraid to speak the truth and am being believed and listened to for the first time in my life? No actually I'm not. I'm not because I didn't want any of this. I never wanted my childhood to be turned upside down, and dealing with the fact my father committed suicide when I was too young to understand why he was dead. I never wanted to be placed in a new home where I was unwanted and pushed aside, I certainly never wanted to be abused by the person who was sent to help me… I didn't want to be raped when I was the age my son is now. I never wanted to be alienated from my family when I spoke out about that abuse. I never wanted to suffer nightmares for years, which resulted in me too terrified to spend the entire night with anyone which resulted in me sabotaging relationships and which resulted in the fact I never knew I had a son until now. I never wanted to discover the fact my own mother watched me being abused and got off on it, I never wanted to find out the man who despised me for years and tried to ruin my business was actually my brother, I never wanted my younger brother to hate me. But the difference is I'm trying to make changes, trying to make things different. Christopher, Ireland and Ryan all want that too they want to build something positive out of the car crash of the past the only person who isn't on the same page is you Chris so answer the damn questions my son and Ana asked" I say.
Jared is staring at me "Dad" he whispers.
"What?" I ask confused by his shocked expression, then I realise what I said, what I'd said about Elizabeth watching me being abused.
"Is that true?" he gasps, "Did she really…?" he trails off a look of total disgust on his face.
I sigh, "We have good reason to believe that from some things she said but we have no actual proof of it… the closest thing we have is a slip she made when she denied it" I say.
Eva leans forward, "Ana and I went to see her and we asked her outright if she had watched Gideon being abused, she denied it and we pushed and then she said no – not at first, which she quickly changed to no. That along with the expression on her face when we confronted her with that allegation told us… she did".
Jared gets up and comes to me and I stand as he wraps his arms around me, "Dad, I have no words… no wonder you always called her Elizabeth and no wonder you don't even acknowledge the fact she is your mom".
"I'm sorry Jared, I never wanted you to know that" I whisper to him.
He looks up at me shaking his head adamantly, "No dad, I'm glad you let that slip and I'm glad I know" he turns and looks at my phone, "Are you still there Mr Vidal?" he asks.
I hear Chris clear his throat "I am" he says.
"Well did you know this? And if so, how can you justify your continued persecution of my dad?" he asks.
"Gideon brought up this allegation at the prison, and Elizabeth denied it… I had no idea Eva and Ana had pursued it further" he blusters. "I didn't believe it, I thought… I had no idea" he adds.
"Oh for fucks sake come on, pull the other one" Christian exclaims, "You were there at the prison, you heard what she did when she was in college, her depraved actions – it was inevitable, she was a sick and twisted monster who liked to watch people having sex especially if they were not willing, and she got herself off on it" he adds.
"Christian, please" I say glancing at Jared as I hold him tightly almost as if I am trying to protect him from the words.
Christian realises what he has said and the colour drains from his face, "Shit… I mean… hell… sorry Jared" he says.
Jared shakes his head, "No, I'm glad I know the truth" he says. "I get you were trying to protect me, but I'm glad I know the truth as it makes me realise exactly what hell you went through and how that impacted on your life and screwed you up and it made you the person you were when I was born… as a part of me always questioned why you didn't try and overcome your past and try and make a go of your relationship with Corrine but now… I can see why, and while we are on that, you have your part to answer for Mr Vidal, you are more than a bit responsible for Corrine's actions of giving me away aren't you? After what you did to her" he says coldly.
"So, Mr Vidal, in light of everything and just how you are up to your neck in it, explain and answer why my dad is to blame and why you continue to hate him? Because as far as I can see from everything I have learnt he was as innocent as I was and it was all the adults who were to blame, you and his mom, and the guy who abused him and the paediatrician who lied who screwed up his life so completely, and then you were not content with that when you and his mom tried to screw up my life as well by hurting Corrine and by trying to manipulate her".
We hear the phone go dead and we know Chris has hung up, unable or unwilling to respond to that.
"Well, I think that says it all" Christian says…
"Erm… are we going to be getting up today?"
That question pulls me from the memory and I grin at Eva who is still beneath me and I thrust my hips suggestively.
She grins at me, "Well if you insist" she says.
After another round of love making with my wife, we reluctantly decide we should get up and get ready.
After we eventually make it out of the shower, Eva slips her hand into mine as we leave the bedroom, silently offering me her love and unconditional support which I know I am going to need to get through today.
