Chapter 93
The following morning, Olivia woke to a heavy weight on her chest and the smell of bacon wafting in the air. Slowly she peaked one eye open, taking a moment to register why her son and not her wife was laying halfway on top of her. After blinking a few times, the previous night came flooding back to her. Looking over she noticed that neither of her daughters or her wife were still in the bed. She eased out from under Rafe and grabbed her robe on her way to seek out her girls.
As she walked into the living room, what she heard was music to her ears. All three of her girls were giggling. She crept slowly to the kitchen doorway and leaned against the door jam. Emma was covered in pancake batter helping Natalia pour more on the griddle, Ava was smiling at her sister as she made the scrambled eggs. As if Natalia could feel her presence, she turned to Olivia and smiled at her wife.
At being spotted, Olivia walked in and kissed Emma's head, Ava's cheek, and then wrapped her arms around Natalia and kissed her neck. "Good morning my girls. How are you?"
"We're good mommy. We're helping Ma make breakfast." Emma said smiling.
"I can see that. What I can't tell is if there will actually be any pancakes with all the batter all over you."
"It's not my fault, Ava flicked it at me." Emma pouted.
"She did. We'll have to show her." Before Ava could react, her mother hand scooped some batter onto her finger and smeared it down Ava's face.
"Mom, really?" Ava whined as Emma laughed and Natalia giggled.
"Yes my sweet girl, it's called revenge on my child's behalf."
Before Olivia finished her sentenced, Ava had flung some of the scrambled eggs at her. Olivia wiped her face with her hand and reached for more pancake batter but was stopped by her chuckling wife.
"Alright you two, that's enough. I'd like to have some breakfast to actually eat." Natalia stated half sternly.
"Fine." Olivia huffed as she kissed Natalia's shoulder and stepped over to the coffee pot.
Just as Olivia was sitting down, Rafe walked into the kitchen. "Mornin'." He mumbled as he too grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down next to Olivia at the table. "I just got a call from my probation officer. I have to meet with the review board this afternoon for their decision on changing my mentor."
"That's good. I was hoping that would happen before we left for Chicago." Olivia said, leaning forward to kiss him on the cheek.
"Yeah. It's at two. Will you and Ma be able to come?"
"Of course. We'll reschedule anything we have to so we can be there. This is important, especially with Frank out on bail."
"Thanks mom. I didn't want to have to go alone."
"We would never have you do that." Natalia answered, spinning from the stove to kiss the top of his head.
"Thanks Ma."
The girls finished cooking and set the eggs, pancakes, and bacon on the table as they joined Olivia and Rafe. Once the family finished eating, they all dressed for the day and headed off. Emma catching the bus for school, Ava and Rafe headed to The Beacon, and Olivia and Natalia were headed to their lawyers office before going to work.
Rafe was trying his best not to think about his meeting with the review board. He was trying not to get his hopes up that they would allow him to no longer need a mentor, but it was hard. Although there was trouble with Frank, most everything else in his life was working out better then he could have ever dreamed and that gave him hope. He was sitting at his desk going over the next few weeks planner when Ava walked in.
"Hey little brother. Whatcha thinking so hard about?"
Rafe's head snapped up at her voice. "Oh, hey Ava. I was just going over the party bookings for the next few weeks."
"That may have been what you were trying to do, but you seem a little deep in thought. What's up?"
"Just thinking about the review board meeting later today."
"Ah. You worried they're going to keep Frank as your mentor?"
"No. I don't think they would do that given all that he's done."
"Then what is it?"
"I was just thinking how nice it would be to not have a mentor anymore. I mean, it's not so bad. Frank being so focused on Ma lately hasn't even been meeting with me, just turning in the paperwork. But if they assign me someone new, then I will have to spend time with them and not that Remy is a bad guy or anything, I just, I prefer to spend my free time with you guys or talking with Ashley. With how busy things have been lately, there hasn't been much time for anything else, and with the opening in Chicago and now the moms taking on another hotel, I highly doubt any more time is going to free up. I really don't want to have to waste my time hanging out with some guy just because some stupid judge thinks our moms aren't enough for me. You know?"
"I get that. We have been really busy. We haven't even had much time to spend with each other these past few weeks, but it will pass. And who knows, maybe with how well you've been doing and with the moms actually getting married, maybe they'll decide your family is all you need."
"I hope so."
"Cheer up little brother, no matter what happens, we will all be here for you, in whatever way you need."
"Thanks Ava. I appreciate that. It's nice you know. Having a real family. I would have never guessed in a million years I'd be calling Olivia Spencer mom and have two sisters, but I do, and I love it. It's the family I always wanted."
"Yeah. I hear ya. When Olivia and I first met, I would have never believed she was my mother, and even after I found out, I never thought I would actually think of her as my mom and end up living with her. It's crazy the way things work out sometimes. I mean, I love my parents, and I miss them every day, but, if they were still here, I would have never met my mom or my dad, and I wouldn't have this family. Now that I have it, I can't imagine going back."
"Yeah. So anyways. We have two banquets next week; we'll have to get with Greg and make sure he has everything he needs since we'll be in Chicago. And mom wants us to go over the schedule for next week and have a lower-level staff meeting since we'll all be gone for a week."
"Okay. Did you send out the email for the staff meeting already?"
"Yeah. I did it on Wednesday so everyone should be here and ready by eleven."
"Good. We'll meet with Greg in a few minutes in my office and then we can get everything finalized for the staff meeting."
"Cool. I'll just finish up here and meet you in your office. Want me to call Greg?"
"Naw, I'll go find him while you finish up."
Olivia and Natalia had finished up finalizing paperwork with their lawyer for the St. Louis property and were walking into The Beacon when they were stopped in the parking lot by a woman calling out to them. "Olivia! Natalia!"
The two turned to see a blur of red hair coming towards them. "Hey Blake, where's the fire?" Olivia asked.
"Hey. Sorry." She paused to catch her breath. "I just wanted to talk to you two for a minute."
"Sure. What's up?"
"Can we go to your office or my room?"
"Okay. Sure."
The three-woman walked in and rode the elevator to Olivia's office in silence. Once they were inside, Natalia shut the door and turned to her friend. "So, what's going on Blake? Did something happen?"
"Well, yes, and no."
"Alright Blake, let's have it." Olivia ordered.
"It's Frank."
"Yeah, he's out on bail, we know." Natalia said.
"Yeah, but uh, I think he's really lost his mind. I'm thinking I might have to quit working at Company, he's really freaking me out."
"What happened Blake? Spit it out." Olivia demanded again.
"Nothing really happened. I mean, I'm sure Rafe told you about what happened last night."
"Yeah..."
"Well, once Rafe left, Frank came back in and was just muttering to himself for a while. I didn't catch most of what he was mumbling, but what I did hear, sounded like he might be planning something."
"Like what?"
"I don't know. I just kept hearing Olivia and save Natalia. It was weird."
"What exactly did you hear Blake?" Olivia asked, getting more irritated by the minute.
Natalia placed a hand on Olivia's arm. "Calm down honey, she's hear to help. Blake, can you remember anything that would let us know what he's up to?"
"I don't know, like I said, I didn't hear a whole lot." She thought for a second. "Oh, I remember hearing him utter something about taking back what's his and giving Olivia what someone should have given her a long time ago."
"Well, that doesn't rule out much. Most people in this town think I deserve anything from torture to death."
"That's not true Olivia. People have watched you change into an amazing person. Face it, you're not the terror of Springfield anymore. Anyway, I just wanted to warn you about Frank."
"Thanks Blake. We really appreciate it." Natalia offered.
"Any time. You two be careful. I've never seen Frank like this, it reminds of back when Phil…" She cut herself off not wanting to bring up old wounds for Olivia.
"Phillip, I know." Olivia finished for her. "I've been thinking the same thing. After Rafe's hearing with the review board, we'll head down to the station. See if they can do anything."
"I think that's a good idea. You two take care."
"Thanks Blake, we will."
Once Blake left, Natalia collapsed into Olivia's arms, burying her face into her wife's neck. "What are we going to do Olivia? When it was just Rafe I thought maybe he was making a bigger deal out it then it was, but now with Blake hearing similar things, I'm scared."
Olivia pulled Natalia flat against her. "I know baby. Me too. Don't worry my love, nothing is going to happen to any of us. We're going to finish up here, then go down to the parole office, and then we'll go talk to Remy or Mallet and get this taken care of. Okay?"
Natalia nodded against her neck. "Yeah, alright. I just, I can't bear the thought of something happening to you or one of the kids."
Olivia's voice was firm but gentle, trying to convey more confidence then she felt. "Nothing is going to happen to any of us sweetheart. I promise."
Natalia pulled back and met Olivia's eyes. "You can't promise that."
"Maybe not, but I can promise that we will do everything possible to keep our family safe. I think maybe we should have Emma stay with Phillip."
"What? No. I don't want her away from us."
"I don't either, but she's already having nightmares, and if Frank is as unhinged as Phillip was back then, there's no telling where his limits are. I mean, Gus once kidnapped Emma to get to me. There's no telling…"
"Wait. What? Gus kidnapped Emma. And then you let him round her again?"
"Not the point honey. What happened with Gus was totally different. It's a story for another day. Right…"
"But you'll tell me."
"Yes sweetheart, I will tell you my entire detailed history one day, but right now, we need to focus on doing what's best for our daughter. Phillip has lots of security. She'll be safe with him."
"I know you're right, but I still don't like not having her close. Do you think we should just take her to Chicago with us? Maybe get all of her assignments and have Jane come. That way Emma will be with us, she won't get behind at school, and we will have Jane so we can still concentrate on the opening."
"I think that's a wonderful idea. Perfect actually. We can have her stay with Phillip this weekend, we'll tell her it's because we'll be gone all next week, then we'll pick her up Monday morning on our way out of town. I think the rest of us should stay here this weekend too, just be extra safe."
"I think you're right. It worked out kind of great that we have to be in Chicago next week. Frank can't leave town and hopefully by the time we get back Doris will have a trial date set." Natalia stated, sounding exhausted.
"My sediments exactly. It's all going to be okay."
"How come you're the one being all positive huh?"
"Because, the way I see it, we both walked through literal hell to get here, the big man kind of owes it to us to get us through this. Don't you think?"
"God doesn't work like that Olivia."
"I know. But he also doesn't give us more then we can handle." Olivia replied cheekily.
Natalia just smiled and kissed her wife. "Somehow you always know just what to say to make me feel better."
"You trained me well." Olivia returned with a smirk.
"Oh, shut up and kiss me." She kissed her again, longer, and deeper this time, trying to give and also take the support they both needed.
Once they both felt okay enough to face the world again, they left their bubble in Olivia's office and snuck into the back of the conference room to watch their children conduct their staff meeting. Not because it was needed, just because they enjoyed watching their kids at work.
When the meeting had ended, the four went down to the watershed for lunch before finishing work for the afternoon and heading over to meet with the review board. They called Remy to meet them there but he said he already spoke to them and it wasn't necessary for him to be there. Rafe showered at The Beacon and put on his best Armani Suite and Barney's shoes. He wanted to feel the way he had felt when Olivia first bought them for him. Like he belonged in the business world and he was in control of whatever room he walked into. Olivia had told him that your attitude often matches your clothes, so if he was dressed well he hoped to feel more confident and to portray the business mogul he was becoming as opposed to the street punk they had seen last.
The three walked in and met up with Rafe's probation officer who led them to a large meeting room. There was a table with the five members of the board sitting at the front and two small tables a few feet away from it with a row of chairs behind them. Rafe walked in as if he owned the room with his head held high. Instead of going straight to sit at the table where his probation officer sat, he went to the members of the review board and shook each of their hands and thanked them for their time. When he turned around to take his seat, Olivia gave him that smile that told him he had done good and she was proud of him which always made him beam.
As Rafe took his seat, an older gentleman sitting at the center of the table with the members of the review board spoke first. "So, Mr. Spencer-Rivera, I see you've filed to have your mentor removed."
Rafe's voice was steady and strong as he met the man's eyes. "Yes sir I have. I feel that Mr. Cooper isn't really fit to be my mentor."
"And why is that."
"You should have a copy of the charges currently being filed against police chief Cooper, as I submitted them with my request. He has been harassing my family, and psychically assaulted my mother, Natalia Spencer-Rivera. Not to mention several cases of slander against my stepmother, Olivia Spencer-Rivera. Since he's started his obsession with my mother, he's quit seeing me and merely files the paperwork. I'm sure you can agree that he's no longer fulfilling his role as mentor."
"I have reviewed the file with the charges being filed against police chief Cooper. I've also spoken to him myself and according to him, these are false accusations of mere misunderstandings that he and his lawyer feel will be dropped."
All three of the Spencer-Rivera's hearts dropped and their faces paled. Olivia could feel the anger coming off of her son in waves. She placed a hand on his shoulder in the hopes of comforting and calming him. "I'm sure he believes that sir." Rafe started with clinched teeth. "I pray that he's wrong. I witnessed the physical assault against my mother, and I'm the one that got him to release her. In that file you should also have copies of the photos taken of my mother's bruises. What may not be in that file is the fact that Frank Cooper was visiting me at prison. He came every week and lied to me about the nature of his relationship with my mother. He went as far as to lie to both myself and all of you by saying he was engaged to my mother. He tried to use me as a pawn in his game."
"Please refresh my memory, what is it that Mr. Cooper lied to the board about?"
"When I was first released to the half-way house, you allowed a week at home so I could attend a wedding that was never going to happen. He led you to believe that he was marrying my mother, the fact is that they were never engaged, they never even dated. In his delusional state of mind, he thought that if he could convince myself and my little sister to believe they were getting married, and get me time at home, that my mother would leave Olivia and marry him. I had no clue about any of this until after my Ma sent him on his way and explained that she and Frank were not getting married."
"Your little sister? According to your file you are an only child."
"Emma Spencer-River. She is my mom, Olivia's daughter. Biologically she is my cousin on my father's side, however, now she is my sister as Olivia and my mother are married."
"I see. I do remember Mr. Cooper asking for a week at home for you to attend his wedding to your mother, however, Mr. Cooper explained that Mrs. Spencer-Rivera wanted to wait until you had time to adjust before getting married."
"Part of that is true. My mother did want to wait until I had time to adjust before getting married, she just wasn't talking about Frank. She was speaking about Olivia. They were engaged, had been since March. I was unaware of their relationship because my mother knew I would have a hard time excepting it because of our religion and our complicated past with Olivia. Frank used the fact that I didn't know about them to try and keep me on his side, try and get my mother to be with him. When I found out about my Ma and my mom, I was taken aback to say the least. I was very upset and Frank used that to turn me completely against my mom, Olivia. I'll admit, I had a hard time believing that Frank had been lying to me, it took a lot longer than it should have for me to see his true nature. I believed everything he said, I even spent a great deal of time hating Olivia and trying to get my mother to leave her. I believed that Olivia had taken my Ma from Frank, had tricked, or manipulated her somehow. I see now that everything he ever told me was a lie. Olivia is my other mom; she has been for much longer then I cared to admit."
"Alright Mr. Spencer-Rivera. I'm starting to get a clearer picture of your situation. Mrs. And Mrs. Spencer-Rivera do you have anything to add so we may have a clear understanding of the events that led to this meeting?"
Olivia stood with one hand still on Rafe's shoulder and the other gripping tight to Natalia's hand. "Yes sir. I'm Olivia Spencer-Rivera. I would just like to add that Rafael has come a long way since you saw him last. He has not only obtained a job, but he's also been promoted to a much higher position in the company. We've renovated our basement into an apartment for Rafe, which he pays to live in. He has obtained a vehicle, never misses a meeting with his PO, and does more than his share at home. He's a true big brother to my youngest daughter and he and my eldest daughter have a relationship that matches any other siblings. He has truly embraced his role at home, at work, and in the community. He's no longer the boy who made a grave mistake, he's a wonderful man who is well on his way to becoming a businessman I wouldn't want to go up against. Our family has been through a lot over the past year, all I'm asking is that you think about how much Rafael Spencer-Rivera has changed since his release. It would be an injustice to require him to spend time with a man he not only fears but is trying to tear his family apart. As he said, he hasn't been seeing Mr. Cooper as of late and he is still doing very well. It's amazing really how much he has grown in just a few months." As she finished she once again took her seat.
"I must agree with you Mrs. Spencer-Rivera, I've seen very few cases of convicts who make such drastic changes in themselves and their lives in such a short time span, I'm inclined to believe that his newfound family has more to do with that than Mr. Cooper."
"Thank you sir. That would be correct." Rafe said. "I spend most of my free time, which isn't a lot lately, with my family. We have movie nights and game nights. We play in the yard and my sisters and I often gang up on our moms. We have dinner together every night. Family is the most important thing to all of us. I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for my mom, Olivia, and all the hard work she put into making me understand that she was here for me, that my entire family was here for me. All Frank ever did was try and turn me against her, he tried to make me believe she was this awful person. She's not though. She gave me a job yes, but more than that, she gave me the family I have always wanted. She and my Ma are always there for me. They encourage and support me. Without them I'm not sure where I'd be, but I can tell you for certain that Frank Cooper has nothing to do with the changes I've made in my life."
A woman at the far-right end of the table, who Olivia recognized from her stays at The Beacon, spoke to the family. "I believe that a short break is in order. I think it's important that we take a closer look at the charges being filed against Mr. Cooper." The table agreed with nods of their heads. Mrs. Anderson looked down at the Spencer-Rivera family with the slightest of smiles. "Fifteen minutes and we'll meet back here with our decision."
The members of the board left and Rafe and his parole officer turned to the Spencer-Rivera women. "Thanks mom."
"I only spoke the truth Rafe."
"Still, thanks." He hugged her and kissed her cheek.
Rafe's parole officer looked at the three in front of him. "The board knows that in order for this program to work, it's important that Rafael feel safe and understood by his role model. Given what has been said here today, I think they will most definitely either release Rafe from the mentor program or assign him a new mentor."
"They better." Olivia stated. "I have no problem going over their heads if they leave Frank as Rafe's mentor."
Natalia placed a hand on Olivia's arm. "Calm down baby, I don't think that's going to happen. Let's just wait and see what they say."
"Yeah mom, please calm down before you stress your heart." Rafe added.
"Oh stop, my heart is fine. I swear, the two of you." Olivia said.
"We just worry about you mom; besides, I really think we made them think harder about this."
The four chatted for several moments before the board remembers reentered and took their seats. The gentleman in the center addressed them again. "Alright Mr. Spencer-Rivera, after reviewing the changes against Mr. Cooper further, and taking what you and Mrs. Spencer-Rivera have said here today into account, we've decided to lift the condition of having a male role model completely. What we've seen here today has proven that you have a strong family willing to fight for you. If you can continue on the path you're on, we feel it is no longer necessary for you to have a mentor. You will continue to meet with Mr. Nolan once a week for the remainder of your probation. If he feels this decision is not in your best interest, we will revisit this."
Rafe was smiling ear to ear. "So, I'm good? No more mentor?"
"Yes Mr. Spencer-Rivera. Don't make us regret this decision. Have a nice day, this meeting is adjourned."
"Thank you sir. You won't regret it." Rafe turned and enveloped both of his mother's in a hug. "It's over. No more Frank, no more mentor, it's just our family now."
The members of the board left the room and Mr. Nolan stood. "Alright Mr. Spencer-Rivera, I'll see you next week. Keep up the good work."
"Thank you sir. I will."
As he walked away, the three Spencer-Rivera's embraced once more. Olivia pulled back smiling at her son. "This is so great. Now there's something your mother and have talked about and agreed upon."
"Okay. What's up?"
"Emma is going to go stay with Phillip for the weekend and then spend next week in Chicago with us and the rest of us will be staying at The Beacon until we leave."
"What? Why?"
"Because Rafe." Natalia answered. "With what happened with you and Frank and what Bake told us, we're a little afraid of what he might do. We want us all to be safe."
"Wait, what did Blake say?"
"Nothing for you to worry about."
"Come on Ma, you're sending Emma to stay with Phillip and you're making us stay at the hotel, she said something that worried you."
"Yes she did, she just heard Frank saying somethings that are worrying us. We'll explain it all to you and Ava tonight. Right now, we all need to get back to work. We have a lot to do."
"Alright Ma. Let's go."
After returning to work, it was agreed that Jane would bring Emma to the hotel for them all to say bye to her and then Phillip would pick her up after dinner. Rafe and Olivia would go to the house and pack bags for their trip and then meet them back at their suite.
Once Phillip picked up Emma, Rafe and Olivia headed out to the farmhouse in his truck. There was an earie feeling in the air when they arrived. Rafe parked the truck and looked over at his mom. "Hey mom, do you feel that?"
"Fell what?"
"I don't know, just, something doesn't feel right."
"What could be wrong Rafe, is it your blood sugar? Are you not feeling well?"
"No, it's not like that. I just, I don't know, I just have this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that something isn't right."
"I know you're worried about everything Rafe, but it's all gonna be okay. We're just gonna go in, pack our bags, and then we'll be back with Ma and Ava at the hotel. Emma is safe with Phillip and next week we'll all be safe in Chicago since Frank can't leave town while he's out on bail. You're just being paranoid."
"Yeah, you're probably right. Let's go pack so we can get back to the hotel."
The two exited the truck and walked the path to the door. Once they were inside, Rafe went down it his apartment to pack for himself and told his mom he would get Emma's bag together when he was finished. Olivia nodded and told him not to forget her dress for the opening before going to pack for Ava and then herself and Natalia.
After Olivia got Ava's suitcase packed, she went into her and Natalia's room to pack for the two of them. She thought she heard something behind her but passed it off as Rafe coming up to pack for Emma. She went into the bathroom and packed all of her and Natalia's toiletries, then grabbed their under garments and pajamas from their dresser laying it all out on the bed before turning to their closet to grab their suitcases and clothes.
As soon as the door opened to the closet, Olivia was grabbed and a hand placed over her mouth to prevent her from screaming. She could feel metal against her back and she knew instantly what it was and who was holding her. She tried to break free but the man holding her was too strong. She knew this was going to be the end of her. She glanced at the photo of her family on the dresser as a tear rolled down her cheek. A fist punched her hard in the ribs to stop her from struggling. She closed her eyes and pictured her family, she hoped Rafe wouldn't do anything stupid when he came looking for her. With her eyes squeezed tightly closed she slammed her head backward as hard as she could, hitting her attacker square in the nose and causing it to break and bleed. He grunted and then slammed the butt of the gun that was against her back into her temple. Olivia pictured her family in her mind as blackness began to take over. Just before her world went dark, she blew a kiss in her mind to her wife, praying it reached her somehow. This kiss was I love you and good-bye. It was be strong for our children and move forward with your life. It was love again and I'll always be with you.