CHAPTER 44-LENA, NICKY, JESS AND CATH
Pope Cody had been standing in the driveway for almost an hour but to him it felt like five. He was going to catch his brother one way or another. Baz had been avoiding phones calls like crazy lately and the only person he'd answer to was Jessica. After the explosive fight at the Cody home, Baz honestly didn't want anything to do with any of them.
If Pope came around to see Lena, he made sure that he wasn't present, and that Jessica would be around to greet him. He'd leave it up to her to try and repair the family since she wanted it so bad. The last thing Baz wanted was family drama on the day he was going to pay Smurf a visit, but the drama was waiting the second he showed up at his house.
When Baz pulled into the driveway, he wanted to turn around the second his saw his brother. Pope, hands in his pockets and a death glare on his face watched as the car came to a stop. Baz rubbed his face slowly, turned off the engine and stepped out of the brand-new black Jeep Wrangler Rubicon.
"What's with the new ride?" He asked his brother, not moving an inch from where he was standing.
"Just thought I needed an upgrade. Can I ask why you are standing in my driveway in broad daylight?" Baz asked back.
"Lena hasn't been sleeping..." Pope trailed off once Baz shut his car door.
"I know she hasn't. Have you been standing here all morning or?..." It was now Baz's turn to trail off. He knew the problems that Lena had been having and he had been getting help from Jessica on that matter. It wasn't a secret that the little girl was having struggles but working them out was becoming more complicated as time went on. "Pope, I don't need this right now"
Walking closer to his brother, Pope cocked his head with confusion, but he still kept a poker face. "What do you mean you don't need this now? Your daughter is in there, waking up at all hours of the night because she's having nightmares about wolves attacking her. I don't know about you, but wouldn't that be a cause of concern?"
"I will get to it, it's something that Lena will get over at some point"
While Jessica couldn't become Mary Poppins and make everything better instantly, Baz was also a work in progress. It seemed like some days he didn't do too bad with his daughter but then other days her remained cold. That seemed to be the biggest mystery of all, and Jessica couldn't get him to warm up, and she couldn't figure out why.
"She's scared Baz! She told me the other day that she is afraid everyone is going to leave just like Smurf" He had been talking about the fight she saw, and Lena was smart enough to know when they all hated one another. "Lena is only eight years old, living without her mom and a dad that doesn't give two shits about her. Her Grandma is in jail, her aunt is her new stepmom and her uncles are fighting"
Baz threw his arms up in the air out of frustration. "How many times are you going to get on my ass for it? I know that Lena is going through some things right now but when this all blows over, she'll be fine"
"Oh, that's right, you and Jessica are going to kiss her wounds and make everything better. You two are finally together so everything falls perfectly into place. Do you ever think that she misses her mother? You stopped looking for Catherine
"She's dead Pope! Smurf killed her, okay? Catherine is dead" Baz shouted, forgetting he was outside momentarily. Taking a look behind him, he was glad that he didn't see people walking down the strip to hear their conversation. "I've had enough of you all judging me and I'm not going to stand here when I have shit to do"
After hearing those words come from Baz's mouth, Pope felt a quick second of relief as he was the murderer. He felt guilty after seeing how much damage it did to his niece and if he could take it back, he would. Even though Smurf pushed her eldest son to carry out the kill, Pope beat himself up about it.
"What do you have to do? Check on Lena? I bet you didn't even know she was at Crystal's house because I took her over there this morning. She's going to Disneyland this weekend"
The only reason that Jessica had offered to go get Lena's stuff was so she could get away from the drama. Pope wasn't someone that was easy to handle, and she didn't want to be around him while he was snapping at Baz.
She had already been in the middle before and that didn't solve anything. Lena was still a concern no matter the incident, but Jessica needed to get a break from everything. She felt as if she had been living in a movie, but someone had hit fast forward, and she hadn't had time to think about anything.
Stealing the money, putting Smurf in jail, and moving into a house was all happening way too quickly. On top of it, Jessica was being promoted from Aunt to stepmom and was about to become a new mother herself. There was so much to process, and Baz never gave her a second to do it.
Jessica had hoped that the silence in the family home would bring her some sort of comfort, but things never went the way they should. She headed straight into the room that Lena stayed in and pulled open a couple of drawers. They have been filled with a variety of clothes and Jessica had only brought two bookbags to fill up, they weren't going to hold every item that was in that room.
Yanking her phone out of her back pocket, she dialed Baz's number waited for him to answer, and of course he didn't. "So, I'm at the house trying to get Lena's things, am I grabbing everything or not? I didn't bring enough bags with me, and I didn't realize that she had most of her life over here. Just call me back or send me a text" Hanging up after leaving the voicemail, she tossed the phone onto the bed
Emptying out an entire drawer that was mostly filled with shirts, Jessica re-folded everything in order to fit them in the bag. When she pulled open the next one, she saw the photo album that Lena always had, she felt as if she had been stuck looking at old photos for the last couple of days. She placed it on top of the clothes, zipped up the bag and put it next to the doorway.
Once she began going through more things, she got up to get a glass of water. The heat had been messing with her pregnancy lately and the last thing Jessica needed was to get dehydrated. As she made her way to the kitchen, she saw Nicky sitting near the pool, exactly the same way as if the girl never moved from the last time, she seen her.
Jessica pulled out a box of apple juice, pop the straw in the box and drank it slowly. Part of her wanted to go out there and ask Nicky what she was up to but she also didn't want to be in the middle of something yet again. Kim wanted to slap herself for feeling a moment of compassion, and slid the back door open
"Hey... You plan on taking a swim in that dress?" She called out to her.
Nicky has been sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest and her chin resting on them. She had lifted her eyes to see Jessica but looked back towards the water the second she approached her. She was dressed in a simple black mini dress, and a pair of black wedge heels were sitting next to her.
Putting her hand on her forehead to block the sun, Jessica looked down at the young girl. "Are you crying?"
"I was, not anymore" She said quietly, still not looking at the older Cody sibling. Jessica bent down so she could put the juice box on the concrete, rolled up her overalls and sat down next to the girl. Sticking her feet in the water she turned to Nicky waiting for her to explain her problems.
"Alright, what's going on?"
"Today was graduation and J even show up. My dad didn't even leave Guam to get my diploma. I was all alone, I had to see everyone else taking family photos and I stood there trying to get a hold of J to come pick me up"
"You know, he might have been busy with work, you know how the military is" It was a lousy excuse, but Jessica wasn't going to admit it.
"It doesn't matter, no one was there to watch me walk across the stage. I watched everyone's parents clap and cheer, I had random strangers just giving me applause not anyone that actually cared"
Once again, Nicky had been a victim in the situation, but Jessica had not been surprised. It always seemed as if this girl was in some sort of mess every time she talked to her, but she didn't blame her. She remembered being at that age, being rebellious and having a strike against her own family.
When Jessica was 18, she had no diploma, no job but developed her drug addiction. She overdosed numerous times, leaving Baz and Pope to take care of her when she was sick as Smurf wouldn't let her go to the hospital anymore. It was her first-time hitting rock bottom, and even though Nicky was nowhere near that point, she knew how low it felt. It's supposed to be the time of becoming an adult, but they seem to hold them back when it came down to it.
"If anything helps, I didn't have any support when I got my GED or nursing degree" she commented before taking a quick drink. "Why wasn't J there? I saw him leave early this morning"
"I don't know, he's probably visiting Smurf since that's all he does anymore. I don't see him as much as I used to. It's almost like he's a dog and when she says bark, he barks"
"That's the problem with this family, we weren't allowed to have a normal childhood, we were forced to grow up. Whenever Smurf called, we had to come running while we face the consequences" The blonde shrugged slightly and continued on. "He should have walked across the stage just like the rest of his class... I hate to ask this now, but have you thought about living with your dad yet?"
Nicky's had turned quickly as she glared Jessica down. "You want me to live with him after this?" She had easily taken offense to the comment.
"You want to be her with all the shit that's going on? You saw the fight the other day" Jessica reminded her of the incident that erupted between Baz and J. The young girl had been startled from it and it was apparent that she didn't fit in their lifestyle. "I'm only looking out for you"
"I don't need you to look out for me"
Jessica's storm cloud eyes shifted towards the blue water, and she snapped her mouth shut. Those words had echoed into her soul as she had remembered when Julia said that to her before. She tried to help her older sister as much as she could, but Julia was never on the receiving end of help.
The Cody's sister's relationship had obviously been broken because of Baz and it never got repaired. When Julia hit rock bottom more than once, Jessica had tried to intervene, but the latter was never keen on going to rehab. She but never stay sober which forced Jessica to stop even trying. The rules should have been reversed but Julia was done playing big sister as she had been betrayed by her own blood.
She tossed the idea out of her head but continued to stare at the water. "I think you do because someone has to do it and J clearly isn't trying" Nicky turned away from Jessica as she now wanted to face her. "If I didn't have my brothers, particularly Baz and Pope looking out for me, I'd be in jail by now, actually I'd be dead. I would have died on the shore of Oceanside Harbor; I would not be having this conversation with you right now"
"I'm not a drug addict Jessica" Once again Nicky was getting easily offended but her emotions were high so there was no blame there.
"You know I said that when I was your age and 2 months later, I woke up in a hospital hooked a machines. There's no shame and having a good time but you have to keep control of it" The Cody sister nudged her arm to lighten up the mood. "Besides neither am I, I'm a recovering one"
The more Jessica talked to Nicky, the more she realized that she wouldn't break through to the young girl, just yet. She would work her magic at some point and maybe J was in the way of it right now.
"You remind me a lot of myself and Julia. You definitely have Julia's stubborn side, but you've got my denial. I'll tell you from experience, it's not a great combination to have so I'm just here trying to give you life advice"
"J told me to stay away from you so why are you trying to give me advice if you don't like us?" Nicky asked her, clearing taking J's side on everything. It was expected as he was the only one she was close to in the house.
"I never said I didn't like either of you, well currently I don't like J for reasons, but you won't understand. As for what J says, I really don't care what he thinks and I will talk to who I want to talk to, it's your choice if you want to listen to me or not"
Jessica excused herself as she wanted to put the bags in her cars and head back to Baz's to empty them. There was still plenty to pack, but she hadn't brought enough things with. As the blonde walked away, she peered over her shoulder and spoke to the girl again.
"Since no one told you today, congratulations for graduating. It looks like another on makes it in this family"
Baz wasn't going to tell anyone, but he was breaking one of his biggest rules...Visiting Smurf. Part of him never wanted to see her face again but he was curious as to how she was doing. There were still unspoken words between them, but he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to waste his breath. He figured his brothers had already visited her, so it was his chance to try and make his own peace.
As he walked through the jail, he tried to remain as calm and collected as he could, but his heart was racing. The anger and hatred he felt towards his adoptive mother grew in the last couple of months and the love he once had disappeared. After coming to the conclusion of Catherine's death, Baz couldn't forgive her for the murder or the money. He couldn't forgive her for killing his girlfriend, he couldn't forgive her for hiding money from the family and lastly, he couldn't forgive her for turning her back on him.
Baz slowly sat down in the seat, rubbed his palms on his thighs and took a deep breath. Smurf's children all felt nervous whenever they acted out because they knew the wrath that she would bring. This however was beyond wrath, this was betrayal. He waited impatiently for them to call Smurf into the room, but once she showed, he could feel his emotions rise up again.
In actuality, Smurf wanted nothing to do with her son and he was the last child that she wanted to see. She narrowed her eyes at him, but Baz refused to look away. It was the confidence he had compared to the others. The Cody siblings knew when they were in trouble and had a hard time staring at Smurf when she knew the truth. Baz wasn't her child though; he could hold his own against her.
As she slowly sat in her seat, Smurf hesitated grabbing the phone. After what seemed like forever, she placed the receiver to her ear and spoke. "I can't say that this is a pleasant surprise"
"Look, I want to be here as much as you do" Baz told her, their eyes still locked on one another. "I like the jumpsuit; the color looks good on you. Getting comfortable in here?"
Smurf cracked a faint smirk and leaned closer to the glass. "I'd rather be at home in my own bed, but you already know that Barry"
"Barry...We're using a first name basis now? How about I put more money in your account?" He remained stoic even though he was being snarky right back to her. "To be honest, I don't know why I'm here"
"You should exactly like your sister, or should I say girlfriend now?" She questioned him, referring to Jessica's visit. "Jessica came here and couldn't recall why but guess what? You two want to gloat that you're on the outside while I'm in. I've got to hand it to you, smooth plan but we all know that I didn't kill Javi"
"I saw what happened out in the desert, you have witnesses so you can twist the story however you want"
Baz wanted to remind her that two could easily testify their story against her. Despite her paying one of Javi's guys to murder him, she was forgetting that her own daughter was present. As Jessica and Baz were teaming up, the story was solid against her. By the looks of the situation, she had no trouble going along with whatever Baz told her and Smurf would be locked away for quite some time.
"We all know the truth. I wouldn't harm anyone, especially someone who was like a son to me"
After hearing her sentence, Baz let out a scoff and leaned in closer. "You're going to spend time in here so hopefully you'll find something to do. Maybe you can learn a new hobby, I'll be sure to send crayons and coloring books"
"I appreciate the sarcasm, it's better than your siblings cower in the chair" Smurf thought something over for a moment before speaking once more. "I find it funny that you think you are in charge of the family now. You've always liked taking more than your fair share. Julia, my jewelry, Jessica, money. Whatever you can get your hands on, you are always grabbing"
"I know what you're trying to do Smurf, I'm not the one behind bars for murder"
Smurf wanted to make Baz mad, she wanted to make it known that she was still in charge. She wanted him to know that no matter the outcome, not one of his brothers would ever listen to him. Baz was already cocky over the matter, and she didn't know what it had imploded. Knowing how to get into her children's head was an art and Smurf was the master of it.
"How's my little LenaRoo doing? Does she miss her Grandma Smurf yet?" She mentioned the visit that Pope paid and how Lena looked upset that she was there. It of course bothered Baz because she knew that he wouldn't have wanted her there...Except she always knew how he wasn't taking care of her. "I forgot; she has a new Mommy now...How much has she been missing Cath?"
"Lena's fine" Baz simply responded, agitated that she had brought his daughter up.
"Can I ask you an honest question? Have you asked Pope what happened with Catherine?"
He cocked his head to the side, curious as to what she was getting at. The famous smirk came back to play on her lips as she waited for an answer. The game wasn't going to be Baz and Jessica against Smurf anymore, it was going to be a game between two brothers.
"What? What are you talking about?"
"Have you talked to your brother about what happened to her? Pope knows..."
"What am I supposed to ask him about? Pope knows what?" Baz's voice slowly trailed off and it proved that Smurf had won that chess move.
Even though she had pushed her eldest son to murder Baz's girlfriend, Smurf washed her hands clean on blood. It was now up to Baz to handle the problem as she already knew that Pope was starting to crack. When he had visited her, he expressed his opinion, careful not to reveal much but it was eating at him. This was Smurf could get what she wanted by killing two birds with one stone. Baz would go after Pope; Pope would defend himself and either of them would end up hurt...Or worse. It would only leave her problem with Jessica and that wouldn't be hard for her to do either if Baz was out of the picture.
"I think you should ask him...He knows" She ran a finger down the glass panel between them, watching Baz move uncomfortably in the chair. "You think you have his loyalty? You really think any of them will listen to you? I have Deran wrapped around my finger with Craig bound to follow. J will do whatever I tell him, Jessica will crawl back to me because she can't stand alone and then what will you have? You'll have nothing but yourself"
As Smurf's words taunted him, Baz sat there in silence before slamming the phone back into place on the wall. He stormed out there and Smurf knew that her mission was done. After the cop had escorted her back to general population, she slyly stepped over to the phones and made a quick phone call.
"Baz knows...I'd watch your back if I were you" Not letting Pope get a word in, she hung up and let a wider smile come out. Smurf wiped her hands clean once more. Two birds. One stone.