Chapter 14

Trina

Sleep. I want sleep. Please let me have sleep. I put Little David down for a nap and I laid down and tried to fall asleep which should come easy but it doesn't. I just lay here and toss and turn then my eyes pop open only to feel the need of sleep again then the whole thing start over again. I can't seem to shut my mind off. I close my eyes and I start to think about stuff. Like things I have to do, or what I should be doing besides laying here, not sleeping. Then I start thinking about things that I have no clue what I can do to change them. Like, what was Jade talking about, going to that house? Is she and Tori moving out? Are they moving out because of me and my baby? Am I the reason my sisters are running away to live in some big mansion all alone?

No. This is stupid. I have to force myself to sleep. Are Beck and I doing the right thing living apart? Will David know his father when he returns? Are we hurting our son by not living together?

No, stop Trina. You have to sleep now. What kind of future will David have? Is the world going to be livable when he grows up, or will he be living in a new dark age?

One last chance now, breathe and sleep. That's right, we can do it. Just slow, deep breaths, or even fast ones and we'll pass out. Okay, that's it. Calming down…did I get the clothes out of the dryer? "Alright, that's it. I'm up."

I get up and go check the dryer to find my wonderful sister Cat folding the clothes. I lean against the door frame and sigh. "Hey Trina, I thought you were going to take a nap with David?" Cat asked me.

"I was, but I can't stop thinking about stuff, and then I toss and turn and now I'm here," I grumble, swiping my hand across my eyes.

"Well I'm done here. Let's go to my room and talk about what's on your mind." She takes the basket under one arm and pulls me with her with the other. We stop off and put away the baby clothes and then head to her room. "Okay, spill. What's on that mind of yours?"

I sit on the bed with her and I start talking about all the crazy stuff, but when I get to Tori and Jade moving out, she smiles. "Trina, they're not moving out because of you, they're moving out because they want their own lives. And you getting Mom and Dad all to yourself, well baby, that's a bonus. Plus when Beck gets back here, you two will be doing the same, and it will be Robin's turn thinking you're moving because of her. So chin up and remember, Jade and Tori are moving to another place that is not here where you live, so babysitting will have a whole new meaning." Cat moved back to the headboard and made me lay my head down on her lap. She covered me with her blanket "Trina sweetie, you just have to close your eyes." She started to rub my head and sing softly.

I woke up and looked at the clock, it was two in the afternoon. I had been asleep for over three hours. I can't believe I have slept this long, and they let me. That means Mom and Cat took care of Little David while I was asleep.

I jump up out of the bed and stood in the middle of the room, trying to decide what I was going to do first. If I was going to go find my son or my wonderful angels that gave me this beautiful gift of rest. Then it hit me like a water breaking through a dam. I had to pee, and I had to go now. Childbirth does that to you. Before having children you can hold it forever, but after it is like Moses standing on the bank of your bladder, hitting it with his staff. And the more children you have, the weaker your bladder gets. That lady that has nineteen kids and counting must have a bladder like a waterfall. Oh damn, waterfall…I gotta go, now!

I run out into the hall, running into Cat, plowing her over to get to the bathroom, which is being used by our little sister, who is in the shower, singing. Great, more running water. I turn around and run back to Tori and Jade's room, missing Cat this time…lucky her. It is empty, which is good. I don't think I would have made it downstairs. I really do think my parents should get their bathroom fixed in their room so we can have four bathrooms. Anyway, after I have relieved myself, I went downstairs to find my son sitting in his swing, listening to Grandpa read to him. I smiled and walked over to Dad and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Mom was in the kitchen with Cat, Robin, and Tori making what looked like dinner. I walked to the table and started to peel the carrots sitting in the bowl on the table. Mom looked over at me with a smile. "Nice to see you got some sleep, dear," she said, turning back to the potatoes she was working on.

"Yes, it was nice. I finally got some rest. Thanks to Cat and her singing; she put me right to sleep." I picked up another carrot and turned to Tori. "So Tori, what is the deal on Jade's grandfather's house?" I asked.

Tori looked over at Cat and sighed. "Well, Jade received the house from her grandfather in the will, but other than that, I don't know much about it. I do know it once belonged to Mae West, she was Jade's grandfather's cousin, and it is a huge mansion." Tori shrugged and went back to working on whatever it was she was doing.

"Actually it's three mansions," Cat said. "The property was bought by one of Miss West's cousins and beau at the time in the early twenties, and it was just the smaller mansion to the south which was turned into a speakeasy and had its own still. After Miss West became a movie star, she bought the mansion to the west which is now used as the main house and has the swimming pool. They cleared a path to the two properties so people could go from the speakeasy to the pool. Then after Miss West moved out and moved to Santa Fe, Jade's grandfather's sister moved in and bought the property to the east, and after Jade's grandfather came back from the war, he was in the Navy, he moved in with his sister with his new wife and young son, which is Jade's father. They lived with her until her death, but within that time, they had all the land cleared, making it one huge mansion. And of course, some dealings with the courts to rezone the area." I was in shock that Cat knew so much about Jade's family. I knew they grew up together, but it was surprising that she knew the history so well.

"So someone in Jade's family ran an illegal speakeasy during prohibition? That is so cool," Dad said from the other side of the table. I didn't even know he was there, I was so into Cat's story. I looked at him to see he was feeding Little David.

"Wow Dad, isn't that like, something you're not supposed like?" Tori asked, laughing at the look he gave her.

"Hey, it's a big part of our history, and I love history. I wonder if there is still signs of the old speakeasy," he said, smiling down at David.

"As far as I know, the south property is pretty much like it was, the only real difference is it has been updated to pass codes. They used that part for parties and gatherings, so it should be like it was from the day it opened as a speakeasy," Cat said.

I was about to ask a question when my phone rang. It was Beck. "Hey, baby," I said as a way of answering.

"Hi Babe. How are you doing? How is Little David?" he asked, but there was something off in his voice.

"We're good. What's wrong?" I managed to ask without my worry reaching my voice.

"Can we Skype? We have something to talk about," he said, and my heart dropped. I just know he is going to tell me that he is going to be wrote off.

"Yeah, sure. Hey Mom, Beck needs to talk to me. Is it okay if I take this upstairs?" I asked, and Mom looked to Dad, who was making faces at the baby.

"I think the boys will be just fine," she said with a chuckle, shaking her head.

"Okay Beck. I'm going to go upstairs and call you back." I ran to my room and opened the Skype, calling Beck. When he came on the computer, I could see he didn't look happy. "Beck, what's going on? Are you sick?" He gave me a weary smile.

"No, I'm not sick. Just tired. Anyway, do you remember that script Jade and I worked on when I was back?" he asked me, and I had to smile, remembering how cute those two were working on the script. It was like we were all in school again. Well, the rest of us are still in school, just not my husband.

"Yes I remember. So what about it?" I grumped, wanting him to get to the point.

"I was working on my part of it and was going to send it back to Jade, when the AD saw it and asked me about it. He asked if he could read it, and after he did, he asked if he could pitch the idea for a movie. I didn't really think it would go far, because one, the script isn't finished, and two, well, I just didn't think it would go. But I just got word today that he did pitch it, and well, babe, it looks like Jade and I are going to be making a movie. I told Matt, the AD, that the only way he can use the script is if Jade was involved," he told me and you could have blown me over with a feather.

"Beck, are you serious? I mean, this is big. What would be your part in this? What is Jade's part? Damn, this is big." I started looking around, like Jade was going to magically appear so I could hug her.

"Well, I will be acting, because the male lead is written for me, and Matt agrees. Plus he agrees that Jade should be the AD on the film. Matt is directing it." He laughed watching me jumping around. I just couldn't sit still. I finally drop down in front of the computer again with a bit of bad news.

"Damn, Jade isn't here right now. She's at her new house, but Tori is. Should we tell her?"

"I guess that would be alright…wait, Jade has a new house? She moved out? What happened?" Beck asked, his voice getting a little softer with worry.

"It's her grandfather's house, she got it in the will. And yes, I think Tori and her are moving soon," I told him, and my heart fell again as I watched the color fade from his face.

"Grandpa West died? When?" he asked, looking away so I couldn't see the tears I knew were welling up in his eyes.

"Last month. Oh, I'm so sorry baby! I didn't know you knew him. Which is stupid on my part. Of course you did, you grew up with Jade. I'm so, so sorry Beck, I should have told you," I said with pain and embarrassment in my voice.

"No, Trina, you have nothing to be sorry for. You didn't know. But Jade, Cat and Robbie knew, and one of them should have told me. I just don't understand why Jade didn't tell me that he died," he said, and I could hear the pain in his voice, though he hid it well.

"I can answer that. Jade didn't remember him until the day of the funeral. Tori said Jade was walking around, acting like she didn't want to be there until she finally looked at her grandfather, and it was like a light went on and she started to remember. Then when Cat came home. She spent hours with Jade, telling her things from when you all were younger. Jade had blocked out years of her childhood to deal with the pain, and she also blocked out the happy times too." I was now crying because the pain my family had to deal with for so long. They couldn't even keep one day of happy memory.

"Well, the best thing is that we can make new memories together. And this movie will just add to it. Look babe, I have to go, but before I do, I also want you to know that I will be wrote off the show and be home for about a month before we start filming. Matt has to finish the season." He blew me a kiss and ended the connection.

I sat in my room for a little while, thinking about everything that was going to happen. I was worried about Little David not knowing his dad, because we didn't live together and now he was coming home. I was also worried about his future, but his father just made sure he had one and also made sure Jade had one as well. I'm so lucky that I have a husband that will do what he can for his family, all of his family, and that right there is more important than money or any little golden statue.