IV
If my life gets like a jigsaw
With the pieces out of place
Come on over
Put a smile back on my face
And if all my bad days
Came at once
You would know just what to do
Come on over
Baby, you would see me through
And if you think I need you
Come on over
Bring your love around
You can dry away my tears
And if you think I need you
Come on over
Lay your body down
You know I will be here
So bring your love around
When I cannot see in front of me
And I know my darkest days
Come on over
You can take it all away
Come On Over, Olivia Newton-John
The weather had cleared during the dinner Jo and Bailey had, so they drove from Brooklyn to a parking garage in Manhattan that Jo was well acquainted with, then headed out into Central Park. It was too warm for ice skaters to be out at Wollman or Lasker Rinks, but there were still a lot of people out as the two walked around the park. New Yorkers were a hearty bunch, and a little weather didn't slow them down.
As they walked, Jo decided there was no time like the present to bring up the touchy subject of Bailey's letter.
"So Bailey, I got to read that letter to your sister we got a while back", she said in as much of a conversational tone as she could muster, trying to keep the youngster at ease. "Wanna tell me about it?"
"It's not terrible, Jo", Bailey said, not looking up, "but it's lonely, I never have any friends over, Mother is happier when she's gone than when she's home with me."
"C'mon", Jo chided her, trying to truly to get her to open up, "your mom loves you, we can see that."
"I know she loves me, Jo", Bailey protested, "but she's always sad when at home. She always talks about taking a trip somewhere, and gets so excited when she's ready to leave home for somewhere. Again, I don't think she hates me, but I heard her tell a friend of hers once that she'd rather be traveling than being at home with a child she didn't plan or had not wanted."
Jo stopped dead in her tracks, Bailey doing the same. "You didn't put that in your letter, kiddo", Jo said coldly.
Bailey nodded. "She said that just after I sent the letter. She didn't know I was near. I cried myself to sleep that night. That's why I want to come be with you and Blair."
Anger built up inside Jo once more. She had done her level-best to keep things civil during the three days that Monica and Bailey had been in town. This rivaled what her own parents' had said to her face before she ran away. She had been twenty two when that had taken place. She was thirty now. Bailey was ten. No ten year old should ever hear that.
"But I know I can't move here", Bailey continued as they took a seat on a concrete bench. "Mother would never let me, and you two have DC, and I would just be in the way."
Jo leaned in toward her...sister-in-law? For all intent and purpose, that's what Bailey was, and she was family. Family watched each others' backs. "Listen, kid", Jo said firmly, "you would not be in the way. You are Blair's sister-that makes you my family, and makes you important to me. No one messes with my family. You're gonna need to talk to your sister-and to your mother about this. I don't honestly think she meant what she said, or meant it in a bad way, but parents can get stressed sometimes."
"But Mother will get angry at me, and when we go home...it will be worse." Bailey saw the look on Jo's face. "Mother would never hit me or beat me, Jo, if that's what you're thinking, but I'll just feel more alone."
The hell of it was Jo wasn't sure if anything could be done, but she knew Blair would flip when Bailey told her what she had just revealed to her.
Walking a little longer, Jo changed the subject for the moment, telling Bailey about her motorcycle shop, promising she'd take the girl there before going back to Paris.
It was about 10pm when Blair and Monica put David down for the night. He was taking more and more milk with each feeding, Blair wryly wondering if her boobs could keep up. She knew they would, but the kid was growing...
Retiring back to the living room, Blair knew it was time to broach the subject she dreaded bringing up. She owed it to her sister, however, to find out what was going on.
"I hope Jo and Bailey are having fun", Blair said placidly. "Brooklyn-style pizza in Brooklyn is something not everyone gets to experience."
"Oh, I'm sure they're enjoying themselves, in some ways they seem very alike."
Something in Monica's tone bothered Blair. It was no secret Monica despised Jo. But how accurate was Bailey's letter?
"That reminds me, Mother", Blair said smoothly, the letter in the draw of the end table by her recliner, "a while back, I received this letter from Bailey. I must say it upset me. Maybe you can shed some light on what's going on?"
Monica looked suspiciously at Blair for a moment. "She sent you a letter?"
Blair nodded. "She did. It took a while to get here because you didn't have our new address at the time, but I think you need to read it."
Monica glanced at the letter, than back at her daughter, opening the envelope and unfolding the letter. As she read, Monica became as pale as a ghost, stunned at the words that were written. When she finished, Monica simply put the letter down, unable to speak at first.
"Mother", Blair said softly. "is this me all over again? Tell me what you're thinking."
"Is this why you invited me here, Blair?" There was the beginning of some steel in Monica's voice. "I noticed the postmark was before David was born?"
"Mother", Blair said evenly, not raising her voice, "I can't believe you would think that. I wanted you to meet your grandson, and for Bailey to meet her nephew. Was I going to bring the letter up? Absolutely, but even Jo insisted that you had the right to visit David."
"That little..." Monica stopped, realizing she had spoken out loud. "Joanna put you up to this, didn't she? She wanted a confrontation over this."
Knowing David was sound asleep down the hall, Blair kept her composure. "No, Mother", Blair said flatly. "Jo did read it, and she broke down crying. It reminded her of what happened before she left for five years."
"She's comparing me to those...to her parents? Two people who can barely get by."
It was getting harder for Blair to stay calm. "Mother, DC is asleep, and I'm not going to get into a shouting match with you. Charlie and Rose are back together, and they live in a beautiful home not far from here in Jericho now."
Monica looked surprised. "How on Earth did they afford that?"
Blair simply stared at her mother. "Because when I divested myself of the Warner stock, I left two percent of it for them, and now they're set for the rest of their lives."
Monica's face turned beet red. "You gave the Polniaczek's a cut of your stock? It's bad enough..."
As if on cue, the front door opened, Jo and Bailey coming into the living room. It was obvious both had been crying. Jo looked down at Bailey. "Sweetie, why don't you go lay down on the bed in your room, huh? I and Blair will be in shortly, okay?"
"Okay", Bailey said quietly, too frightened to look at her mom. She suddenly reached out and hugged Jo, Jo returning it fiercely, kissing the younger girl on the cheek, smiling at her. Bailey left as Jo nodded reassuringly to her.
She turned to face Blair and Monica. "Blair, I think I need to inform you of something that Bailey told me tonight."
Blair looked at her mother in stunned disbelief. Jo had recounted what Bailey had told her about over-hearing Monica talking to someone about having a child she didn't plan or wanted. With DC still asleep, and Bailey in another guest room, Blair couldn't scream, much as she wanted to.
"Goddammit, mother, you told someone that about your own daughter?" Blair stood up and paced, not being able to stay still.
"Blair, honey", Monica pleaded, "yes, I did say that, but I didn't mean that I don't love Bailey. I love her dearly, just as I love you."
Jo wanted to speak, but by unspoken eye contact, Blair handled it. "Yes, you love me so much you were willing to humiliate both Jo and I and force me out of the company. Yes, that's what I call love."
"Blair", Monica said patiently. "That's business. Business and love are two separate entities entirely."
"No wonder David divorced ya", Jo spat, not being able to take it any longer.
"You just watch your mouth you..."
"Mother, that's enough", Blair hissed. "You had someone follow Jo and I, and take compromising pictures of us! And you're well aware of what's going on with Anthony St. Clair, aren't you?"
Incredibly, Monica had cut off communications with St. Clair and Frank Tansey after returning in humiliation to France after the aborted takeover attempt. She had purposely not read anything about what was going on in New York. "What...what's going on with Anthony?"
"Oh, nothin', Monica", Jo said with venom. "Seems the source of the leaks about your little plan was his daughter, Boots, who went to school with Blair and me. Seems he had Boots apartment cased, and found evidence. Seems one of the guys who cased the place felt bad, and warned Boots the next day that her father had put a hit out on her. The guy who warned Boots then played undercover spy, and the cops got enough info to arrest him for that, and for almost killing his nephew like five years ago."
Monica recoiled in shock, looking at Blair, not Jo. "Robbie St. Clair?"
Blair nodded sadly. "It seems just firing him wasn't enough. Anthony 'allegedly' attempted to kill him, instead just paralyzing him for life."
"My God", Monica breathed. "Blair", she assured her daughter, "I had absolutely nothing to do with any of that. I wouldn't ever do something like that to you."
"Yeah? What about me?"
Jo looked at her with cold, challenging eyes. Monica blinked first.
"No", the older woman whispered, "I would never consider it for you, Joanna, that's beyond contempt."
"Well lucky me", Jo said, getting up and pouring herself a glass of ice water, he through suddenly dry. "How about we get back to the subject? What about Bailey?"
"What about Bailey", Monica said, almost growling at Jo.
"Mother", Blair said reasonably, but feeling anything but. "Do you want Bailey to be happy?"
"What...how dare you ask me that, Blair? Of course I want her to be happy."
"It doesn't sound like she's happy", Blair noted. "It sounds like she's a lonely, sad, depressed ten year old, who doesn't understand why her mother doesn't seemingly care about her."
Monica almost yelled, but thought of her grandson. "I do love my daughter, dear, you know that. She's just going through..."
"Monica", Jo said, for once with concern and compassion, "think about what you were gonna say. Just going through a phase? Blair went through that too", she started, Monica angrily starting to protest, Jo cut her off with a hand. "Hear me out, Monica, for once." Monica subsided. "You sent Blair to Eastland. There she found friends, a house mother who was a good influence on her, and began growing into the woman she is today. Eventually, I showed up, and while we hated each other at first, well, that's obviously not the case now. Blair had a lot of support while at Eastland. What kind of support does Bailey have, in France, in a remote home?"
Monica couldn't answer. For once, she truly had no answer to what Jo Polniaczek had said to her. It made her hate the woman even more, but it made her think about what kind of life Bailey was living.
"I think we need to get Bailey out here", Blair proposed, "and ask her what she wants for her future." She turned fully to her mother. "This isn't about blame, or pointing fingers, Mother, this is about the future of my sister, your daughter, whom I know you do love. But a child shouldn't be isolated like this."
Monica sadly nodded, Jo going to get the younger girl. While their were waiting for her, it was Jo that began to think of a brilliant idea.