A week passed and there was no improvement in Cole's condition. Lou used his family name and status to control who was allowed to enter Cole's room at any given time. He made sure there were at least two MPs outside the door at all times, everyone- medical staff included- needed their ID checked before they could enter the room, and he restricted how long people were allowed to visit. He understood that the ninja wanted to see Cole and make sure he was still alive, but he would not take any chance of another attack from Morgen. The ninja were concerned about their friend, and Lou's behavior was not helping. They asked Wu to help.
Wu and Misako eventually wore Lou down enough to where he agreed to meet the team for lunch one day at a nearby restaurant, their treat. He could even pick the restaurant. He was reluctant to leave Cole, but Zane reassured him that he could hack the hospital equipment hooked up to Cole and would tell Lou if anything changed. As Lou left the hospital, he didn't want to admit that he was tired of camping out in the tiny room, but the sunshine felt good on his face. He decided he wouldn't care if someone recognized him, and he would try to enjoy this meal with his son's friends.
He entered the restaurant and quickly saw the ninja sitting at a table in the back corner. Quietly, he sat down in the empty chair at the end of the table, hoping he wouldn't distract them. He did. They immediately bombarded him with questions about Cole.
"There's no change," Lou said, sipping the water they had ordered him.
"I told them I was able to remotely monitor Cole's condition," Zane said. Lou eyed the nindroid, not quite sure how he felt about that, but said nothing.
"We know, Zane. We just want to make sure nothing has changed," Kai said.
"If something had changed, I would have told you."
"Lou, thank you for joining us. We wanted to discuss something with you," Misako said, stopping any squabbling between the ninja.
"What do you want to discuss?" Lou asked.
"Cole's mother."
"There's really not much to say." Lou shifted in his seat.
"Then why did that woman claim to be his mother?" Kai demanded.
"Yeah, I thought his mother died years ago," Jay commented. Everyone murmured their agreement.
"Morgen and I have a complicated history. Let's leave it at that." Lou hoped they would drop the subject, but knew they wouldn't.
"We need more than that. What does she have against Cole? Is she his mother?" Kai asked, pounding his fist on the table.
"I know you want to protect him, but so do we, and we can't do that if you keep us in the dark," Lloyd said.
"I can't tell you what I haven't been able to tell him. He's asked about his real mother plenty of times over the years, but I just told him she wasn't worth knowing," Lou admitted.
"Real mother?" Nya asked.
"… Yes. I, uh, I divorced my first wife." Lou glanced around the restaurant. Divorce was not a common thing in Ninjago, and everyone ridiculed him for it, even complete strangers who just read about it on the cover of a magazine. The facts did not matter. He was called names, he nearly lost his job, he was accused of being abusive, and someone- he still didn't know who- had called CPS at some point and Cole was nearly taken away and put into a foster home. Thankfully, Anna was there that day and threatened to get her lawyer brother involved if they merely took someone's anonymous word on the matter and didn't properly investigate. It took a year, but eventually, the divorce was finalized, and that still did not stop the prejudice. His family and friends insisted right up until about ten minutes before he married Anna that whatever he and Morgen were going through could be worked out. His marriage to Anna stopped most of the hate, but to this day, if someone found out he had divorced Morgen twenty years ago, they would still ridicule him. The one saving grace in the whole situation was Cole was too young to understand what was going on at the time. Cole was bullied a bit by the other military kids for having a step-mother, but that stopped once they moved and Cole was better able to hide the fact he had a step-mother.
"Why?" Lloyd asked.
"The long and short of it is she stabbed me."
"Is that the only reason?" Wu asked.
"That's all you need to know," Lou said, eying the old man with the long, white beard and wearing a bamboo hat. He thought back to that day and wondered…
"In most divorce cases, if there are children involved, the mother usually gets custody. Yet Cole grew up with you. Tell me, why did Morgen not get custody of Cole?" Zane asked.
"It's hard to get custody if no one knows where you are," Lou muttered so no one would hear him.
"What?"
"Look, we want to go after Morgen and make her pay for what she did to Cole. Can you tell us anything that might help us stop her? What's she like?" Kai asked.
"… If you guys want to go after Morgen, that's fine by me, but I'm not going to sit here and play twenty questions with you. Just don't underestimate her. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to my son. Miss?" Lou flagged down a waitress.
"Lou, please," Nya pleaded.
"Put all this on my card." Lou handed her his credit card.
"Of course, Mr. Burtchenelli." The waitress rushed off.
"Burtchenelli? Like the family that owns half of, well, Ninjago?" Kai asked.
"The Burtchenellis are a famous Mafia crime family," Zane said.
"We are not the Mob. Anymore. Cole never told you our last name?" Lou stood up.
"No. He just said it was hard to pronounce," Jay said.
"It is, apparently. Most people end up saying Burton. But I don't blame Cole for not telling you."
"Why not?" Nya asked.
"Because our name comes with assumptions. Your friend just said we were the Mob. We aren't. Anymore."
"Half the places in Ninjago City are named after the Burtchenelli family! Heck, half the places in Ninjago are named after the Burtchenellis! Burtchenelli Square, Burtchenelli Park, the Burtchenelli office complex, Burtchenelli Avenue, Burtchenelli Way, Burtchenelli Street, the Burtchenelli hotel chain-" Jay shut up and glared at Kai, who had elbowed him in the gut.
"Yes, having a Burtchenelli as a business partner, or investor, or the face of a group, or involved in any way is often a good idea if you want your business to succeed." Lou was glad when he saw the waitress returning with his card and receipt. Despite everyone's pleas, Lou gathered his things and left the restaurant.
"Great. Now what?" Kai asked.
"Um, Lou did not turn to go back to the hospital." Zane pointed out the window where Lou was walking down the street. The ninja quickly jumped up to follow.
Making sure they weren't seen, they watched as Lou cut through Burtchenelli Plaza and made his way to the outskirts of the city. It wasn't long before he turned and went into a cemetery. Zane took note of which grave he visited as the ninja hid outside the gate. Once Lou left twenty minutes later, they made their way to the grave. It had tulips planted on it. They silently read the gravestone.
"Lt. Col. Anna Marie Lavinsky-Burtchenelli. Beloved Daughter, Wife, Mother, and Friend."