Chapter 4: A Trace of Crazy
Paula went back into the new house it still had 6 bedrooms it now had a new master bath but it was still great she sets the alarm and waves at the camera. She spoke to the people next door and told them that their son was watching her in the shower. It turned out that it wasn't the son after all. The father who is 86 years old was the new occupant of that room. Paula warned him that anymore funny business and she would not be responsible for when her hubby knocked his creepy ass out.
Janet is now on summer vacation. Paula is so proud of her little girl. Janet had started calling her mama. The first time Paula thought it was just because she was afraid. Janet had scared the hell out of her running through the house in the middle of the night screaming mama. She thought that Janet was having a nightmare and was sleep walking or something. The next thing she knew there was 5 feet 4 inches of teenager in her bed. A field mouse had got in under her bed and Janet had watched a scary movie that night. Scary movie about monsters under your bed and sounds coming from under your bed in the dark made for a fast field trip into Paula's bed.
When it happened in casual conversation Paula paused. Janet asked her was there something wrong? Paula asked her was she sure she wanted to call her mama. Janet showed great maturity and said she knew who her Mother was and she also knows who her mama is and she had enough room in her heart to love them both. Janet thanks her for not pressuring her to call her anything even after the wedding Paula had kept to their agreement. Janet said that helped a lot.
It was the last days in June Janet didn't have to go back to Megan's house until August unless she wanted to. They had fun together. A knock sounds on the door. Paula knew it had to be someone they knew that knew the code to get in the gate. Angel stood on the doorstep. "Hey girl, come on in." They walk in to the kitchen. "So what brings you all the way out here at 10 in the morning?"
Janet walks in the kitchen "Morning mama, Hi Angel" Janet says as she runs over and gives her cousin a squeeze. Angel hugs her back. The kid was taller than her now. "Angel how did you get here your truck isn't outside?"
"Joshua dropped me off. We know how to get to your house but we never wrote down the address. I come bearing gifts and requests." Angel hands Paula the envelope that announced her baby shower. She hands Janet one as well. Janet is surprised she can come. "Of course you can come. Now about my request, um Megan and I are cool, and I want to include her but I don't exactly know where she lives. I could look her up but, I don't want to send an invitation to her house and have her thinking I'm stalking her, or for it to get lost in the mail for real and then she thinks I'm just lying to her." Angel pulls another blue envelope out of her purse. "Can you give it to her?"
"Give what to whom?" Mark asks as he walks in with Megan and Glenn, Glenny and Logan brings up the rear. Paula runs and hugs Mark asking him was everything ok. He nods bends down kisses his wife then walks across the kitchen waiting for Angel's answer.
Angel hugs Mark and let go just as fast. She greets everyone including Glenn. Turning to Megan she says "Megan I'm glad you showed today. I want to officially ask you something." Angel hands her the invite "Here, what I want to ask is what is your address?" Megan slowly pulls the envelope open. Angel watches her as she reads the little invite and meets Angel's eyes.
"Angel, why are you inviting me to a baby shower?" Angel looks confused and says she thought because they were okay that it would be okay to invite her. Megan hadn't spoken to Angel since the wedding. Getting an invite to her baby shower was a shock. It also felt like a slap because she couldn't have kids of her own. "Is this, some kind of joke if so I don't find it funny?" Megan snarls and rips up the invite throwing it in Angel's face.
Angel plasters a smile on her face. "Um okay, well it's time for me to go. As far as a joke I don't see how it's funny, but I won't need your address after all." Angel backs away from Megan when she is far enough to the door that leads into the living room she turns, and powerwalks out the front door.
Janet walks out of the room and out the front door too. She watches Angel put on her huge sunglasses, she then dials her phone "Hey when you get a chance come get me. I'll be in the front yard I'll be able to see the top of the truck from the porch. Well, I gave Paula and Janet theirs, Megan is here so I figured I'd give her the invite personally, and get her address so we could send out the wedding invites. I'm glad I didn't waste a stamp. Megan proved your point she was able to rip it even with the string going through it. We should have just sent out a mass text." Angel paces the porch when she turns she sees Janet "Hey I'll call you back or see you soon whichever comes first love you too bye."
Paula comes out and sends Janet back in the house to visit with her aunt. "Angel you just got here." Paula says
"Paula I don't know what that was about. I'm not going let her upset me. If she wants to go nuts she'll have to do by herself. It's good she let me know that she wasn't coming." Megan walks out the door. Angel looks out towards the street. She gets a text. "Um yeah it's been interesting got to go." She powerwalks down the stairs and towards the gate. Megan runs and jumps in front of her blocking the gate entrance. Paula tells Megan to cut it out. "Megan, I didn't do anything." Angel points between her and Megan "This is not going to happen. Please move you said you weren't coming that's fine." Megan explains why she thought Angel was being funny in inviting her to the baby shower. "So let me get this straight, you thought I was trying to rub it in your face that I'm having a baby and you can't have children. Megan question, how was I supposed to know? The topic never came up in the few conversations we have had now that you have got that out. My answer is still the same I didn't do it as a joke. I invited my cousins to my baby shower. Now please move. That's two"
"Okay that I can respect. I'm not even going to Paula's baby shower but if invited I will come to your wedding here is my address." Megan hands Angel a business card and walks away from the gate.
Angel takes the card, takes off her sunglasses, meets Megan's gaze and says "I'll think about it. I thought you had returned to the land of bat shit crazy. I'm not dancing with you anymore." Angel walks through the gate as she is about to step up in the cab Megan lets the gate close behind her and grabs Angel by her shirt pulling her off the running board. Joshua undoes his seat belt about to get out of the truck.
"What that's supposed to mean you said that's two." Megan surly didn't expect to be pepper sprayed. Angel says that's three and sprayed her. Megan lets her go chokes on the foam that hit her in the face. Angel gets off the ground where she'd been dropped on her butt, she scrambles into the truck buckles up and Joshua peels rubber down the dirt road. Mark comes out of the gate and asks Megan what happened. Megan tells him that Angel sprayed her in the face with mace. Mark hops on his bike, and zooms down the road after the big black truck.
Joshua slows down when they get on Main Street again. Mark is seen zipping in an out of traffic on his bike. "If I try to out run him he'll just come to the house. He sees her getting nervous. "No don't even, you were doing so well. Give me your hand" he rubs her hand as he parks the truck so he could talk to her. "Mark is pissed I know this, you know this, you also know that he is not going to hurt you. If anybody should be worried it's probably me. Now take a deep breath and calm down."
Mark gets off of his bike walks up to the passenger door opens the door and pulls her out of truck. Angel screams "JOSHUA!"
Joshua runs around the front of the truck. "What the fuck put her down Mark." Mark says no because she'll run. "She won't run. If you keep freaking her out by holding her in the fucking air I'm going to give you something to be mad about. Now put her down. That's two."
Mark looked at Joshua he was shaking but he never even looked away. He looks up at Angel she's crying. He sets her on the ground. "You can keep counting and I'll count along with you the times I kick yo ass boy. Now both of you had better start explaining." Angel doesn't run anywhere but to Joshua. Joshua put up a hand. Mark advances but stops when he sees that the boy wasn't about to flip him off. He was trying to calm Angel down. Angel rapidly tells Mark what happened. Then starts telling Joshua she's hot. "She pulled you off the running board backwards?" Angel tells him yes and fans herself.
Joshua didn't like the fact that she'd got so upset "are you hot because it's hot out here or like last time. She tells him like last time. "Look at me it's going to be okay. Don't say anything else you concentrate on calming down." Angel says she needs to sit down because she is dizzy. Joshua helps Angel back up in the truck and closes the door. He watches her through the window as he speaks to Mark. "I don't know what Megan thought she was going to do. Angel was trying to leave. You know yourself Angel's not quick to anger but she is quick to panic. It's probably been a long time since someone yanked your big ass from somewhere." Mark says unscripted yes it had. Joshua turns to Mark "Feeling like you have no control of your landing is a scary feeling. I tried to tell her before you even got close to the truck that you wouldn't hurt her. You grabbing her out of the truck freaked her out you knew what you were doing."
Mark sighs. "I just wanted answers. When I saw her reach for her purse I didn't want to get sprayed so I yanked her out the truck." He taps on the window not wanting to open the door again. Angel powers down the window. "Angel I grabbed mostly your clothes and I would not have dropped you if that's what you thought. Are you okay?" She says she's ok now. "I'm sorry about scaring you, I didn't know if you were going to spray me or not. Little One I will speak to Megan. You guys can come back up to the house." Angel says maybe some other time but not right now she then powers the window back up. "Paula says Angel was only there for a hot second before we came. I'd hate for this trip y'all took all the way out here to end like this. Like I said I'll talk to Megan."
Joshua sighs at least she wasn't sweating anymore. "We came out for a doctor's appointment Angel wanted to visit with Paula and give her the baby shower invites to give to Megan and Janet. I went to look for the address to the doctor. Last week when Angel passed out at the Last Ride it was because she was extremely upset because of the Vivian trick. We went to her doctor the next day because the next morning Angel said she felt weird. Dr. Middlebrooks said that when Angel gets really upset our baby's heart skips a beat. Her passing out is tied to the baby being in distress. So if Megan wants to go back in to her super crazy act she's going to have to do it alone this time. That goes for all of you. We're going to her appointment and then I'm taking her home because there isn't an amount of I'm sorry that could be said if something happens to our baby because of this shit." Mark agrees and asks had Joshua found the address he was looking for. "Yeah I found it but when I saw you in my rearview mirror I decided against stopping until I remembered you know where we live."
"Well I'm glad you stopped because there are county Mounties all waiting to pick up some speeders before the fourth. With those New York plates you'd be picked up in seconds of leaving town. You guys get going I'll have a talk with my dear sister and tell Paula what's going on." Joshua asks Mark how to get back to the street the doctor sat on since he also didn't want to get stopped for cruising. "Follow me and I'll lead you back up Meadow Drive." Joshua thanks him and gets in the truck. Mark gets on his bike and leads them to the doctor's office. It was a Sheldon & Middlebrooks health complex.
Joshua and Angel go to their appointment. Dr. Sandra Middlebrooks walks in with her latest test results saying that the baby was fine. She tells Angel if she couldn't keep calm on her own there were other methods that she could try. Angel says "I'm not doing drugs" She squeezes Joshua's hand he squeezes back and rubs his thumb over her fingers.
Not missing the silent action between the two Sandra says "No Angela, I'm talking about therapy. That's why I invited you out to this location instead of at Sheldon center in Grandville South. If this location is not doable we can find another. With everything that has happened in such a short while you need to be able to let some of it out in a manner that doesn't negatively affect you or your son. I saw the marks on your arms. Are your night terrors still plaguing you?" Angel admits that she had been having those more often. "That's why you are always tired you're not getting enough sleep." Angel tells her it only some nights others she sleeps like a baby. She says the rug burn type marks on her arms are from almost two months ago. "The point I am trying to get you to see is you really need to start a therapeutic program."
Angel looks at Joshua then back at the doctor. "Can therapy also help stop my response to my triggers altogether? I've been trying but some things just make me nervous. I'm tired of being transparent even to people that don't know me well." Angel tells Sandra about her meeting with Megan.
Sandra moves closer and stops Angel from rubbing "Angela triggers aren't bad they warn and give you the snap decision to fight or flee. Therapy will help you respond better and some triggers will be more fine-tuned. Based on what you told me you were handling your response very well. When she grabbed you that moment of uncertain weightlessness you felt, spiked your fear that she was going to harm you. When she held you against your will spraying her was your vehicle of escape." They agree on a date to start and Joshua recommends a new location closer to his home in Pyramid Texas. "Oh I thought you lived in Granville South." Joshua makes a face. Sandra admits in a loud whisper "Well I live in Greenfield 10 miles away from Pyramid which is 15 miles away from the nearest exit into Grandville South. Angela, I want you know that I'm very impress that you are even willing to give this a try. A few years ago you told me something that struck an alarm bell. Do you remember? "
Angel nods, looks at Joshua "I told her I'm not crazy and I'm not". Angel turns back to Sandra "I'm doing this because I don't want to end up like her." Joshua squeezes her hand and says that couldn't happen. "Joshua helped me see that not everyone is like the person I went to when Sophia was trying to get me committed."
If Sandra remembered correctly, that negative episode made Angel run away. When Chase found her he brought her to Sheldon Center and that's when she became Angela's primary doctor with Chase and later Sophie her only medical network contacts. It was her first case where the mother was not allowed to make any medical decisions on behalf her minor child. Sophia Ivey was a horrible person that should have been committed her damn self. Most of Angel's triggered emotional responses stemmed from Sophia's mistreatment of her. Now Angel was an adult. Joshua was a surprise he was not like Angel's past choice in men. Braden held some of the same manipulative traits as Sophia. Joshua seemed to be a positive influence, only time would tell. She shakes his hand "Thank you, I don't know where you've been hiding but I'm glad you've surfaced in her life. I had my doubts about you before our first meeting but I'm glad that I was wrong. You are a lot more compos mentis than you appear."
Joshua smirks "I'll take that as a complement. I've had my share of couch time. With the right person therapy can help a lot, with the person Sophia sent Angel to there was no plan to help her. Will you be doing the sessions? "
At Angel's alarmed expression Sandra says "Yes I have a double major in family medicine and psychotherapy. Sending you to someone else entirely could do more harm than good. Since Pyramid is like middle ground we can meet up in the center there. You two go enjoy your holiday and I'll see you next week."
As they are riding back into Grandville South Joshua is quiet. Angel reaches to turn on the radio. "Angel why didn't you tell me you were having nightmares?" She tells him that the dreams were of stuff that by the time she wakes up she really doesn't want to think about at all. They pull up in front of Ivey Mansion. "These dreams are they about us?" He had his answer the minute she looked away. She tells him if she could stop them she would but she can't. Joshua sighs.
Angel leans back in the seat. The night of Vivian's trick they went back to his home and spoke about setting a date for their wedding. He gave her back her ring. While they were lying in bed talking he told her that he wanted to take her to CO for the 4th of July. He promised that his brother wasn't going to be there. She was so happy that he wasn't cheating on her she would have said yes to anything he asked that night. Now the 4th is less than 3 days away. "Joshua you know how you've always told me not to worry about your reaction to just tell you when something is on my mind?" he nods "I know I said I would go to CO with you." His gaze meets hers she quickly continues "I'm worried about whether your parents will like me." He smiles and seems to relax as he plays with a strand of her hair. He tells her she's met them before. "Yes as one of your friends at around Janet's age. Sally and Michael Davenport are very important to you like my dad and Chase is to me."
Back at Mark and Paula's home Mark returned Megan was sitting on the front porch. "I think it was old it burned like hell but I'm good now." Mark walks over to her and picks her up lifting her off the ground like he'd done to Angel. "Mark what the hell are you doing put my ass down." He does and tells her they had to have a serious talk. "What wild tale has she spun to you that has you treating my ass like luggage? Angel pepper sprayed me. Now you want to talk to me."
Paula brings Megan another towel. "I been trying to call her she won't answer my calls. Did you catch up to them?" Paula says with anger and concern in her voice.
Mark walks up on the porch and tells everyone to come in his den for bit. "I caught up with Angel and grabbed her ass out of the truck demanding to know what the fuck happened. Megan the way I held you up outside was how I had her. I had to put her down or beat the shit out of Joshua." Mark runs his hands through his hair." Megan didn't tell the whole story." Logan steps up and tells Mark no matter if they had words or not Angel was in the wrong and he was thinking of sending some of his cop kin to go pick her ass up. "Wait one damn minute. Before you get on the horn and put out an all call you might want to see what happened after Megan let Angel out of the gate. When Angel told me what happened she was in panic mode I doubt she could have lied that fast, but just to make sure I checked it against the camera system. Mark touches a picture on his computer screen with the video logo in the middle. When he clicks it the gate closes Megan grabs Angel rapidly pulls her off the running board says something the look on Angel face is pure fright not anger when she sprays Megan it was a quick burst when she hit the ground and scramble up into the truck. Mark stops the feed. "Still want to call the police Logan?"
Logan walks over to Megan "Red can we talk in the hall please?" They leave the room. Logan goes off. "What the hell Red? What did she say to you that made you so mad you pulled a pregnant woman off her damn feet? If you had of hurt her then what? Do you not like freedom?"
Megan screams "I want a baby damn it. Angel says it wasn't a joke. She wanted to see the look on my face when she handed me that fucking blue invite. She kept counting at me. She'd ask me to move out of her way then she would say one then two, I let her out of the fence. I wanted her to know that I'm no play thing. Just because I can't have kids don't mean she's superior. The way she was acting towards me her South Grandville was showing so I had to put her in check. She sprays me and I get yelled at real fair Logan really fucking fair."
"RED DO YOU HEAR YOURSELF? You think I don't want a kid. Of course I do. We adopted a child Glenny is our child. I thought you were over this thing with Angel, you both were getting along so well. Until you come back to the real world where life isn't always fair but you fucking deal with it. I'm leaving, Glenny and I are out of here. I can't do this shit no more. You're going to have to grow up one day." Megan starts swinging on him and screaming he's leaving her over pussy he isn't even getting he catches her fist "THIS ISN'T ABOUT ANGEL, IT'S ABOUT YOU MEGAN YOU"VE LOST YOU FUCKING MIND" he lets her go and storms out the back door into the yard. Megan runs after him and jumps off the porch lands on him bringing them both down.
Paula yells for Mark and Glenn to go after them because the kids are in the back yard. Glenn is the first one outside when he sees Janet running after Glenny back around the house he runs down the stairs and grabs Megan pulling her into the air. She keeps screaming and cussing at Logan who is laying on the ground holding his shoulder. Mark comes out helps Logan to his feet. When Megan starts in on him he turns around and tells her to shut up before she said something she could not take back. Everyone stops when Janet who is in tears screams at Megan "IF YOU DON"T WANT HIM I DO" as she carries a crying Glenny into the house slamming the door.
Once in the house Janet runs into the den with Glenny she set him down and closes the den door. "Mama, can I please keep Glenny?" Paula tells her yeah and puts out her arms to both of them. They both lay on her on the huge couch. She strokes both of their hair and says soothing things to them shaking her head.
Outside Megan is placed on her feet. When she walks towards Logan he tells her he had to go to the hospital because he couldn't feel his hand. Megan says she needs some alone time. She gets in her car and drives off. Glenn tells Mark he'll drive Logan to the hospital. Mark throws him the keys and walks back in the house. Upon entering the den he just stands in the doorway, watches Janet and Glenny asleep lying on either side of Paula. She asks him are they asleep he nods and one by one he picks them up and puts them in their rooms he remembers to leave Glenny's door open and walks back sitting down with Paula. Rubbing a hand over his face he lays his head in her lap and asks "So how was your day before I brought home chaos in jar?" She says peaceful. "There is no way they are staying till the 4th of July." Paula says she's glad Angel and Joshua weren't here to witness that and how she felt sorry for Megan. Mark yarns "According to Joshua they got their own shit to deal with." She asks him what was wrong. He tells her what Joshua told him. Paula picks up her phone, looks at the time and dials Angel's phone.
Hours earlier inside the main site of Ivey Enterprises Chase says nothing and lets Sophie handle the meeting by the end Jonathon has a new building site in Grandville South that he outright owned. Jonathon informs Chase that he now had 2 surprises for his daughter. Chase tells Jonathon if he was talking about beating him in golf he still wanted to point out that the sun was in his eyes. Jonathon smirks "No it has nothing to do with golf. You once lived in a home that was built by myself, my father and Grandfather. It's down the hill from Ivey Mansion. When I left the US. I left Sophia that house to give to my child it was the only thing I agreed to during the divorce. When I found out that you sold it I felt powerless to do anything about it. The man you sold it to put it back on the market about a month ago. I met with him and long story really short I bought back my family's home." Chase congratulates him.
Angel and Joshua decided to come to his house in Pyramid instead of staying at Ivey Mansion tonight. She was ok with that because it was just them. She'd spoken to Sophie about Megan and Sophie told her that the bitch better be glad It was Joshua driving and not her because mace would have been the least of her problems. Angel answers the phone Joshua was out grabbing them something to eat. "Hello"
Paula sat on her couch Mark had got up and went to take a shower. Megan hadn't come back nor had Logan and Glenn. "Angel, are you alright? Mark told me about your appointment that answered why you were up before noon. Are you guys thinking of moving out here? " The NO! Was so swift Angel apologized for sounding rude. It was time to concur the elephant in the room. "About Megan she…" when Angel cut her off Paula just let her get it out.
"Paula, she scared the hell out of me. I didn't know what her next move was going to be. You know I didn't give her the invite out of meanness. I had no clue that she was going to react like that. I told her when she apologize at my home that she only had one more bat shit crazy card to draw on me, she drew two today and I'm done. I'm not going to go through that anymore. I wasn't going to fight her. There is just too much at stake."
"What I was going to say is that Megan was in the wrong I wasn't asking you to apologize especially after Mark showed us what happened on his yard cam." Watching that footage and then hearing Megan wig out sent a chill up Paula's spine. Paula slightly changes the direction of the conversation. "I was thinking we should combine our baby shower's I mean for the most part you know the people I would invite." Paula's small change in the direction of the conversation seemed to calm her cousin down. Angel's urgent and explanatory tone changed to excitement as they traded ideas.
They had a game plan about their baby shower the location didn't change and the only people she gave an invite to were Paula, Janet and Megan. Angel didn't know how to ask so she went with direct. "Paula I was wondering if you would meet me at the mall tomorrow? Joshua and I are taking a road trip up to his parent's home in Colorado." Paula says she didn't mind maybe she could find something that fit for the baby shower. Angel let out the breath she didn't know she was holding. "Thanks that's great I've met his parents before but it was kind of in passing. I really don't remember but Joshua said I have met them it was totally different I wasn't "meeting his parents" as someone that is marrying their son. Sophie said just be myself you've seen me dress."
"Angel like I said I'll go with you but honey I'm not saying this to be mean, but you're not marrying Sally and Michael. Yes it would be nice if they liked you and they really don't have reason not to."
Joshua walks back in puts the food on the counter in the kitchen when he hears Angel speaking he stands by the door to the music room. He watches her pace the room with her ear buds in talking into her shirt. She always dipped her head like the person was going to hear her better. He smiles and is about to walk into the room when she says. "Thanks but after today I don't know if I'm all that likeable. First I was just worried about what to wear. With you I can find some really normal looking clothing but I don't want to say the wrong thing to his mom. I know I'm not marrying his mother but Paula maybe tomorrow you can coach me. This is going to sound wrong probably, but since you are from that age-range maybe you can give me some tips. Paula it's not funny I'll take notes if I have to, I want this so badly to work." Joshua walks in the room she jumps and watches him as he walks across the room. "Um, Paula I'll see you tomorrow Joshua is back. Bye and thanks."
He walks to her takes out her ear buds. "Angel, Paula is right the part about you not being likable stop it right now. Megan has been on your case ever since you guys met. I hate to tell you this but Paula isn't in my parent's age range. It doesn't matter because at the end of our trip I'm still going to love you. I've met and interacted with the people that matter most to you and not once have I been anyone but me. You still love me, as I am, don't you? " She says of course she does. "I say that to say this. Please don't try to change for my parents." He takes her hands in his. "If you want to go pick up an outfit because that's what you want to do go for it, but I want my parents to meet again the girl I fell in love with, my Angel, my good luck charm." He kisses her then smirks and says "Unless you plan on cussing out my mother" She looks mortified and says she would never disrespect Sally or Mike on purpose. "Ok then. I really don't know of any topic that is off limits. Think about this, they'd have to be pretty tough-skinned, they raised me. Now can I please feed my son before he starts giving you the blues? " They go have dinner and go to bed Joshua couldn't get to sleep he lays there holding her. When he feels her jerk back awake, he murmurs "everything is okay babe you're safe with me." When he feels her relax against him he presses a kiss to her nape and sleep claims him as well.
AN: I know this is a short chapter but the next one moves fast I promise. I wanted Angel in therapy.
What do you think Angel's nightmare is about?
Will Megan chill out now that she risks her own marriage?"
Please read and review. :End Note