Chapter 24

As predicted, Victor's Mother and sisters loved Harriett and the children. They welcomed them into the family with open arms and hearts. Before their visit was over all four children were calling Victor's mother Grammy Gloria. And just as expected, Harriett's parents were not thrilled with the idea of their daughter once again marrying beneath her.

Angrily Harriett told her parents that they didn't have to attend the wedding if they didn't want to and if they couldn't accept Victor in her life then they could just forget she was their daughter.

A few weeks after Harriett had told him the news AJ was surprised one Saturday afternoon when he answered a knock at his door and found Victor standing there. "Hello Victor what can I do for you?" AJ asked.

"May I come in and talk with you for a few minutes, Sir?"

"Only if you call me AJ, this is my home and not my office," he said as he led the way into the living room and offered him a drink.

"I'll take a beer if you have one."

"I hope you don't mind domestic, I hate the imported," AJ said bringing them both back one from the kitchen.

"As long as it's cold, wet and not light, AJ," Victor chuckled.

"I know how you feel," laughed AJ. "How can I be of help to you, Victor?"

"I've come to ask a favor of you."

Grinning from ear to ear AJ said, "I've already told Harriett I'd baby-sit for your honeymoon or are you here to ask me to give her two weeks off instead of one."

"No, Sir, I'm here to ask you to be my best man."

"Sorry Victor, I can't do it," and seeing the hurt look on Victor's face AJ added, "That's only something would I do for a friend, not someone I do for someone who calls me SIR."

"Damn it, AJ, it's hard to break years of habit."

"I know," he said. "And I'd be happy to stand up for you on one condition."

"What's that AJ?" Victor asked.

"That you love her with all your heart and that you treat those children as if they were your own."

"I can't love her any more than I already do and I'd give the children my name if I didn't know that she wanted them to keep their name to retain their father's identity."

"Then I'd be happy to be your best man," he said as he offered Victor his hand.

The wedding took place in mid-August and was small but perfect. Harriett's father had come around enough to attend the wedding, but her mother still refused to acknowledge Victor in her daughter's life. Mac was Harriett's Matron of Honor.

Victor had closed up his apartment and moved into the house because the children were so settled there. Harriett had redecorated the master bedroom and bath as well as Bud's study making it Victor's instead.

The plan was for AJ to watch all five children at the Galindez house while Victor and Harriett spent a week in Hawaii. It would be much easier to move his one child to their house than to move their four children into his.

Victor and Harriett were married on a Saturday and because they had decided not to have a reception, their flight took off for Hawaii that afternoon.

Everything was going very well with AJ taking care of all five children until Wednesday. The children were all going to the King Tut exhibit with their daycare group. Mackenzie and Neville Webb also attended the same daycare, but Neville was too young to go on the field trip so only Mackenzie was also going to be with them. The daycare bus took them to the museum and waited until they were finished touring the exhibit before starting back to the center with the fifteen children on board. The bus driver never even saw the drunk driver that ran the red light and hit his side of the bus. He was dead at the scene. Ambulances arrived and took them to Bethesda Naval Hospital since all the children were of military parents.

Parents were contacted and began arriving at the hospital as quickly as possible. Because Harriett was out of town, AJ was contacted in her stead as well as for his own daughter. He raced to the hospital with fear in his heart. He arrived to find Mac pacing the waiting room along with some of the other parents. She turned when he called her name and raced into his arms. "Where's Clay?" he asked concerned that she didn't have anyone there with her if the news was bad.

To be continued….