I Don't Know Ch 8
Bobby was in the Robbies bedroom packing his clothes when Frank pulled in. He finished the last of it and went downstairs. Frank walked into the house and stopped when he saw the Sheriffs uniform folded neatly on the coffee table. "Mark, what's going on?"
Bobby glared at him. "My name is Robert Goren, as you well know."
Frank paled. He had never faced a fully enraged and unleashed Bobby. Gone was the brother he'd abused as a child, and the gentle loving man he'd been for the last twelve years. Here was a man with a full blown rage over the injustice he'd been done and Frank was solely responsible. "Now, Bobby, before you do something you're going to regret think about this. I saved you." He held up a hand to forestall his brothers advance on him.
"Saved me? Saved me from what?! From living a life I was happy with, from having Alex as my wife, or maybe you saved me from getting to know my daughter. That's right, Frank, my daughter. I have an 11 year old daughter I just found out about. A niece you will never know because you are never to come near me or my family again. Any of us."
"Now, Bobby….."
"Don't you dare say now Bobby to me you rotten, son of a bitch. You took twelve years of my life so I'd be with you instead of being happy where I was. Does that make you feel good? Does that make you feel like a big man? You robbed two children of loving parents with your selfishness."
"I didn't know about the girl, Bobby, I swear."
"You lying bastard. You're just like him. You don't care who the hell you hurt as long as you get what you want."
"Okay, I admit I lied to you about who you are, but I was trying to protect you. You were constantly in danger with Alex….." he stopped for lack of oxygen.
Bobby had grabbed him and slammed him against the wall, knocking the breath out of him. "Don't you talk about her. Don't even say her name or so help me I'll pound you senseless, do you hear me?"
"Y-Yes. I'm sorry, Bobby."
"What else did you lie to me about?"
"Nothing, I swear."
"You can't tell the truth, you prick." Bobby hurled his brother headlong across the room.
Frank landed in a heap half on the couch. Bobby was after him in a heartbeat. "You can't tell the truth from a lie, can you?" He reached over with one hand and picked up a pile of envelopes and papers on the table. With the other he grabbed the collar of Franks jacket. "I was looking through some papers and look what I found. These. The deed to this property and guess what, Frank? They are all in your name, your real name. I'm not even on them. And you know what else? The mortgage is exactly three months behind. Just enough to keep it from being foreclosed on. You make a payment just soon enough to keep it safe. I've been putting money into the account to pay it off early, to have it for Robbie and you've been taking that money and what? Gambling it away? Is that why you only come back once in a while? You put our home, my sons legacy in jeopardy so you could live off of what I do. You are worse than the old man. He couldn't help himself. You are a deliberate, cold hearted unfeeling bastard."
He threw the papers in Franks face and rose standing over him. Frank cowered on the couch from Bobbys towering rage. "I'm leaving here and I'm taking Robbie with me. I'm going back to New York to be with Alex, and my daughter. Don't ever contact me again or any of my family or I swear to God I'll kill you and bury the body so deep no one will ever find you."
"What about your job?"
"What job? You took my life and my job away from me. I don't know that I'll ever get back what I had, but I'm going to try. I've notified the officials that they need to hire a new sheriff, that Mark Collins does not and never did exist. I have lots of legal problems ahead of me thanks to you, but you don't care about that, do you? I imagine you're going to be persona non-grata around here very soon. I hope they charge you with fraud. It would serve you right. And a sentence of twelve years would just about settle the score, don't you think?"
"Bobby, you can't just leave me like this." Frank said.
Bobby looked at him in disgust, worse than anything else he'd ever seen. "The bank has been notified. They'll be out here later today to padlock the place. They know I'm not Mark Collins and I'm going to help them prosecute you. You are dead to me, Frank. I have no other family except Alex and the kids."
Bobby turned and went to retrieve the things he'd gathered together. Frank just sat motionless on the couch and watched. He was afraid to move. Bobby came in one last time to look around, glanced once at Frank and left the house for good.
BABABABABABABABABABABABABABABA
The knock on the door of the motel room was soft. Alex was over there in a flash. She opened it. "Come in."
Bobby stood outside with tears on his face. "I can't unless you know some things. I have no home, no job, no prospects and a lot of legal knots to untangle before I can be free. I have two kids that I love with all my heart and a whole lot of love to give to you. That's about all I have in the world. Do you still want me to come inside?"
"No." Alex stepped outside and into his arms. "I'll come to you."
He wrapped his arms around her. John Eames door opened. "You guys come in here, I'll stay with the kids tonight." He said and went into their room. The light went out immediately.
Bobby and Alex went into the vacant room and turned off the light. Two rooms, side by side, was where the Goren family was finally able to come together at last.
Complete