A/N: Good news guys. Finals are over! Means I'll be updating more frequently. You got a glimpse of Brooke's mom, Julia, in a prior chapter. Now for most of this chapter she's in it. Enjoy!
Chapter 8- A Mother's Past
August 31st, 2009.
Boston, MA.
"Haley, what's going on?" said Brooke.
"Taylor, I need Taylor," said Haley. "Please tell me you got her number."
"I can do better than that, she's in the room with me," said Brooke.
She waved Taylor over and handed Taylor her cell phone. Taylor then went back to her bed while Chibs and Brooke exchanged a look.
"What's goin' on?" said Chibs.
"I don't know, but I don't like it," said Brooke.
September 3rd, 2009.
Julia Monroe sat in Panera Bread, waiting for her friend, Dallas White, to show up. Julia and Dallas had been best friends since medical school and despite being in different specialties – Julia in emergency medicine at Mass General, Dallas in pediatric oncology at Boston Children's – the two women were still close to this day. When Dallas did show up, she looked frazzled.
"Sit and relax, we can get food when you're ready," said Julia.
"Your kindness is genetic," said Dallas. "Taylor came by my office this morning. Seems Haley has her looking into one of my patients."
"You and I both know which patient it is, she's been at my house the last few nights," said Julia. "I'm guessing Taylor asked you about the girl's father."
"Something fishy is going on there," said Dallas. "I think the mother knows where to contact him, and she won't. Also, seems Taylor is trying to track down a kidnapped baby. Told me to call her if any baby boys showed up at the hospital matching his description."
"She asked me the same thing," said Julia.
They went to buy food then sat back down, the discussion shifting from Abel back to Kerri. While Dallas still looked like the blonde beauty queen she'd been back in Texas, her accent had changed somewhat from living in Tennessee for a long time, and often grew thicker when she was troubled. This was one of those times.
"I put her name in the Bone Marrow Registry but with her blood type as rare as it is it'd be quicker with a relative and time is of the essence," said Dallas.
"How much time?" said Julia.
FLASHBACK
Julia ran through the clubhouse, packing the few clothes she had left.
"How much time do we have?" said Julia.
"I don't know, love," said Comet. "All I know is that the sooner we get to Canada the sooner we get away from him."
END FLASHBACK
"It's hard to say at this point," said Dallas. "If the treatment I have her on now puts her in remission, it could help."
"But you don't think it will," said Julia.
"No, I don't," said Dallas. "She told me her dad disappeared after a fight with her mother's boyfriend when she was six."
"She told me she's married, but is estranged and hasn't gotten a divorce," said Julia. "I'll bet they still are, and she's still having this affair behind the father's back. Sickening."
They went to buy their food and sat back down at their spot.
"He could be dead for all we know," said Dallas.
"He isn't," said Julia.
"You don't know that," said Dallas.
"I do," said Julia. "When describing the man she used words like hasn't, is, etc. Those are present tense verbs."
"I guess having a writer for a daughter comes in handy," said Dallas.
"She's still racing," said Julia. "How she does both at once is beyond me."
"You know the mother, talk to her," said Dallas.
"Believe me, I will," said Julia.
SOA
Kensington, CT.
Dana Falcone drove back to her childhood home with the pizza boxes in the front seat and set them down on the table, where her current guest sat with a curious expression.
"What?" said Dana.
"You don't cook?" said the guest.
"Not when I'm here by myself, and in order for you to stay out of jail, Gemma, people need to think it's just me in here," said Dana. "I'm sorry."
"It's alright, we all do what we gotta do," said Gemma.
Gemma remembered Brooke calling her on Chibs' prepay and telling her that her aunt had a house in Connecticut that she used for stuff even Brooke didn't know about. Gemma later found out it was Dana's personal safe house – being married to a mobster also had its moments, as trouble in Brooklyn had forced Dana into hiding for a week. As a result both women were holed up together trying to make the best of it.
"Does anyone ever call here?" said Gemma.
"No," said Dana. "I got a prepaid cell, and people usually call me from pay phones unless they have prepaids as well."
"What do you do?" said Gemma. "You seem too smart just to be a mafia wife."
"I teach at the Pratt Institute," said Dana. "Photography. Carlo insisted I leave for a few days. I knew you'd be here when I arrived but it was still a surprise. After tomorrow though, I'll have to go back. I'll make a quick trip to the grocery store so you can cook, it won't shake anyone up."
"What about the guy next door?" said Gemma.
"Him? I think he's a hermit, I rarely see him," said Dana.
The women laughed then Gemma's prepaid rang.
SOA
Boston, MA.
Julia stood in the phone booth with the payphone to her ear. She'd seen the news and knew the person whose advice she needed was currently on the lam.
"Who is this?" said Gemma.
"Julia Monroe," said Julia.
"I remember you," said Gemma. "How are you calling me?"
"Payphone, I'm not stupid," said Julia. "Where are you?"
"Somewhere safe," said Gemma. "Now why call me? I only gave you my new prepay number in case of emergencies."
"This is an emergency, a girl's life is on the line so please listen, I need your advice, mother to mother," said Julia.
Julia told Gemma about Kerri, trying her best not to leave anything out.
"I suggest you call that PI friend of yours and give that girl's mother a beating for me," said Gemma.
"My youngest daughter beat me to calling the PI, but you can bet that woman has it coming from me," said Julia.
"Haley? Guess she's finally grown a pair," said Gemma.
"Whatever you say, Gemma," said Julia. "I should go. I hope you get clear of this."
"Draw blood, farm girl," said Gemma.
They ended the call and Julia shook her head. Gemma hadn't changed a bit since their first meeting over thirty years ago.
FLASHBACK
Julia ran through the kitchen of the clubhouse. Those bikers from California were bottomless pits.
"You must be a farm girl," said a voice.
"How do you know?" said Julia.
"You're the only one keeping the pace around here," said the voice.
Julia turned around and saw a woman a few years older than her. She had brown hair and a shirt that revealed a crow tattoo on her breast. The woman walked around and yanked Julia's shirt up to reveal Julia's tattoo: an owl in flight over a soaring comet. Julia slapped the woman's hand away.
"Least you're not a sweetbutt," said the woman.
"I hate them, they're skanks," said Julia.
"Since you said that I'll forget that you hit me, farm girl," said the woman. "I'm Gemma Teller."
"Julia Ainsley," said Julia.
END FLASHBACK
Julia walked back to Mass General to see Connie going through patient charts.
"How was your lunch break?" said Connie.
"Alright," said Julia. "How's Daniel taking things?"
"He won't talk about it," said Connie. "Simply keeps asking if he can hang out with her all the time, and I don't know how bad off she is so I let him."
"I suggest you keep letting him," said Julia.
"How bad, Julia?" said Connie.
Julia had talked with Dallas and had the estimates of how long the young couple had left together if Taylor couldn't come through, but that wasn't something Julia was ready to give up on because she couldn't remember a time when that PI, who was like a daughter to her, hadn't come through. Taylor was the only one Julia knew who could pull off finding Kerri's father in time. If Taylor couldn't do it, no one could.
"Let's just hope Taylor comes through for us," said Julia.
SOA
Julia stood face-to-face with a woman she loathed more than anyone. Well, almost anyone. The woman's father placed slightly higher for what had happened to Julia decades ago.
"Who hired that PI to dig into me business?" said Fiona.
"I don't know what you're talking about," said Julia. "What PI?"
"My boyfriend is convinced someone is sniffin' around," said Fiona. "It'll cause problems for Kerri if she knew what was goin' on, especially with how sick she is."
"Stop playing the frightened mother card. It doesn't sound good on you," Julia sneered.
"I thought ye were on me side, Julia," said Fiona.
"That was before you began objecting to the only chance your daughter has of coming out of this," said Julia. "I feel sorry for her. Having a whore for a mother must be a tough thing to live with."
"Excuse me?" said Fiona.
"Don't think I didn't see you and that boyfriend of yours last night near Boston Children's, joined at the lip and laughing like your lives were perfect," said Julia. "Or perhaps this latest turn of events was the answer to your prayers. I mean, how could I have not seen this? You want your daughter to die so you have no more ties to your husband and can spread your legs open without any witnesses."
Julia was prepared for the slap she received in return for that comment. She grabbed Fiona's curls and held the woman by the hair, searching for the chain she knew the younger woman wore.
"Hitting me wasn't smart," said Julia. "I got connections you would dream of, little girl."
"Bollocks," said Fiona. "Do you know who I am?"
"Yeah, I know who you are," said Julia.
Julia found the chain, which had a wedding band on it. She yanked it, causing the chain to snap and the wedding to fly into the air and fall down a sewer grate.
"A pain in my ass," said Julia.
Julia left a shocked Fiona standing there as she went back to Mass General.
SOA
When Julia's shift ended, she walked outside wanting nothing more than to feel the air on her face. The New England air was unpredictable, carrying the time bombs of weather changes that would affect how busy the ER would be tomorrow. As she walked, she heard the sound that could only be from a high-end car. At first she thought Keith had come to pick her up in his Mustang, which would've been followed by speeding around town and Keith honking the horn at everyone. Instead it was Dallas in the black Porsche she'd splurged on five years ago.
"I may be a humanitarian but I gotta have some fun sometimes," said Dallas.
She drove to a parking spot and then got out of the car, leaning against the passenger side door and waving Julia over. Julia ran over and the two of them talked.
"I need a drink in the worst way," said Dallas.
"I take it you figured out how much time she's got if she doesn't get the transplant," said Julia.
"Six months," said Dallas. "There's also the risk of infection due to the chemo, which is the same as before but we both know she had a close call there in '07."
"Shit," said Julia.
"There's more," said Dallas. "When I got back from our lunch I found this. It was faxed to me."
Julia took the sheet of paper from Dallas and read it. It was typed and seemed to have been faxed from a location Julia didn't recognize.
Tell the private investigator you hired that you no longer need him or her. If you don't, I'll kill you.
"We should go to the cops," said Dallas.
"Who has your fax number?" said Julia.
"Just my patients and their immediate family," said Dallas. "I gave my card with my contact info to her mother."
"The woman has a boyfriend," said Julia.
"Least they don't know Haley contacted Taylor," said Dallas. "Means you can warn her what's going on."
"I'll tell her when I get home, I don't want to run the risk of this guy tracing my phone somehow," said Julia.
"Will we be able to go out for drinks?" said Dallas.
"Yeah, Keith has a rifle and isn't afraid to use it," said Julia. "First we swing by my place to warn them, then drinks."
"Sure," said Dallas. "Julia?"
"Yeah?" said Julia.
"What's that ticking noise?" said Dallas.
FLASHBACK
The bikers milled around outside the clubhouse, wondering how they'd handle this latest threat.
"Julia, what's that ticking noise?" Comet asked.
Julia turned around and to her horror saw that there was a nail bomb on Beetle's bike. Beetle was popping wheelies and was oblivious to the horror resting right below his seat.
"Beetle! Get off! It's a bomb!" Julia yelled.
The world exploded. Everything went black.
END FLASHBACK
Julia got on the ground and looked under the car. sure enough, There was a bomb rigged and it was on a timer.
"It's a bomb, Dallas!" said Julia. "Go! Go, run!"
Julia was running straight for Mass General. Dallas had barely taken a few steps away from the car when the bomb went off and sent both women flying across the parking lot.
SOA
"Julia! C'mon Julia open your eyes!"
She knew that voice, wanted to turn towards it more than anything.
"Comet?" Julia whispered.
Everything went black.
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