Chapter Nine

Aiden walked along with his daddy holding his hand and the new lady walking beside them. Aiden had heard his daddy call her Charlie last night. This morning she had shown up at their apartment and tried to smile at him when daddy let her in. Henry had sat down Aiden and tried to explain to him as he ate his breakfast that Charlie was actually his mommy. Aiden had looked from Henry to Charlie and back again, his face a mixture of confusion and shock.

"But I thought mommy left when I was little?" Aiden had asked. Charlie bent down and looked at him.

"I did, but I wanted to come back and see you." Charlie said smiling. Aiden didn't know if it was wrong to feel the way he did, but he didn't really like his mommy. She didn't seem real to him, like Betty was. Betty would get down in the dirt and help him find rocks and other shiny stuff and play pirates and dragons with him. Mommy/Charlie wouldn't even give him a hug. Aiden missed Betty. Betty had a pretty voice when she read him his bedtime stories, and daddy was always smiling when Betty was around. Mommy/Charlie didn't smile, and daddy always looked upset when he talked to her. As they approached the Meade Building, Aiden stopped on the sidewalk.

"Daddy, let's go see Betty!" Aiden cried happily. Henry looked at Charlie. She looked away angrily as Henry smiled at his son.

"Aiden, Betty is probably working. We'll come back another time." Henry said. He went to take Aiden's hand but Aiden pulled away from him, running into the Meade Building. Henry shouted after him. Henry turned around to Charlie.

"Stay here. I don't want to upset her." He said and dashed after Aiden.

Betty had just stepped off the elevator when she felt something solid wrap around her legs, causing her to stumble. As she pitched forward, a pair of strong arms caught her. She looked down to see Aiden's arms wrapped around her legs and Henry grasping her arms.

"Henry!" Betty exclaimed.

"Betty!" Yelled Aiden. Betty disentangled his arms from her legs and scooped him up into a big bear hug. She looked at Henry over Aiden's shoulder. That smile that he seemed to smile just for her broke out over his face. She felt herself blushing as Henry reached forward and brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes.

"Hi." Henry said quietly. They looked at one another for a moment, Henry's fingers grazing the skin on her cheek. Betty turned into him as his hand opened and began to caress her skin. Her lips parted and they took a step towards one another before Betty registered another voice.

"Aiden, you scared us running off like that!" Charlie said, "Oh, hello Betty."

"Charlie." Betty acknowledged. Betty set Aiden down as she hurriedly grabbed her purse. Henry turned to Charlie.

"Charlie, can you give us a minute?" Henry asked. Charlie looked at the three of them standing together looking like a perfect family before she nodded and went to stand by the door. Henry turned back to Betty.

"Betty" "Henry"….. They laughed. "You go first." Henry said.

"Henry I just wanted to say that I've missed you. Both of you." Betty said.

"Aiden and I have missed you too. Look, Charlie is leaving tomorrow. We've talked about things and she's decided it's better just to be a friend to Aiden right now than his mom, so would you come over for dinner tomorrow? Nothing fancy, just the three of us?" Henry asked hopefully. Betty bit her bottom lip as Henry watched her, waiting. Finally she looked up at him and nodded. Henry relaxed and began to breathe again as she smiled up at him.

"Ok, then. See you about six?" Henry said. Betty smiled and nodded. She hugged Aiden one more time, and then turned to go to her subway. Aiden smiled up at his daddy as they headed back to Mommy/Charlie.

Later that night as Charlie tucked Aiden into bed, she casually asked him about Betty. He really liked her, he told Charlie. She was nice and funny and she made daddy smile. Charlie held her tongue as Aiden told her that Betty was coming over for dinner tomorrow. Aiden told her that daddy had been very happy that Betty was coming over. As she pulled the covers up to his chin, Charlie put a finger over her lips and made Aiden promise not to tell daddy that Charlie knew Betty was coming over. Charlie told Aiden she had a BIG surprise for Betty.

None of them knew just how big it would be.

Charlie had been standing outside Henry's in the pouring rain since five. He was too busy cooking and cleaning to even notice she'd been there. She had originally told him she was catching an early flight so he wouldn't be suspicious. She had taken her bags to the airport early then jumped back into a cab and headed back to Henry's. By tonight, she wouldn't even need her bags anymore, once her plan was put into motion. Charlie walked up the steps and knocked on Henry's door.

"Charlie…what……" Henry said. Charlie brushed past Henry and stood inside the living room.

"I wanted to come back and say goodbye to Aiden, but I got caught out in the rain. Can I borrow a towel?" Charlie asked. Henry sighed but agreed as Charlie headed towards the bathroom. Henry left the door ajar as he finished setting the table. He was fixing the candles into their holders as Charlie walked out of the bathroom. She had changed clothes and was only wearing one of his button-down shirts. Her hair was damp and wild. Henry's brow furrowed as he looked at her.

"Charlie, what are you doing?" Henry asked, "Betty will be here any minute."

"Really Henry? With all this rain?" Charlie asked, walking seductively towards him. She twined her arms around his shoulders as Aiden walked into the room.

"Daddy, where's Betty?" Aiden asked. Charlie pulled Henry's head closer as he heard a gasp from the doorway. Betty stood there, glasses fogged; staring at the couple and the position they were in.

"Betty.." Henry said, pulling Charlie's hands from around his neck. "Betty this….."

"Isn't what it looks like?" Betty said numbly.

"Well, maybe it is." Charlie said, "after all I have been staying here the last two nights." Henry closed his eyes as Betty's shocked gasp hit his ears.

"Is that true?" Betty asked, jealously creeping into her words. Henry couldn't look at her. Charlie looked triumphant as Henry's silence told Betty everything she needed to know. Without another look back, she turned and ran from the apartment. Betty heard Henry shouting after her, and then fled out his front door. Aiden watched Betty run out, and then followed after her.

"Aiden, stop!" Henry yelled as Aiden chased down the street after Betty. Betty sobbed all the way down the street, pushing people out of her way. As she approached the corner, she heard Aiden's voice calling after her.

"Betty." Aiden huffed out of breath.

"Aiden, sweetie go on back home. Your daddy will be worried." Betty cried.

"Betty, don't go!" Aiden pleaded, " I want you to be my mommy." Betty looked down at Henry's adorable son. She wiped her glasses as she saw Henry getting ready to leave his apartment after her. She ruffled Aiden's hair. She pushed Aiden gently back towards his house.

"Aiden, please go! I can't……" Betty let out a cry as she dashed into the street. No one could stop what happened next. A car, pushing forward to make the yellow light, never even slowed. Betty glanced back at Aiden as she suddenly felt an agonizing pain in her back and legs. She felt like she was flying as the ground rushed up to meet her. Then blackness. Aiden's scream of terror carried down the street as Henry pushed past Charlie, seeing the car and the impact. As he dashed down the stairs, he could still hear Aiden screaming. As he approached the corner, he saw Aiden kneeling in the middle of the street beside a body. Henry stopped in his tracks halfway up the block. His eyes were taking in what his brain and his heart were refusing to. A woman's legs, similar to Betty's, sprawled in the street. Refusing to believe what his eyes were telling him.

"Oh my God! BETTY!!" Henry cried. He ran to Aiden, picking up the boy and burying his face in his shoulder. Father and son cried together as they heard the sound of sirens wailing along in the distance.

TBC………………….