Chapter 26: No One Mourns the Wicked
"Don't get yer knickers in twist Lala. I got a call from friend who said yer daughter-in-law was here. I taught I'd come by and check on her." Riona Magee stepped back a little, the color rising in her plump face.
"Don't call me Lala!" Laura hissed in a hushed tone. "And how in the hell did you slip in here this late at night?" Riona shrugged with a look of mock innocence.
"Look, a friend of yer sons' said things didn't look good for the babe. I just came by to see if I could help."
"You used magic on my grandchild and daughter-in-law?" Laura whispered. She didn't know if she should laugh with relief, cry for joy or just punch the woman.
"A tank you would be nice." Riona said. "Now Lala, you know I abide by the first, do no harm credo." Riona insisted. She put a comforting arm around Laura's shoulders and steered her away from the room. "Besides, little Joe and Vanessa were asleep the whole time. They didn't even know I was there."
"Ugh, what does an aneurysm feel like?" Laura murmured as she rubbed her temples.
"Look, can we call ourselves even now? You helped me when I was in a pickle. Now I've done a good turn for you."
Laura had really hoped she would never have to cash in that favor Riona had promised her all those years ago. It would suit her just fine to live out her days and pretend that what innocent and petite Laura Hardy did to help a pregnant and battered Riona Hayes had never happened. If Fenton ever found out about that, then it would just open a big old can of worms that Laura preferred to keep shut.
But Riona had sworn on her own life that if ever Laura's family were ever in a crisis, she would be more than happy to lend her special skills to help. So, it was done now. Nothing more to say, except…
"Thank you Ree. I… didn't mean to sound so ungrateful. I just wanted to keep all that behind me."
"But I can't. I look at my two, beautiful daughters everyday and I tank the dear sweet Lord that I'm alive to watch them grow into the women they are. And I say a special prayer for the friend who helped make that possible."
"Oh, Ree…" Laura hugged the other woman warmly. "It has been too long since we've been in touch. I only have myself to blame. How are the girls?"
"They're fine, still live nearby. Ya know somethin'? I would never have made the connection that Frank was your son if I hadn't met him when we put that enchantment on his house a week or so ago." Riona smiled.
"You what?"
"Oh shite. Lala, I…"
A tinny version of Lionel Richie singing "Endless Love" could be heard coming from Laura's purse. That was Fenton calling.
"I have to take this Ree. But this conversation is not over." Laura rambled through her purse to find her cell phone at the very bottom. When she looked up, Riona Magee was gone.
…..
"He's in a hospital down here. Then I guess they'll hold him and his buddies in jail until the hearing. I'm sure there will the trial for the girl's murder, Frank's kidnapping, and he's got a long list of other charges too." Stanley Woods could tell Biff was tired. It was evident in the way he sighed and yawned the whole time he talked.
"So, he goes by Emile Louvel these days? That's a good one. It means Rival Wolf." said Stanley.
"Wonder what his real name is."
"No telling, it would tickle the hell out of me if it was something corny or simple, like Bob Smith. He was always such a smug bast- uh, son of a gun." Stanley's pajama-clad daughter padded through the kitchen just then and got a gallon of milk out of the refrigerator. She poured herself a glass and smiled at her father, doing her best to stay quiet so that she wouldn't disturb her father's telephone conversation.
For the first time in a long time, Stanley could breathe a sigh of relief. The deadliest werewolf he had ever known, The Nose, Le Nez, Argent Chase, Emile Louvel, whoever he claimed to be, was behind bars. His grandfather's murderer would not see the light of day for a very long time. And if he could pull a few strings with some of his extended lupine family who happened to be employed by Louisiana's correctional system, Emile Louvel would never see the day of his trial either.
…..
Biff dried off from his shower and wrapped the towel around his waist. He walked out into the bedroom and turned out the lights. Although there were several more hours to go until daylight, Amy was already in bed. She had bathed while Biff was on the phone with Stanley.
"Are you asleep?" Biff asked simply.
"No." was the bland reply.
"Want some company?" Silence.
"I'm going to crash in the other room."
"Allen?"
"Yeah?"
"Stay with me?" Amy's voice sounded so small. Biff slid into the bed with her and wrapped his arm around her waist. He kissed her shoulder, but made no other moves.
"I do not know how Magnus did it Allen, when he would have to cut down one of his own children. There is a connection with a vampire and their child, and when it's severed…It hurts. I have only felt this pain twice before, centuries ago when my own human sons we taken from me." Biff pulled Amy's lithe body closer to his, and buried his face in the back of her cool neck.
"He was delusional, and immature. But deep down, he had a good heart."
"He raped Frank, Amy."
"I am aware of that Allen, I was there. What Eric did was unforgivable. But the enchantment Eric evoked at the end… if he had lived, he would never have the ability to perform a malicious or nonconsensual act toward Frank ever again. He would have been obligated to protect Frank for the rest of his mortal life, like Ezekiel and I have committed to."
But he didn't commit to protecting Phil, Biff thought. Nothing would have prevented Eric from doing his friend in even if he could no longer have Frank. As awful as someone dying is, Biff was secretly glad Eric was gone. However, he'd never say that to Amy.
Amy had gone still under his arms. He brushed his fingers lightly across her cheek and found dampness there. Biff took a deep breath and nestled deeper into the bed. They had both lost people they loved and they had both killed to protect those they loved. It was the who and the why that were the only differences.
…..
Frank opened his eye and glanced around the dimly lit room. Everything was blurry. Great. What did emergency room professionals have against contact lenses? He could move his neck now, the cervical collar was gone, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt. Frank raised a hand to rub his face. Owww, that was a mistake. His limbs and joints had a flu-like ache to them. Frank's bad leg, head and the left side of his face throbbed and his side was on fire. Frank's wrists and ankles were covered in heavy gauze and his I.V. line burned at the insertion site.
He heard a soft snore to his left, so he slowly turned his head. Someone shaped like his father was sacked out in a reclining chair, his clothes were sweat-stained and rumpled and his shirt tails were uncharacteristically untucked. Frank heard the sound of shuffling to his right. Phil was sleeping fitfully in another reclining chair that was pushed up against the side of his bed.
Phil's hand was resting on the mattress like he had been holding Frank's hand, but in sleep he must have let go. He looked like hell. Phil had dark circles under his eyes, bruising on his left cheek and dark facial hair was prominent on his jaw and chin. The humidity wasn't doing his hair any favors as it had gone wild and curly.
But Phil was alive. He was alive and breathing. Frank touched his hand and felt the warm, smooth skin there. He gently squeezed Phil's hand, and his fiancée squeezed back unconsciously. Frank swallowed dryly as the weight of guilt pressed down on him. Phil had been alive this whole time and Frank had almost thrown his life way. He had almost given it all up because he had lost hope, mistakenly thinking that the only beacon in his life had been snuffed out.
"Thank you." Frank closed his eyes and prayed. He had always believed in G-d, but wasn't sure if He still listened to Frank's prayers. But right now he wasn't asking for anything, just saying thanks for his love still being alive, and maybe G-d would hear that. "Thank you for bringing Phillip back to me. And I'm sorry I thought about ending this life you gave me."
"Frank, can I ask you something?" a voice asked.
"What?"
"Do you think you can you find it in your heart to forgive me?"
"I don't know…"
"Frank? Baby? Who are you talking to?" Phil rubbed his eyes and sat up a little straighter. But Frank didn't answer him. Instead he continued to mumble quietly, staring up the ceiling tiles.
Before the foot of Frank's bed stood Eric Langhorne. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a faded University of Bayport t-shirt.
"Why did you do what you did to me? Why couldn't you just let me go when we ended things? You raped me, you abused me. You went to all that trouble with Emile to get me, but then you said you're sorry. I'll never understand you…"
"Fenton, hey Mr. H! Wake up!" Phil had crossed the room to where Fenton was sleeping and shook his future father-in-law's shoulder.
"Hmmm? Whazit?"
"Frank's talking out of his head. Keep an eye on him while I go get a nurse." Phil said quietly. Fenton nodded and went to his son's side.
"Frank? Son, it's Dad. Hey, look over here buddy." Fenton was sure to be in Frank's line of sight and close enough for him to see.
"But you're gone now. We're free and I'm going to marry Phil and you can't do a damned thing about it!" Frank smiled as Eric grimaced and turned away.
"Yeah, keep on walking! That's all you've ever done when things got too hot for you to handle. Run away Eric!"
"He's got a temperature of a hundred and five."
"Shontal, give him eight hundred milligrams of Ibuprofen. Peggy, how about a couple of ice packs?" ordered the charge nurse.
"Frank, can you hear me?" One of the nurses ran a penlight in front of Frank's eyes.
"I've paged Dr. Schwartz, Eula."
"Thanks Tess."
"Gotta be his kidneys, urine output in almost nil."
"Frank, honey can you take a deep breath for me?" Frank muttered something, and tapped the mattress beside him.
"He's delirious." Eula observed. She tried to listen to Frank's chest, and then pulled the earpieces of her stethoscope out of her ears. "I don't like what I'm hearing. Call radiology and let's get a chest x-ray ready for Dr. Schwartz to read when she gets here."
"Blood pressure's eighty over fifty."
"Crap. Alright we've gotta keep his chest elevated, Tess, grab some SCD boots. Shontal, get rid of that cannula and put the mask on him, increase the oxygen..."
…..
"So Dad, did you ever forgive him?" David asked. Frank patted the space on the step beside him for his son to join him.
"I didn't get the chance to before he died." Frank confided.
"Ouch."
"Ironically, he died saving my life, protecting me."
"Day-um!"
"David…" Frank said in a warning tone.
"Sorry Dad." The boy muttered.
"But in order for me to have any kind of peace and to fully heal, in here" Frank pointed to his chest, "And here" he pointed to his head, "I did finally forgive him… but it took a while."
...
Eric stood at the foot of Frank's bed again. Nurses rushed here and there, pressing ice packs to Frank's forehead, neck and under his arms. They were speaking to Frank, talking to each other, but Frank couldn't make out what they were saying. He didn't really care. Frank's attention was focused on Eric. This time his skin was pale and he was wearing a pair if white dress pants and a lavender shirt.
"You were trying to apologize down there, but were you really sorry for what happened?"
"I just wanted to love you Frank. But I went about it the wrong way."
"I'll say."
"When I watched you while Phil was dying, I think I finally understood what you meant. Putting the one you love first. I didn't and it led to disaster. I hope one day you can forgive me."
"I don't know if I ever can. But I can thank you. Thank you for casting that protection enchantment at the end. And thank you for saving me and Phil."
Eric smiled finally and stuck his hands in his pockets.
"Well, I guess that's a start."
…
Author's Note:
I imagine once Frank gets out of the hospital this time, Phil's going to put him in a bubble until the wedding. Lol!
Oh, the new cover art for MoonRiver and Some Nights is credited to Luckypressure on tumblr. I'm a huge Klaine fan and I love her work. Her depiction of those lovable characters reminds me of Frank and Phil.